A STORY OF A CROOKED SIXPENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3973, 20 July 1929, Page 3

A STORY OF A CROOKED SIXPENCE.

WHICH LED TO YOUNG NATIVE'S IMPRISONMENT,

The old story of the crooked sixpence was (recounted in a modernised form in the local Police Station yesterday afternoon when Zulu Edwards, a Maori youth, was charged with the theft from Lancelot Sexton, at Koputara sheep station, Himatangi, on June 22nd, of a watch, pair of sox and £1 1/in silver, of a total value of £3 3/-. A very dirty and bent sixpence played a leading part in the conviction of the young Native who was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment. Messrs D. R. Ogilvy and A. Eraser, J’s.P., presided and Constable Owen conducted the case for the police. Edwards pleaded not guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily. In outlining the case Constable Owen said that complainant was a young man employed |on his father’s sheep station at Koputara, Himatangi. His bedroom w r as detached from the house and in it lie had among other things a watch, sox, and £1 1/- in silver. Comprising part of the guinea was a ibent sixpence and two three-penny pieces. After lunch on Thursday complainant left home 'to undertake some work a short distance away but his view of the house during the afternoon was obscured by

a plantation. The rest of the family was absent in Palmerston N. during the afternoon. When complainant returned home at 5.30 he was accosted by accused and asked if he had lost anything and handed his watch. He subsequently found his room ransacked and the articles mentioned missing. The defendant was employed as a flaxcutter on Robinson’s run and the ealmp at which he was located was on some sandhills which commanded a view of the Sexton homestead. He had not been working on the day of the theft and had evidently watched the Sexton family leave home and then gone down to the homestead and ransacked the bedroom, for when he was interviewed the following morning at the camp and asked to turn out his pockets the crooked sixpence and the two threepenny pieces were discovered together with another sixpenny piece. Of the £1 note, howeveir, there was no sign and defendant denied ail knowledge of it. He could offer no explanation as to how he come by the crooked sixpence or the threepenny pieces. At the time of the interview it was also discovered that he was wearing Sexton’s sox. Lancelot Arthur Sexton, in evidence, said that he had been working on the farm away from the house during the afternoon while his parents and the rest of the family were away in- Palmerston N. On his (return home at 5.30 in the evening he met defendant near the house. He asked; witness ijf he had lost anything. On replying in the negative accused held out a watch and asked him if it belonged to liim, stating that he had picked it up near the front gate. Witness immediately recognised the watch as his. Accused then asked witness for some salt and tobacco stating that they had run out of these commodities at the camp. Witness gave accused what he wanted and he departed. When witness went into his room to put his ■watch away he found the place had been completely ransacked and that a pair of sox and £1 1/- in silver was missing. Included in the missing money was a very dirty andmarked sixpence and two threepenny pieces which witness recognised among the money produced. The sox he also recognised as his and he had seen these taken off accused at the camp that morning by the police. The articles had all been in his bedroom at midday on Thursday.

Evidence was given by Arthur Sexton, father of previous witness in identification of the watch which lie had given his son and also of the sox.

Alias Sexton also identified the sox by the darning on them. Constalble Owen, in evidence, said that When he interviewed defendant at his c-amp the following morning lie said he had found the watch near the gate. Asked if he had any money, he produced the bent sixpence, two three penny pieces and another sixpence. He denied all knowledge of a £1 note, but -could not explain where he had obtained the silver. The sox he said were Iris own and that he had darned them at the Chinese gardens when employed there, but he declined to call in at the gardens with the police and allow them to interview the Chinese on the matter. Later, he said, he had obtained the change at iiimataugi. Defendant entered Lire box and said that he had called at the Sexton homestead to buy some salt and tobacco of which there was a shortage the camp. As he was approaching the house he discovered the watrh lying on the ground near ' the watch lying on the- ground near Lancelot Sexton who was so pleased at getting lit that he would not take anything for the salt or tobacco. Witness did not ransack the bedroom. The sixpence and three-penny pieces he obtained from Air. iSorcnsou, at ithe Hirnatangi store on Sunday when he caUcd there to make some purchases. Constable Owen: Evidently a case of Sdnday trading! (laughter). Continuing, defendant said that lie purchased several articles which amounted to about 17/- and tendered a pound note and received in the change the sif)>euoe and the

three penny pieces. With regard to the sox, they were his own apparel. He had obtained them when working fair Leon Wai at the iClhinese gardens, and they had become worn and lie had darned them with some blait-'k nigger brown wool. To Constable Owen witness admitted that he had been convicted of theft at Whangarei and that he hadhad escaped from a State institution and been convicted of theft on two occasions at Hunterville. Constable Owen said defendant had had escaped from a State inman and did not consider either a fine or probation would meet the case in this instance. The Bench sentenced accused to one month’s imprisonment, and made an order for the return of the stolen property.