COSTLY WHISKY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10608, 5 June 1920, Page 6

COSTLY WHISKY

WATERSIDER CONVICTED OF THEFT. MANY PILFERING CASES. Albert Henry Fitzgerald, a water* side worker, for whom Mr A. B. Sievwright appeared, pleaded not guilty to stealing a bottle of whisky valued att) 10s, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company. NUMEROUS CASES OF PILLAGE. Robert H. Stewart, chief officer of the Manuka, said that the vessel discharged a quantity of "Johnny Walker" whisky, which was shipped at Sydney, at Wellington on May 14th. On May 15th he noticed a number of men in the 'tween decks, where they had no right to be, and saw the accused drop a bottle of whisky. Ho went Into ehe hold and picked the bottle up and the accused said: ''Give ma a chance. I have a wife and child." There was a. considerable amount of cargo pillaged and nine similar bot-r ties of whisky were found stowed away in different parts of the hold.

To Mr Sievwright: It was impos*' sible for the whisky to have been broached when the vessel was at Lyttelton as cargo was in front of it. The bottle produced in court had nofc-been placed in the hold as a, trap. The accused, when spoken to, said he found tho bottle of whisky. He-was unei'la to eay if the defendant btoached any of the cargo. There was a large amount of pillage, and Fitzgerald was a. member of the gang who worlned cargo i» the hold. Ho had told the men that thev were not to go in the 'tween decks, his reason for doing so being that he did not want the luggage thaT was there broached. Arthur Cremer, assistant purser on the Manuka, corroborated the evidence of the last witness in the principal facts. ACCUSED'S EXPLANATION"

The accused, who gave evidence on his own behalf, said thai °a the morn, ing of May 15th the labour foreman (3ir Curry) informed th'e men to put the. hatches on the, 'tween docks and shift egg pulp from the cooling chamber. He put his coat on some luggage, and in feeling for it in the dark his hand came in contact with a bottle of whisky. He called out for tho sailor who was in charge of the hold in order .to hand over the whisky to him, but as ho was not about he put the bottle back where he had found it. Just at that moment the chief offices came on the scene. The covering or? tlio neck of the bottle was loose, and it came off in his hand, but he did \\<A drink any of the contents. The bottle was full as far as ho knew when he found-it, but as he held it on tin side, some of the liquor might have run out.

The accused was convicted and fined £5, in default of "payment to go t<i gaol for 14 days.