A STRANGE CASE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1646, 12 January 1906, Page 2

A STRANGE CASE.

A PRISONER ACCUSES HIMSELF OF ROBBERY. (Per Press Association.) Auckland, lait night. An unusual casa was heard at the Po'iee Court to-day. Two mon, Thomas Fmne-

gan and Patrick Murphy, were charged with stealing from tbo person of Charle3 Spiuley property value! at £o 17s. Witnesses for the prosecution wtra positive in their sta'ements. For the defence Wflliam Thompson, et presrni an inmate of the Mpunt Eden gaol and on remand for par ticipatirjg in the Victoria street robbery, sta'od that Spiniey was under the influence of liquor wbpn the robbery took plica. When Spmley pephed out of the hotel witness saw his watch and chain

hanging, aid 11 1 sa ? d io myself I might os well have tha. as anyone olse. I therefore grabbed at the watch and chain, and took about 15s in silver from Spinloy's pocket,” Sub-Inspee'or Black : Will you say that you hive not a ranged with tbe other two

men lo taka thia charge upon youraelf to allow them to g: t tree V ” Witness: No, nothing of the kind. I would not allow any mm to be done a wrong by when I have commuted the crime. :

Sub-Inspector B ! aek said it was possible that Thompson received the watch and chain from accused to sell for them, It was a moat pnusual thiog for a man to accuse himself like that, opl he did not think Thompson would have done so only he was on a fair way to receiving a good sentence. It wa3 surprising tho amount of information that entered the gaol. The pr'sonera mixed together, and may have j elaborated this act of self-accusation of Thompson, Murphy denied the robbery. He denied telling Thompson the facts of the robbery. He said he only recently served si? months for theft from a dwelling. Both accused were committed for trial. Finnegan was also remanded for a week | on another charge of theft.