GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2257, 31 March 1921, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Remarkable allegations were .made against a young man named Francis Raymond M tike, niotoi engineer, at Birmingham police court. Detective Draysey stopped him while driving a motor car, and arrested him on suspicion of stealing it. Prisoner then said he wished to make a clean breast of everything, adding, “You have copped me before 1 got to London.” He admitted having stolen 3!) motor ears and motor cycles all over the countiy London, Leeds, Plymouth, Bristol, Manchester, Hull, and Nottingham being included, and that last year he had spent over £2,000 in high living, the proceeds of the sale of stolen cars. Two £lO notes and a £5 note were found in the mouth of a smartlydressed young woman named Kathleen Cairns while being searched at the police station in connection with a charge of theft. When at Manchester the woman was charged with stealing £lO5. Henry Salmon said that the prisoner, whom lie met in the street, persuaded him to take, a taxi cab for a ride round. He laid £175 in his pocket, made up

in two bundles, one containing £125 nnd (he oilier £SO. When in llie cab' ho fell Ihe woman’s ham! round him, nnd discovered that his money was missing from his hip jockcl. (Ic al once accused the woman of taking the money. On Ihe lioor of ihe taxi lie found a £SO crumpled up. The sum of £lO5 had since been recovered. Cairns was senienced to Iwo months' imprisonment. Two men were waiting in lho corridor of Santo Prison, Paris'. Both had the same name, hut while one had only to sign a form to be set at liberty, his lerin having expired, (lie other had .just been condemned ro two years' imprisonment, and was wailing to he taken hy the prison van to the office of the examining magistrate in order to he questioned. The policeman on duly, however, made a mistake, and let the wrong man free. The oilier, finding himself again in the prison van. protested so strongly that the police had to release him, but, in the meaniime. the sentenced man naturally had lost no time in disappearing, and has not* vet been retaken.