STOLEN LEATHER

Dominion, 14 August 1919, Page 7

STOLEN LEATHER

THEFTS ADMITTED

BOOTMAKERS CHARGED WITH

RECEIVING

MAGISTRATE RESERVES DECISION

.As tho result of investigalinns niailo by the police into tho of leather from tho factory of Messrs. ]{. Hiinnah and 1 Co., Leeds Street, four men yesterday appeared boforo tho Magistrate's Court on criminal charges. Air, E. Page, S.MV. heard Die enscs. Arohibald Miller wa.9 charged on several counts with having stolen leather ! to the total value of £S» ifls... (lie proi perty of Hannah and 'Co. .Mr. Ji. V.dwards appeared for Hie accused, who I pleaded guilty. I Cliifi'-Detective Boddam said that Mil- | ler had for tlio past thri'o years been an I employee in ILaunah's factory, i Dftte'ctive-Sergoant Mason said that I accused admitted having sold to one Saul I certain goods he had stolen from -Jtho factory. . Miller alleged in his-signed Btatcment to witness that be did not-tell Saul he had stolen the leather. The Rev. Kuov>-ie.s-f;iiiith said tuat ho had known ■ Miller, fur about six years. Miller had a fairly comfortable home, but it was poorer l.luin one woiihl liayo expected because both Alii ler and his wifo had suffered from '11-health, and consequent iiuiuicial trouble. Miller had been operated upon for appendicitis. His two children were ' only weakly little folk" It seemed to witness that in all probability Miller lw-d only succumbed to sudden temptation. . Another witness ga v e ovidenco as to accused's difficulties. ... _. Miller entered the witness-box. Ho said that he had been stealing from tho factory for not more than seven months. He told of the stv-iits m winch h« had been placed by Jus own illness and the poor health of his wife. He had been driven by his troubles to the commission of theft. He .spent the money he bad dishonestly gained mostly upon the homo. There were things that reoiiired'to be done for the house, uncihe had to siftnd the rest of the money on food and other necessaries. 110 never got drunk. , Mr Edwards asked tlie C9«rt to grant probation or inflict a fine in preference to sending. accused to prison. The Magistrate said that, lie .would tako time to consider what sentence he should pass.' In tho meantime, accused would be allowed his liberty .His AVorship's decision w*!l probably be- given this morning. William Emory, bootmaker, of Brooklyn, was charged with having r««vcd from Miller articles to the value oi .CIO 155., woll knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. Mr. Ji. l<. CLeary defended. ■ 'Miller stated in evidence that he Bold the articles to Emery for about M. He did not tell Emery whers tney came from, and so far as be remembered Emery did not inquire. Witness could hardly remember'all the- details of tha transection— he had been too upset about his own affairs. * To Mr. O'Leary: A\itness had no recollection of an allegod statement to Emery that tho articles ivere a cheap line got by him from' a friend. Mr. Page: Did Emery know where you worked ?-AVitnws: "1 don't think so. J hadn't -met him before.' William Dcnby, factory maaagor tor 11. Hannah and Co., xteifHGed- tho articles received by Emery as .the property of his firm. He said that anybody who bought such goods, if he had his senses about Wm would make very particular inquiries about where t-lwy came irom. A repairer would lose by buyinE sucn articles, unless he got them v«ry cheaplv They would hot geiiiir.illy be available unless they had been specially applied for. There were, wliolo soles among tho articles. A repabw would not usually buy wiiplo nolos, -Imt "alt soles. -'tjecauso with wilolo soles ■ there was too much waste. i', ', '. To the Bench: Manufacturing firms in Wellington were not selling : to repairers such articles as those received by ijmery.- Only in such a inse'.as. JJio, present one would vHtness nxpeot to Jiiw them sold'to a repairer. ■ ' ' Detective-Serceant Mason said tuat on Friday, August 8, he "and a constabio called on accused at' the latters bootrepairing shop.-' Accused said in reply to questions that he did not know a coloured man 'mined' AIillw; and- «ad not purchased any leather from such a man. Accused's wife was standing by, and she without being asked Aiiyl'.huiß, volunwcrod-c-oi-roboration. Witness replied that lie did uot believo accused, and' would liavo to get a warrant to search tho promisee. Accused Ihen tola mtness that he had bonglft leather from a coloured man. . He look witness to an upstairs room, and in two small canvas hags be had the leather produced. It was secreted tinder some dirty linen in the.corner of the room. There was little or nothing elso'ih the room. There was no furuiture. Accused became Ki«atly ups«t, and ho made a statement relating to Miller's visits and the purchase of leather. He' admitted that ■at the last there was a doubt m his mind about the goods.' Plain-Clothes Constable Burnett, who accompanied Detective-Sergeant Mason on hia visit to Emery, coroborated the de-tective-sergeant's statoinent. Mr. O'Leary said that before tho accused could be convicted he must bo found to have known iit the actual time ol : receiving the gooils that they had been dishonestly obtained". AVhat ho thought when the piiioe oliicers came to his shop did not-affect tho i.linvgc. ' Emery would claim that at the time of purchase ho had no thought that tho articles had been stolen. .Accusedwas Ki years of age. He had been ;n iSiew Zcnlnnd for about seven years, and ho had never on any previous, occasion been lief ore a,, Court of law. Emery stated on oath that ho had. never been in troublo before. Ho produced credentials from Knglisli employers. 110 said with regard to the receipt of the goods offered by Miller that he asked tho latter: "Are they straight F" aiuUilmt Miller assured him they were. .Witness accepted the assurance tliiit tlißvo was nofiiing wrong about the transaction. After Miller had Wt on tho last occasion (ho made tlirco visits) witness liiispur.tt'i! tbat .ther* might be something wrong, mid lie decided that lie would not take any moro leather from Mirier. Miller_ was gone by that time. When the police officers called, witness at first denied having liought tho leather; but that was before he- knew tho cullers were policetneu., As soon as ho knew (hoy wero polioeiiibii, ho admitted tho purchns-?. Miller's calls woro made while witness ivns woilring in his shop.

