SYRIAN FOR TRIAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3697, 29 September 1927, Page 2

SYRIAN FOR TRIAL.

CASE AT PALMERSTON NORTH.

AILLEGED BREAKING AND ENTERING.

Palmerston N., Sept. 28.

At the Police Court this morning Michael Hannah, a Syrian, aged 23, was charged with breaking and entering by night a counting house of the Government on the railway deviation works.

Senior-Detective Quirke told the Bench that it was alleged that accused,had broken into the office at three o’clock in the morning of September 21st, this being the place from where up till then the men on the deviation had been paid. In his evidence William Bell, en-gineer-in-charge of the works, stated that he and Constable Boyd secreted themselves in the building on the night of September 20th. Early next* morning they heard a noise as of someone breaking into the building and moving about inside. Later they heard footsteps of someone running down the road. Five minutes later they saw the accused in company with Detective Barling. A big iron box usually padlocked, was found broken open and the contents disarranged. The safe contained £5 in cash, a cheque, and some stamps. No effort was made to open the safe. Detective Barling deposed to keeping the deviation office under attention on the morning of September 21st. He caught the accused after a chase near the deviation office. The accused at once made a statement that he had done the job entirely alone, and was after the men’s pay roll, but he got frightened gnd ran away. The accused was shown some gelignite on September 23rd that had been found near the offiice, and admitted it had been taken there for the purpose of blowing open the safe, adding that another person had been concerned, one who claimed to be experienced in the use of explosives.

Wiitness believed this, and had his suspicions as to who it was. He did not believe the gelignite had been placed where it was found by the accused. Information that an attempt would be made., to break open the office came from several sources.

The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed for trial on bail of £3OO.