WAS WRIGHT RIGHT ?

NZ Truth, Issue 139, 15 February 1908, Page 6

WAS WRIGHT RIGHT ?

m WAS THE CHAIN SNAPPED OR SNATCHED? A CASE-CHASING COP. Trap Taylor Taken to Task. : Helier Eli Wright, who works on the wharf, is an unfortunate creature, aged 37, whose mental condition might be described as a shingle short, or indisposition of the upper storey, or a rat m his garret, or whatever may be the vernacular for the state which describes a person when he isn't all there. His experiences of the night of February 3 nearly landed him m gaol, and the problem of whether he "snapped" the gold chain of Mrs Williamson at the Kate of 213 Adelaide-<rdad, Wellington, has not been sent up to a jury for solution owing to the flimsy naY ure of tho evidence. The husband of Mrs W. is a farmer' at Waituna, and the lady was on a visit to her brother-in-law m the Capital City. It was quite dark' when she entered the gate of that gentleman's place, and as she closed it, she felt a gold chain, valued at £20, disappear from her neck, and, clutching a watch and locket, which were attached, she saved those articles. , Loudly bewailing her loss, she re-op«ned the gate and observed a man on. the middle of the road, to whom she said, ''Oh, mv chain is gone. Where is mv chain ? Someone has taken my chain." Wright was the person on the road,- and he says she exclaimed, "YOU have taken my chain." At aiiy-'rate, the startled individual bolted down tie street, passing a man named James McNab on the way, and fell into the arms of Peeler Taylor, who was m plain clothes. Taylor, who has THE JAW OF £ PUGILIST and the brow of a burglar,, said he was seventy yards from the scene of the alleged robbery, and could see Wright coma away from .Williamson's fence quite plainly. McNab swore' that the night was so dark that nobody could be seen, distinctly at a distance of fifty k yards. Mrs Williamson followed Wright down the street, and, according to Taylor, she remarked to the polvoeinan more than once, "He snapped my chain" (indicating Wright),. .Now, Mrs W. is a lady of some refinement, and it is unlikely -that she would make use of a common slang term Like "snapped," a circumstance commented upon by solicitor Wilford (for the defence), who later, called the lady, and she indignantly denied* using ' the word "snapped," or even "snatched." McLeorl also used the word "snapped," .but acknowledged that a. person had left the Court and told him (McLeod) that if Wilford 'gave him such a hot "time as he- was then giving Taylor, hfiil would be a mere circumstance beside it, or. words to that effect. Witnesses had. been ordered out of Court to prevent: them- duplicating the evidence, and although McNab denied that any thing was said by the interfering person [ from, the Court about "snapped" theire is the as sumption that the term mi <?M have been the subject of conversation. At any rate, dpubt wac cast on two sections of the 'arresting bobby's evidence, and lie , fell further into disgrace, by narrating a lone cross-ex-amination of Wright after the unfortunate person had. been arrested. It is the duty of the police always to warn a person ■apprehended that anything , he might' say will be taken down m writing and used m evidence ag-ainst him. ;Tnstc-ad pf civing this warning, truculent Taylor subiertod his victim to a lengthy list of feroc- : ious interrogations, but, fortunately, didn't obtain any- -damaging admis-' sions, When Taylor HAD BOOBED HIS BIRD, he and McNab made an exhaustive search for the missing jewellery, with the aid of a' lantern^ both inside and outside the gate, but discovered nothing ; yet a youth named James' Williamson found the trinket nest morning m a conspicuous place Git. insido the gate. Bobbies Kerr and Taylor subsequently experimented with the gold -circlet. Kerr stood on the middle of the road and hurled it over the gate ; it caught on a branch and when Taylor shook . the tree it dropped on the identical spot where it was found by the boy. The Taylor theory was that Wright "snapped" the chain and cast it over 'the Kate ; the intelligent length of links concealed itself m the tree till the peeler and the lantern had disappeared, then dropped on to the side walk. Wright had nothing to do with the eccentric behaviour of the chain, as he was m quod at the time and couldn't exercise . £vny influence unless he did it by loifg distance hvnnotism. Wright's explanation is that he was out at Hapnv yalle'v all the afternoon, and was returning to his home m Vogel-street, when he heard a sound I'ike a moan inside j?ate, and stopping, aslcetl w What's the matter ?" when the\ excited woman appeared and accused him of stealing her chain, and he took, to his heels. "I thought she, wos mad," said Wrieht, who suffers . from insomnia, and has a mental lack. "I thought it was } A PUT-UP JQB, and someone might come but and go through me, so I ran." ' ' Magistrate Riddell didn't think there was sufficient j evidence for a jury to convict, and dismissed the information. His Worship animadverted strongly upon what he characterised as the improper way m which Peeler Taylor had cross-examined the accused person after his arrest. He quoted an authority m, support of the statement that the police were not expected to prevent an accused person from making statements if ho so desired, but no question should be asked to entourage the making- of such statements; moreover, the *grrested person should be warned tnat iinHlvns lie ■might any would betaken down m writ-ing and used m cvid- | ence against him. Taylov has bren i twelve months only m the police j force, and it is hoped this will nrove ! a salutary warning, not only to him but also to other over-zealous officers.