Second Edition.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 August 1910, Page 3

Second Edition.

LEVIN HOTEL SAFE ROBBEERY. « THREE ACCUSED MEN BEFORE I THE COURT. John Earnshaw, Henry Robert If unt and Leslie Ellis, the three men who were remanded yesterday week oi> a charge of having burglariously entered the Levin Hotel and stolen therefrom a safe and valuables including cheques and money, aggrej gating £180 in value, appeared in Court again this morning, at Levin. Messrs 11. 11. Gardener, G. Cameron and H. J. Richards, J's. P., occupied tlie bench. Detective Andrews conducted the case for " the police, and Mr Fox appeared for the defence of Ellis. Earnshaw and Hunt were undefended. Mr O'Rorke, clerk of the court at Otaki, took the depositions. John Berryman, licensee of tho Levin Hotel, deposed to having ■ i /

been made acquainted with tho fact that his safe had been robbed. His evidence supported that given in The Chronicle on the morning altei the robbery. During the examination of-tliis witness there was a passage of arms between the examining detective and one of the accused men (John Earnshaw). The latter objected to the witness reading from a list the details of aiticues of jewellery; ifc w.»s tho unvarying practice, he saicl, for judges to compel witnesses to i"ve such details from memory, and t> prohibit tho uso of note books. "You know that is so' ; he concliKlP'l addressing the detective. What rot!" the detective answered; you IPnv be talking from experience, but I've seen it allowed more often than not in cases of this kind. Continuing his evidence, M.\ Heivvmau detailed how the sate was frmid on a vacant section 111 street. There was a dynamite tusc Wing near it. Found cheques, lf-. GUI in money, including two so\eieigns, and various articles of jewLl Tr,' V Earnshaw: 8a w all three accused in the hotel on Saturday ni'.dit Did not remember servni-, tfent with 'drink. , ~ , Rossie Emilv Smith deposed that at 2 20 o'clock or. tho Sunday morni, v that the rolmery occurred two men came to the door of her boaidinghouse and asked lor a bedroon Ono was a man named Wilson. Di rut know the other, and could recognise liitu now. Ihey go - c '' room, and Wilson went into it. He said he would leave the trout dooa open, for his mate to come m when tie was ready to do so. n ■ n-orning Wilson was in one bed, but there was no sign of tho obhoi bed having been occupied. To Earnshaw: Wilson was sober. James Wilson, a farm labourci oni ployo-d at Koputaroa deposed that on Saturday, 20th August, no passed the night at Smith s boaidnoliousc. Met the accused Ellis j L st outside the place. Asked him i. ho was going to walk out to Kopntaroa; ho said yes, but ho jas waiting for his mate. Asked b m it he had any money. lie said bo had only threepence—or sixpence — not sure which. W ltncss paid for two beds, ono being tor who was present when lie engaged them. Went to get some change, and when he returned to the passage a, minute afterwards Ellis was gone. Lie knew tho bed was uaul for. M" lis seemed sober. They drank a bottle of beer between them. To Air Kox: I'robably Lllus was near enough to .Mrs Smith ior her to have been nble to recognise him. David Edmund Porter, llaxinil ei, K c puta rca, gave evidence that nsliaw and Ellis both had woik(Hi for him in LS)O7; EU's st.bsoHi.ently also . Hunt came to lum in Julv last. Could not say how they were iixed lmancially. I'.ain»l a'w only drew Cl trom lum since lie started work in July last l e drew it a week betore tlic sale. ioblierv occurred. Hunt drew -* week Inter than Earnshaw. aunt „„w was in debt for his board; Karnshaw might have £-1 to .L<> coining to him. , r !' o Earnshaw: Could not say mkt!,or you asked tor the or wlicIher 1 oll'cred it to you. William i'enin, cook at one o 1», iter's mills, Koputaroa, deiMKSCiI tiiat Earnshaw and Hunt worked ai that particuhu' mill. On the moiiiin<. of Saturday. 20th August, llinu and Knrnshaw left the mill, and v.'tness lent two shillings, ti rough one Thomas Duggan. Ihc two shilling.s was to make up a large sum. Before Duggan lent the ironey he went through a process oi searching ICarnshaw. On Sunda\ UK.rning (next day) Earnshaw came to- tlio cookhouse for breakfast, at a L out 8.30. He was wearing the same clothes on Sunday as he wore wren he went away oil Saturday.

lie put down two shillings, saying ]i:- would pay me back the two shillings Duggan borrowed from me toi bun Constable .John Bagric detailed hi* experiences. On the morning ol 21st August he was called out oi bee. at t a.m. by John Berry-man, who reported his place as having been broken into. Examined the window of the olllce and found the catch had been forced back, and tie: safe used in the office was missing. In company with Constable iiCiigbottom witness left for Koputaroa about (i a.m. it had rained heavily after midnight, and the roads were wet and slushy, which obliterated all signs of traffic. About a quarter of a mile down the main read to Koputaroa from Levin witness found the footprints of three men on the road. These remained very distinct as far as the railway cussing near .Major Liddle's, at which point the three persons had t; ken to the line of railway. Erom Koputaroa to Porter's flaxniill (the lirst mill) the prints were also to he seen plainly. They were travelling from Levin towards the mill, and appeared to be those of three persons walking abreast, as they did 11. t cross at all. At Porter's lir.-t it.ill witness interviewed accused Kill: who was in bed. He said lit (lid not know the exact time at which lie came home, but lie had wrlked home after he had put a man into a boardinghou.se. Had spoken to two men after he put the nan into the boardiiighoii.se, but di'. no( know who they were nor what they- were like. Did not know ii l.c could tell them again if he saw them. Was positive he walked al. the way home by himself. (Left sitting.)