MISSING BENZINE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 284, 25 August 1921, Page 7

MISSING BENZINE

TAXI-DRIVER CHARGED i ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL George Alexander Waddle, taxi-driver (for whom Mr. A. B. Sievwright appeared), was charged in the Magistrate s Court yesterday, before Mr. F. .K. Hunt, S.M., with receiving from some person unknown , three cases of benzine, valued at £4 10s., the property of C. and A. Odlin Timber Co., knowing the same to have been dishonestly obtained. ChicfDetective Ward appeared for tho police. Stanley Odlin, manager for C. and A. Odlin, timber merchants, eaid that his firm had a benzine store at 268 Taranaki Street. On July 13 he made a check of the benzine, and found that there were fourteen and a half cases in stock. One case was sold that day, leaving thirteen and a half cases. The next morning he found that the door of the store had been forced open, and three removed. The value was £i 10s. Ine cases were branded with the firm s name. To Mr. Sievwright: There were three keys to the benzine store. Witness had one key, the managing-director another, and a third was in the possession of the nightwatchman. Altogether, about eight}’ cases of benzine hail been missed. Ho had no reason to. think that the nightwatchman had been trafficking in benzine. . Henry George Williams, nigntwatchman employed by'C. and A. Odlin, said that about 10 p.m. on July 13 he was with his wife in Taranaki Street, and when, passing-the firm’s motor garage he put hie hand against the door, and discovered that it was not fastened. He went inside, and found two lots ot benzine near the door. A motor-car, in Which were two men. and a woman, stopped near the garage. Tho men went inside the garage while the' woman stood by the car. ' Witness saw the tiro meu each carry a case of benzine, which was placed in the back of the car. He was near enough to see the number on tno car—WN.—US. All three then re-enter-ed the car, and witness immediately went up to the car, held on to its Bide, and asked the driver to hold on a bit. Ine driver, however/ got the engine going, and moved off at a fair sliced. ■ Witness got on to the running board, but soon had to drop to the ground. He wont back to the office and rang up the police. Tho next evening witness saw the car‘on the stand near the Bank of New Zealand, Cuba Street, and on Die following evening he pointed it out to Detective Andrews. Witness saw the accused in the taxi on the evening of July 13, for he had a good look at him when he was standing on the running board. He had no doubt about the identity of the car.. To Mr. Sievwright: He had a key of the store. He did not traffic in the benzine, and he was not in any way concerired or involved in th.® theft. Ho had not lent hi 3 key to anyone to bo duplicated. , " <j * Detective-Sergeant Andrews said that on July 14, in company with Detective Revell, he interviewed the accused, and ' asked him to account for his movements on July 13 between 10 p.m. and 10.15 pm. Accused made a statement, in which he said that he did a job at 10.15 p.m., and after that the lights on his car gave trouble, and ho went to his own garage about 10.40 p.m. He denied that his car was in Taranaki Street that evening, or that he was in anyway implicated in the theft of benzine. Amy Adelaide Williams,’ wife of Patrick Williams, 124 Adelaide Road, said that the place was partly a dwelling and portly a store. She let the latter to the accused. She remehnbered him calling on her one evening in June or July, when he asked her if he could leave some benzine there. She agreed, and the following day he came to the house again, and broiight three cases of benzine, and these) were left in the spare room. He took the tins, out of the cases and gave witness the cases to use as firewood 1 . There was Odlin’s stamp on the cases. Patrick Williams, husband of the last witness, gave corroborative evidence. Detective Revell stated that on August 5 he visited the premises of the last witness in Adelaide Road, whore, ho found six tins of benzine, and took possession of them. When witness questioned the accused, he said he had purchased the benzine’ from "a man In the street.” At the detective office subsequently the accused stated that he had been on the taxi-stand in Cuba Street, when a man camo up to him, and offered to sell him three cases of benzine at ,225. 6d. per case. He went with the man to a place in Taranaki Street, where the benzine was taken on to his car. When- tho nightwatchman boarded the car as they were leaving, the man said to accused, “Drive on! That is the man who bought my lorry." The accused also stated that he had no idea the; benzine hail b.een stolen. The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was allowed in one surety of £lOO.