LAW’S LONG ARM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2543, 15 February 1923, Page 2

LAW’S LONG ARM.

MISDEMEANOUR OF EIGHT YEARS AGO. In August, 1915, a- boy 15 years old hired a horse and gig in Feilding and drove over to Palmerston North. There he sold the outfit for £l2, and cleared out to Wellington, and took .ship to Sydney. Very shortly afterwards, then being 16 years, of age, he enlisted with the New South Wales forces, in the infantry brigade. He served in France, taking part in the great Somme advance, helping to make famous the name of the Aussie as a fighting unit by taking part in the capture of Pozieres. In this action he was wounded. The lad recovered from his wound and took his old place in the trenches. He participated in a raid at Gullecourl, and was wounded again, but once more recovered. Finally, in helping to stop the last German offensive in March, 1918, when the Allied cause was trembling in the balance, (he young New Zealander was badly smacked. He came out of the army minus a lung, two ribs, and half his shoulder blade.

In 1921, he returned to New Zealand, and one of the first things he heard from his father was that “that affair about the gig and horse” had been settled. The father had since died, leaving the young man an orphan, his mother having been dead many years. Working away at his trade in the city, he was making arrangements to set up in a home of his own, and as part of the programme lie came to Foxton. While in Foxton, last Saturday week, the young man was made to feel the wide spread and fine mesh of the law for he was arrested for the theft he had committed eight years ago, and was remanded to Feilding. At the Feilding S.M. Court on Monday, the case was heard before \ Mr R. M. Watson, S.M. Sergeant Cahill outlined the circumstances, after the accused had been charged with the theft of the horse and gig valued at £2O.

The young man pleaded guilty to the charge. His solicitor gave to the Bench the history of the lad’s war service subsequent to the breach of the law, as repeated in this article, and emphasised the fact that the hoy was only 15 years old at the time. •" Counsel added that the man was prepared to make restitution, so that no one would suffer. The Magistrate: Have you your discharge from the Australian Army? Accused: No, it was burnt with other things in a whare in the bush in the King Country, where . I had been working. I applied to the army for a duplicate, but the authorities do not issue duplicates. My war medals are in Wellington and can be ' m of produced. Counsel applied to the Court for leniency. He suggested that the accused man might be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon within six months. The Magistrate said he had only the accused’s word for the tale so far. In answer to the Bench Sergeant Cajiill said the police did not press for a penalty.

The Bench convicted the accused and ordered him to come up for sentence when called upon within 12 months also making an order fbr restitution. —Star.