ALLEGED THEFT AND ARSON.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2410, 28 March 1922, Page 2

ALLEGED THEFT AND ARSON.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FQR TRIAL. ’ At the Police Court yesterday morning, before Messrs Chrystall and Eraser, J’s.P., George Victor Dunn was charged with theft of goods from M. E. Perrean’s store at the Manawatu Heads, and was further charged with wilfully setting fire to the stoj-e, on or about March sth. Accused was represented hy Mr Ongley. Detective-Sergeant Quirke, in outlining the case, said that on the morning of March sth, Perrean’s store at the Manawatu Heads was found to be on fire. The previous day everything was quite all right. The place was totally destroyed. The lock was found among the ruins, and had been sawn or cut with some' sharp instrument. On the 11th March a search was made of accused's whare, and goods found similar to those in stock in the building previous to the fire. M. E. Perreau, baker, said that he had had,' previous to the sth March, two stores at the Heads. On the sth, one was destroyed by lire. The building was a one-doom-ed place with a double door at the front. It was constructed of wood and iron, and was on piles. The front doors were locked by means of a six-lever Champion lock, similar to the one produced. His keys fitted the lock produced. The hasp, staple and lock were quite all right previous to the They were not now, however. The staple was sawr. through. -He last saw the building on the 2Gtii February, when everything was quite in order. He stocked confectionery, matches, cigarettes, etc., in the building: The brands he stocked corresponded with the goods produced. He valued the goods at 355. He did not remember selling any. of the goods produced' laccused. He knew accused, who was a fisherman as far .as he knew. Under cross-examination by Mr Ongley, witness said that he had kept a stock-sheet of the goods in the shop destroyed. He sometimes had goods sent direct to the Heads from the merchants. Other times he supplied them from his other two shops. He could produce a record of goods sent to the store from the other shop. He had no private mark on the goods. Mabel Jane Field, residing at the Beach, stated that she was occupying a house next to the building destroyed previous to and after the fire. She remembered the stli March. That morning she was aroused from her sleep at about 4 a.m. by a noise. arose and searched the house, but found nothing amiss. She returned to her bedroom and saw a reflection in the window. She called her friend, living in the house with her, and got dressed. She went to her neighbour and got assistance. They returned to burning building, but there was no chance of saving it. She lived only a few yards from the store. Everything appeared - all right the day before. Wilda Walls, aged fourteen, shop assistant in the employ of Mr Perreau, said that '.she worked in the other store owned by Mr Perreau at the Beach/ The store*was managed by Mr Wishart. She knew accused. He came into the shop on March 11th, between 10 a.m. and noon, and asked for a packet of yellow cigarettes. He gave her a shilling, and she gave him three pennies change. He said, “Good girl, Wilda! I’ll have a jingle for to-morrow.” He then went out. Mrs. Wishart was also present. Mary Anne Wishart, wife of the manager of the- remaining Beach store, said that she knew accused. On March 11th he came into the store between 10.30 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. She was serving another eustvmer at the time. She corroborated previous witness’ sjr/efnent. Edwin Erickson; fish hawker, residing at the Beach, said that he knew accused. He remembered Saturday. 4th March. He went tp_i>ed •;t about 130 that night. About; 2, a.m. he was awakened by a noise. Ho heard !t : s "fish boxes rattling.. iTc got m but saW no one. He went down to his fence, which looks out m to the beach. He saw aceu? cd going past in the direction of the heads. It v.as quite I'gLt, and he could see as far as the jetty. Kis house was opposite the jetty. Accused was about twelve or thirteen yards away when witness saw accused. Then- was no sign of fire at the time. He did uot know where the shop destroyed by fire was situated. He did not hear about the fire until 10 a.m. the morning after. , To Detective Quirke: Reeve’s /house is about a chain tuvav from his.