Chief-Detective BoiWniii: Did it not strike you, after your 32 years' experience of boot leather in Leicester, vhat there was something wrong when someone offered you this class of goodsr Witness: "Eat Miller assured wo tuat there was nothing wrong." Mr. Page; Why diil you tr>ke tho tfoods upstairs unit apparently liiiie tlieuri—"l went up there to get tho inoimy, and l left them there when I came down." Questioned further, witness slated that, it was only tlje third lot nf lenher iJiiit he had lett upstairs. Tho rest was in tho shop. ' Cicurgo Emery, a son oi lbs necuseu, wilh some esperienee oi Hie boot triido, slateil that "in his opiuiuu accused had paid a fair price for the goods. Ho iiad paid what they were worth to him. Witness claimed that it was ijiuto possible to purchase tliy kindooff f goods in (iiii'Stion. , , . ... The MagiMrate reserved his decision. He allowed Emory to ho released I'll Will. Aii"el Haul, u coloured b&otuuu;cr, in busini-ss i" Cuba Street, was uhMgd with having received M worth of lwitlief from Miller, knowing it to have won dishonestly obtained. Mr. 0. B. 0 DonHell defended. .... Miller B avo evidence tual: he visile. Saul on three occasions. He idcntihed the leather sold. ' To Mr O'Donnell: Possibly he had called on Haul more than three (imi'S. Witness thought he said to Paul: 1 loso snles are all right; you don t m-ed to worrv." He generally made his yisib !tl ni"lit, but while business was being carried on. Ho conducted his Iransac'tilliam Blv identiiid the leather, and estimated its vnluo at £$>. Jjolective-Serseant Mason stated that be and ConsUvWo Duvuett visited &a nU premises and nsked who her haul kucw ~ coloured man named Miller. Accused hesitated for some lime, and then

snid that he did not know such n man. Witness paid ho was going to pcarch the promises. He did so. and found tho majority of tho stolon IratliiM- in an old bed. Saul subsequently oaid. (hat he purchased tho leather from a man whoso place of residence and plneo of employment he did not know. The man said that he-had a shop, and that his biotlicr bad a shop also. To Mr. O'Donnell: It was passible that Saul did not consider Miller to bu a coloured man, and therefore ratid that ho did not know a coloured limn mimed Mjller.

Sir. O'Donnell referred to an answer given by Miller to a question whether ho had shown Saul any wounds ho had. Miller had answered "i\;o." Mr. O'Donjic'll said ho believed that Miller had tried to tell tho truth; but it was significant that Saul would lie able to eiitor tho witness-box and describe to tho Court certain wounds that Miller had. Saul entered the box and related his version of tho transaction with Millur. He claimed that he had no reason to believe there was anything wrong about tho purchases j-and he duly described tho wounds roterred to above, ilo said that the leather found by tliu dotectivnsorgeaiit was on top of Iho bed,' 'and' had not bwn concraknl. Miller told him his brother liad n factory, and though witness was not anxious to purchase the leather, Miller persisted in trying to sell it to him. «, .liidifinent was resorved till this morniin;. Saul was allowed bail. James Lancjclot Toomur, for whom J\l r. O'Leary appeared, vras charged with having knowingly received J;i JSs. worth of stolen goods. .-\clu ; -lhl was a bootmaker, in "business in Willis Street.. Miller stated in {his case also that he had ti-iwl to lead accused to believs that there was nothing wrong "bout the leather.' lie said tlmt. Toomor ask«d, "Aj-o they all right?" and that ho xoplied, "Certainly they're all rigat. Detective-Sergeant Miison said that aoeused adiniltcd when inttrviewed that ho had purchased leather Irani a colored man whom ho know as "Kutt'.' Witness read a statement, in winch accused made tha following admissions-.— . -Miller told mo that ho. had got the leathers from HnwwliV boot factory, where he was workup, iia did not tell mo how he gottlwm from the factory. I-did not ask him. J know I should not have bought them, . . ' Mr. O'Leary said .that Toomtr liad accepted the assurance of Mijler that tho transaction were all- rignl. •U-β thought afterwards that no sliould not liavo bought the leather, but at dia time of buying he did not think the leather was stolen. . Toomer gave ovidenco on the nne3 of Mr. O'UatyV statement. Decision was reserved in ms ca?o aiso. Bail was allowed.