Booted Out

NZ Truth, Issue 1150, 15 December 1927, Page 7

Booted Out

THERE.;is nothing like Being well * booted. Such would appear to be the -motto of James Hamblin, the Ghristchurch taxi-driver, who now awaits sentence on four ..' charges of stealing goods from :, Mitchell's Wholesale Boot Com-, pany's shop. >,' By some means, Hamblin secured' a key of the premises, and periodically made nocturnal visits to,the - establishment until in all hef had. oollected-37 pairs of and shoes, of which £l2 worth had , been worn. .■'..■'.'•' Thomas Rbwarth, the manager of the company, had held sus» , , picions that stock was disappearing _ - from the' shop for a long time, and he proved that a thief was at work '~ by, a piece of cotton which, he; plaped in such a position that he . > would knowjiext day if it had been • disturbed,. ' ~ It was,.and. Detective Findlay and Howarth kept vigil one night,, when about/11 o'clock a key was inserted in the lock of the door and in-walked James, who then realized the game -was up. Pleading guilty, he gave as his , - excuse for-his offences bad health and financial difficulties. The., Supreme Court will havo the next say .as to Hamblin's / future. '"_.'.,