ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 826, 14 February 1903, Page 2

ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE.

i TWO MEN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL C b At Wairoa James Johnstone and Patrick b Shoehan were charged with the violently ’ robbing Makoare Pepuere of j 63. 3 Constable Kennedy asked the Bench to 3 allow tho charge to be reduced to one of 1 theft so that it might be dealt with sum--1 manly, but prisoners declined, preferring ■ to be tried by a jury, as there was no 3 solicitor to be secured. Makoare Pepuere deposed : He lived at n Mahia, and knew the accused. He saw r the accused at the Clyde Hotel about i dusk. He went into one bf the rooms to 3 look for someone. He pushed tho door i. open, aud looked in. Someone then • caught him from behind, and held him. t The accused Sheehan held his arms be,l hind his back, while prisoner Johnstone e soarohed his (witness) pocket. He had in j his pocket three £1 notes. Johnstone I. took them. Sheehan held witness all the f time the other man rifled his pockets. ) There wore only tho three of them present 3 in the room. Accused lit a lamp, looked e at witness, and let him go. He then f followed the accused out of the hotel to 3 North Clyde, and reported tho matter to l the police. He pointed out the prisoners to the constable as the men who had robbed him. Witness was quite sober at the • time of the robbery, and the prisoners were also sober. He was quite certain there J was no one else in the room when the 1 robbery took place—it was quite empty. c Ho retained his hold on the door, and 6 went partly round it. Johnstone was 3 standing on the left side, inside the room. 3 Johnstone closod the door and locked it. • When he looked into the room it was 3 dusk, but he could seo. He could not say " how long it took to rob him, but it was a 3 short time. It was too dark when the 1 door was shut for prisoner to seo him. “ There was no light in the passage when he 3 went into the room. Was quite positive 3 that when the lamp was litufchere was no [ one in the room but himself and prisoners; he did not call out or struggle because ho was too dazed. He lost sight of prisoners 3 for a short time, but 60on after pointed . them out to the police at Hewitt's Hotel. - Three pounds was all he had in his pocket, i He put it in his pocket as he entered the hotel. He had won the money on the , totalisator. j By accused Sheehan ; He saw accused , first at the hotel, when he robbed witness. > Did not call in accused out of the street t to have a drink at Hewitt’s hotel. There . was not another person in the room play- - ing a four-handed game of euchre. He r did not go over the river in company , with accused, but was following him. He ; did not see the accused playing cards at . Crarer’s Hotel, nor did he see the police . in the same room with them. WeDt into i the hotel with Constable Torr, but did i not see the accused playing cards, The ; room in which he was robbed was about ten yards from tho bar. There were people about in tho passages. He opened the door with his right hand. Was sure he had not seen accused in the street before the robbery. By accused (Johnstone : Did not have a drink with accused any time after tea that day. Had no silver in his pockets. Did not take intoxicating drink; lemonade and raspberry was his drink. Did not drink anything in Hewitt’s after tea. Victor Watts, Nuhaka, Baw informant go into Hewitt’s Hotel by the side entrance about dusk. Saw the two accused following close behind through the right of way. Was waiting for informant, who had gone into the hotel to look for someone. Informant was sober, and he thought the accused were also. The three had not been together prior to going into the hotel. Waited about twenty minutes ' for informant, and then went away, so did not see him leave the hotel. Next saw informant with Constable Torr in about an hour in Marine Parade, and he told witness he had been robbed of three £1 notes by two men. Witness was quite sober, and had no doubt the accused were L the men he saw follow informant into the „ hotel. e Constable Skinner deposed that he was standing in front of Crarer’3 Hotel when a native came up in a very excited way and said in Maori to Constable Torr that he p had been robbed, describing the men. Later on informant singled out the accused as the men. Johnstone had £2 in his possession and Sheehan 11s 9d. Accused were committed for trial. ,