CARGO PILLAGING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 219, 10 June 1920, Page 6

CARGO PILLAGING

PETTY OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY

CHARGE AGAINST A COOK I 'Before Mr. W. G. Kiddell, S.M., in the' ! Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, r Frederick James Patching (a seaman) ana f -Samuel M'Donald, alian Cox (a, cook) were i jointly charged with the /following 1 off fences: —(1) On Hay 25, theft of 19 overi coatß, valued at £76, the property of somo ' person or persons unknown; (2) on May i 26 found in possession of uncustomed j ■: goods; (3) on May 25 theft of 19 ladies C overcoats and 8 singlets, value £78, tho 5 property of some person or persons uni known, ■ M'Donald waß further charged . with receiving from Patching the 19 over- ! .coats and 8 singlets. knowing the same ; to- have been dishonestly obtained. '• Mr. 0. B. CUsonnell appeared for Patchv - 'ins. and Mr.. A. B. Sievwright for M'Doni : old. Chief-Detective IVard prosecuted. John Finn, barman at the Wellington Hotel, Molesworth Street, said that on ' Monday, May 24, ho was in the bar, and saw Patching, who was carrying a swag, i Which he left with witness. On tho fol- ! lowing day Patching returned with 51 Don-ald,-and'asked for t'no swag, which was r given-to iim. . , ;• "=i"Harold Lowry Penny said he was in of inward freight department, i ' 'Commonwealth and Dominion Co., owners . ~of the s.B. Port Nicholson,' which was in i' last month. On May 2s wit- ; ness was shown 17 rubber overcoats at ; the police station, and up to the present had • not -been able to trace the owners of the coats. A case marked "A.O. and ■ Co." was-discharged from the Port Nichol- '■ boii,*' a/dd ill bad The brand ■: ■ ■ was that of Abbott, Oram and Co. The case waß examined in the presenco of a representative of that firm, and certain women'! apparel was discovered to be missing from it. , , To Mr. O'Donnell: The night the Port ' '"Nicholson arrived Patching was in charge of, the hatches. The ordinary precautions' were taken to check pillaging. ' ». To Mr. Sievwright: Patching was the 1 quartermaster of the Port Nicholson, and : ranked as a petty officer. ..Frederick 0. Archer, residing at 25 ! ' ■' M'Donald Crescent, employed by Abbott, : ( Oram and Co., in charge of the underwear 1 .department, said that he examined a r -case landed from the Port Nicholson on ' the wharf on May 27, which was in a ; damaged condition. The case should ! . have contained 70 dozen Tindcrvestß, but j '.'witness found that 14 11-12 dozen were missing. The goodß produced were similar in all respects to thOßesent out to the firm. Evidence was given as to the Eale by 1 M'Donald to second-hand dealers of certain ladies' overcoats and underwear, i r -; Constable M'Lellan said that on May 26 • ,'Jhe recovered from one dealer's shop 17 "' overcoats, and from another one overcoat. " later in tho day, in company with De- '' tcctive Scott, he saw M'Donald, and Questioned him. He said he got the overcoats I , • from Patching, and later pointed nut Patching. Patching said ho had 15 raoru I . ovcrcoats, and could show witness where 1 ' they were. Patching did not, however, 1 show thorn. At the police station M'Donnld made a statement which' was read ! 1 ' over to him, and he signed it. Patching also made a statement. ; Patching made a. second statement *» :■ follows: "I wish to tell tho. truth in connection with tho thoft of the overcoats and vests from the s.s. Port Nicholson , .When tha Port Nicholson was in Auckland I" a stovedoro told mo there were some maci. intoshes down in No. 1 hold. I did not : " pay any attention to what ho.said until - arrival in Wellington on Saturday, May : 22. That night, when everything was quiet, I lifted the hatch off, put a rose 1 down, and slid down to the next, deck-. : I then went down the ladder into the ■ lower hold, whore I found a broken caw. 'is The coats were lying about, and soma 'j<% wero partly out of tho . case. I filled fe a,.canvas bag with them, and found tho eight singlets in tho hold under somo dunnage. I was quartermaster du watch at tho time. On the following night--1 Sunday—l took tho bag ashor*. and plant- ' . .ed it. On Monday I went looking to eee " 'what I could get for tho coats and singlets. I eventually met M'i)onald in the Boyal Tiger Hotel and arranged with bitn to sell the articles on my behalf. X had intended going back to tho hold ,' for the purposo of get turn more overcoats, but did not do so." a Patching pleaded guilty, and was com- • mitted' to the Supreme Court for sen- (■ tence, and M'Donald pleaded not guilty, v and was sent for trial. Bail was allowed M'Donald In £100 and one BUrety of £100, or two of £50 each. The chargo of being in possession of '. uncustomed goodß was withdrawn, and the chargo.' against M'Donald of receiving stolen goods was also withdrawn.