Thomas Qttirke. Detective Sergeant, of Pnlmerstpn N., said that on the 11th ■ March! last, accompanied by Constables Owen and O’Dnnoghue, he visited the Beach about 11 a.m., and went to a whare. he now knew to he occupied by accused. Tic saw a box of green cigarettes, produced, tinder the blankets on a bunk: They left Constable O’Donoglinc in charge of the camp, and with (’unstable Owen he wept in the direction of Reeve’s house. Mrs Reeve is the mother of accused. They met accused outside the house, and lie was joined a few seconds later by Stan. Reeve. They told accused they wanted to have a look at the house. The four then proceeded into the kitchen, where there were two females. He invited accused and Reeve into another room.’ He tpld accused that Perreau’s shop had been burnt down on the sth March, and that he was searching for cigarettes and other goods tsft" had been in stock previous to the fire. As he was speaking, Reeve

took out' a packet of yellow Three CastlesJ took one out and lif'lt. When asked where he had got them, he laughingly .said that he had them at the store. They searched three rooms* and a shed, but found nothing. They asked accused where his camp was,, and he directed them to it' i The four then proceeded to it, and on arrival there they met , Constable O’Donoghue. Accused went-inside and started ,to .disturb the blankets. Constable' Owen told him to pull the blankets outside. He did so, and revealed the goods produced,, were lying on the inside of the bunk, in rows, so that they would not be layed upon../ Accused said that he had found them the night before in a bag under Lovelock’s house, about 8.30 p.m., when he was looking for two pullets.. He said he had told no one about finding them. When asked about his movements on the night of the 4th March, and early on the stli, 'accused, said jtliat he went to bed at 9.30 p.m. on the Saturday, night, and got up at about 6 a.m. the next morning. He was not away from his camp during the night. He saw. two Maoris near his camp before he went to bed, Tuna Roori and another. * They were fishing for eels during the night in the creek about fifty yards away. He saw them again the next morning when he went hqme to make a cup of tea. Accused then said he would take us to the . place where he had i found the goods.. Constables Owen rind himself accompanied accused to the house. The house stood about 2ft. 6in. off the ground. It was said to be Lovelock’s house, and was a short distance from Reeve’s. Accused drawled linder the house and indicated a spot where he said he had found the goods produced. He also picked up the remains of a i burnt wax match he said he had used. The soil was sandy under the house, and there were marks there. They may have been five or six days old, orjn day old. The three then returned to Mrs ReVve’s' house, where accused, changed his clothes. They then proceeded to the Police station, at "'Foxton, where he was charged with both offences. f Accused made no reply. He was searched by Constable Otven, and-two packets of yellow Three Castles were found among other things in his possession. " Constable Owen said that in consequence of information he had received, he went down to the Heads on the stli March, and visited the ruins of Perreau’s fire. The store was 14 yards away from the. house- . occupied by Mrs Field. It was at the west endof'the beach, half a • mile from Reeve’s house. Accused’s whare was 350 yards/from Reeve’s house. These were approximate distances, Having been stepped. On going up to the ruins of the store, he found the lock, produced, on the pat,h. He got a spade and searched the ashes. He found the hasp and staple. The hasp had been cut through, and lie found the lock, fitted the aperture x in the staple. He tried the lock with Perreau’s keys,, and found that they opened it. The padlock was locked when he found it. He corroborated previous witness’ statements re the visit to th* Beach on the lltli March. He had lifted the blankets and discovered the cigarettes on the first visit. Accused’s mother and sister were in the kitchen of Reeve’s house when they went there. Accused said he ■"-camped alone. Lovelock’s house was three chains away from Reeve’s’ in the north-east. He searched accused’s at Court House, and found the cigarettes produced. One packet was half empty, and the other had only one out of it. He initialled the packets. The night of the sth March was very rough. A westerly gale was blowing. He couldn’t say.whether it was clear or not.

Constable O’Dorioghue . corroborated Detective Quirk’s evidence on the vvisit to the Beach on the 11th March. He said on arriving at the whare he remained there while the others:went to Reeve’s house. Accused said-he occupied the camp alone. -Wheh left alone with accused, accused said to him that he knew absolutely nothing about the fire, and then pulled out a packet of yellow , Three’ Castles cigarettes from his pocket, liti.one, and said that he had bought them at Perreau’s Store that ■ morning. Witness took the goods across the/Main Road, where he was joined by the others. Accused said that he ha<J told no one about finding the goods, but that he. had meant to tell his brother, Bert, that afternoon, when he went to town. There were some empty packets about the whare, but they were very old, he judged. Accused, on hearing the charges read, pleaded not guilty to both, and reserved • his defence. Accused was committed for trial at the Palmerston,N. Supreme Court on Tuesday, 4th May. ' _ . Bail was granted as previously.