HOTEL THEFT

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 143, 19 June 1934, Page 4

HOTEL THEFT

AMERICAN BOXER'S LOSS

Pleading guilty in 'the' Magistrate's Court yesterday to stealing sixty American dollars valued, at £15 "from the American negro boxer, Boy Williams, a nineteen-year-old electrician, Valentine Francis Anderson, was stood down for sentence by Mr. J. Miller, S.M., until Wednesday morning. Detective-Sergeant L. Eevell said that the complainant was an American citizen who was travelling through Wellington en route to San Francisco. While he was staying at the Trocadero Hotel, where the. accused was also residing, ho discovered that 2C3 dollars were missing from his clothing, and ho lpported Iho matter to the police. Detectives Kane and Long investigated, and discovered sixty dollars in the possession of the accused. He said that during the night he had entered AVilliams's room and committed , the theft. .The accused had iiot been.before the Court'previously, and his home was in Motucka. Only sixty of the 265 dollars had been recovered. Tlio Probation Officer, Mr. T. P. Mills, said that Ander.son's past had boon all right, but he thought it a pity that the whole of the money had not been recovered". In evidence Williams said that Anderboii knew ho had .the. money, for ho askqd what, the American bills were like, and ho had .showed Anderson some. Anderson admitted taking sixty dollars, but no more, ■ and he- denied knowing anything about the rest of the money. The serious nature of tho offence was pointed out by tho Magistrate, who said that such a theft -threiy suspicion upon tho wholo of the staff of the hotel, lie would like to know moro about the accused, and accordingly, ho stood -the. matter down until Wednesday.