TRIAL OF WARD FOR LARCENY AT BLENHEIM.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 184, 17 July 1869, Page 6

TRIAL OF WARD FOR LARCENY AT BLENHEIM.

(From the Nelson Evening Mail.) At the Supreme Court Criminal Sittings at Nelson, on July sth, before his Honor Mr. Justice Richmond, Thomas Laivrence Ward was charged with stealing a cashbox, containing £6O, from the dwelling of Charles Thomas Cribb, of Blenheim. Mr, Conolly appeared for the prisoner, who pleaded Not Guilty. The Crown Prosecutor having opened the case, called Charles Thomas Cribb, who stated : I am the officer in charge of the Telegraph Office at Blenheim. At the time of the theft, I slept and took my meals in a room communicating with the office. On the 4th June 1 placed in my cash-box two £lO notes, six £5 notes, and ten £1 notes. I locked the box, and placed it in a pigeon hole in the office, where 1 usually kept it. Sinclair and prisoner were present at the time. Shortly after, prisoner left the office, and returned again in the afternoon, about four and left again about five. He had a great coat with him. When he left, he took his coat up in a hurry, and left without speaking, which was very unusual for him. I asked him afterwards why he did so, and he said be suddenly remembered he bad an appointment; this

statement he afterwards denied, and said the reason he said he had an appointment was because the messenger was in the office. About six I missed the box. Between the time I put the cash in the box and the time I missed it, no one was there to my knowledge but prisoner and messenger. The office was never left alone the whole day. There are two doors to the office, one through the public office and one through my room, which also had an outer door. This door was always kept locked. On missing the box, L sent for the police. Inspector Emerson came and searched the premises. He and I then started for Purkiss’s hotel, where prisoner was living. On our way we met prisoner; I stayed and watched him, and Emerson went on to Purkiss’s, I saw him go on to the bridge, and then heard a splash, as though he had thrown something into the river. I saw him again at Purkiss’s that evening; told him what had occurred, and asked him what I should do. He said he could not advise me, I said, “ Perhaps you have done it for a lark, to frighten me.” This he denied, and recommended me to speak to Emerson, but not to do anything else for some days. The notes had marks by which I could identify them. I can swear to two of the notes produced. His Honor here remarked that he did not approve of the notes being endorsed in the Magistrate’s Court, as he had no right to alter the aspect of original documents. Cross-examined : I have known the prisoner for some months. He used to come in and out of the office to see me as a friend. He had just accepted a permanent appointment at Wellington. He has always borne the character of a most respectable man. The key of the telegraph office can be reached from the public office by pushing back the slide and putting the hand in. The messenger was in the habit of going to my private room. When Emerson first asked me if I could identify the notes, I said I could not. I thought he meant, did I know the numbers. I did not identify the notes until after they were found, but I did before they were shown to me. His Honor took occasion to remark that the bank notes issued in this colony were not fit to be handled, except with a pair of tongs; they were a perfect disgrace to the banks, and were calculated to disseminate all sorts of loathsome diseases. Anything so beastly as the paper currency here issued could not be found in any other country in the world. The remedy was in the hands of the public, who, when such filthy rubbish was handed over the counter, should refuse to take it, but should demand either clean notes or gold. Mr. Conolly suggested that money was so scarce that the public were not disposed to be too nice about the state in which it was handed to them. William Sinclair, the messenger at the Telegraph office, was called to corroborate certain portions of the evidence of the previous witness. % F. Eyes, clerk at the Bank of New Zealand, deponed to paying Cribb certain notes on the morning of the 4th June. Charles Purkiss; I keep the Rainbow Hotel at Blenheim. Prisoner was a lodger of mine. I remember prisoner leaving my house on the afternoon in question ; some one who was standing by remarked that he had his great coat on rather early. Emerson came on the evening of the 4th June and searched prisoner’s room but found nothing. Next morning Mrs. Purkiss and I searched again, and under the mattrass we found a roll of notes, including two £lO notes and six £5 notes. Those produced are the notes I found. Cross-examined: I have known the prisoner for three years and never heard a word against his character. Prisoner had been in ill health for some time. When he came in in the evening there was nothing strange in his manner, he did not appear to shun observation in any way. Prisoner talked to me about the robbery in the course of the evening. By the Court: I know Sinclair the messenger. He comes to my house occasionally. It is possible that he might baveentered prisoner’s room,but extremely improbable that he should have done so without my knowledge. Sarah Purkiss corroborated the evidence of the last witness. John Emerson: I am Inspector of Police at Blenheim. Having received information of a robbery at the Telegraph Office, I went there and searched the premises; from thence I went to the Rainbow Hotel, where prisoner lodged and searched his room, but found nothing there. Next morning Purkiss fetched me and showed the notes now produced, which

he had found under prisoner’s mattrass. Cross-examined : I went to the telegraph office, on receiving information of the robbery, I observed that the door of the pigeon-hole, where the cash-box was kept, made a very creaking noise when opened, and could not have been opened without being heard by anyone in the office. Cribb told me the number of notes he had lost, but said he could not identify any of them. When the notes were ohanded to me, I noticed the figures 55 on ne of them. The prisoner c?me into the Rainbow while I was looking at the notes and I immediately apprehended him. He had £8 on him at the time. Re-examined : I had not shewn Cribb the notes when he told me of certain marks on them. I don’t think the noise made by the telegraphic instrument when at work, would drown that made by opening the door of the the pigeon-hole. By the Court: I searched the river for the cash-box, but did not find it. The water was clear at the time, and there was very little of it. I think if the cashbox had been there I should have seen it unless it were under the bridge. The current was not sufficient to carry the box away. This closed the case for the prosecution. Mr. Conolly raised an objection on a point of law. That the prisoner had not been shown to be the receiver of the money, as the money was found in a room open to the public. Several other points of law were raised by Mr. Conolly, but were over-ruled by his Honor. The Crown prosecutor having summed up for the prosecution. Mr. Conolly addressed the Juiy on behalf of the prisoner. His Honor having summed up, the Jury retired, and after an absence of three quarters of an hour returned a verdict of Not Guilty.