ALLEGED BURGLARY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 60, 8 September 1926, Page 10

ALLEGED BURGLARY

TOBACCONIST ROBBED

PAINTER AND BARMAN CHARGED

Albert Edward Duncan, a painter, aged 28, and James Arthur Frost, a barman, aged 44, were charged jointly; in the Magistrate's Court to-day, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., with breaking and entering the shop of Joseph M'Cabe, 43, Ghuznee street, by night, and stealing goods and money to tho total value of £1 10s. Both the accused were also charged with attempting to break and enter the warehouse of Eobort Crawford, 40, Ghuzneo street, by night, with intent to commit a crime therein, and with having an instrument for housebrealcing in their possession. Joseph M' Cabe, hairdresser, of Ghuznee street, gave evidenceithat he found the shop broken into on his arrival at 8.15 a.m. on Ist September. Th,e till was broken and lying on the floor. He also missed a quantity of cigarettes, safety razor blades, and other goods, with 3s (id in cash, the total value of goods missing being £1 10s, Veronica. Baird, a waitress at the Waverley Hotel, stated that when passing M'Cabe's shop after 10 p.m. she saw Frost and another man standing inside the doorway. She know Frost, who stayed at tho Waverley. Frost came out and spoke to her. Ho seemed to have a fright when she passed. • To Mr. Page: "Witness had known Frost sibout flvo months and usually; saw him daily." Wilfred Leonard Wysocki, a dealer, living in Ghuznee street, snid',that his bedroom was on tho floor above M'Cabe's shop. Soon after going to bed about 10 o'clock, ho heard » noise from below as if a door was being closed, but he did .not attach any importance to tho noise. About' twenty minutes later he heard the sound of breaking glass, and, looking out of tho window, ho saw two men standing on, the opposite side of the street in the doorway of tho Dominion Dye Works. Mary Patten, a clerk, employed at 4(5, Ghuznee street, said that her em* ployer conducted business in the sam« building as the Dominion Dye Works. On arrival at the shop at 9 o'clock the next morning, she found the glass in the front door broken and marks of a jemmy on the door. FUGITIVE STOPPED BY A OIJIL, John Smith, a labourer, said that Jui was passing along Ghuznee street about ten minutes past 10 o'clock on tb« evening of 31st August. Opposite th« Dominion Dye Works .he saw two men, standing .in the doorway of the .works. Before lie saw them he heard th« sound of breaking glass. Witness proceeded to his boarding-house further down the street, the two men being still in view. Then one of the men feigned drunkenness and a policeman appeared from tha direction of Taranakl street. When the constable met the men, he appeared to be ordering them on. They walked some yards away, but the policeman then found that the door had been broken and caught them up again. A! scuffle ensued, during which one of the men broke away, but was tripped up by a young woman onlooker. To Mr. J. P. B. Wallace (for the accused): "Witness was quite sure that the man who was tripped by th« girl was one of the two in the dqorway." ■ Lawrence Peoples, a school joy, gay« corroborative evidence. Alfred Charles Cutler, an indent agent in business at 42, Ghumoe street, said that as one of the men broke away fr^m the constable, he dropped 9. motor-tire lever. Constable Hereoek, after describing the finding of the broken door, said that when he was taking the two accused back to the doorway, Frost said:] '^'1 broke tho glass, w© were having a flght." Duncan then broke away, and some civilians held Frost while witness chased Duncan. Witness called on some of the crowd to catch Duncan, but they failed to respond, and it was left for a young girl on the footpath to trip up tho running man and bring about his arrest. Frost, by this time, had disappeared but later he wa« brought to the station by detectives. Sergeant Joyce said that Duncan wai not drunk when he wag brought to the station. He had denied that be knew; where the tire lever came from. Constable Murray said that whilt Duncan was being taken to the. station he saia that he had accidentally; fallen through the glass door and that he had no companion. After.tho evidence of Detectives M Lcnnan and Jarrold had been given the accused both pleaded not guilty, reserved their defence, and were committed to the Supreme Court for trial Bail was allowed in each case of £200. with a similar surety.