CHECKED, TOO!

NZ Truth, Issue 1179, 5 July 1928, Page 8

CHECKED, TOO !

— — — «. _ Cheque Form Gave His Game Away (Prom "N.Z. Truth's" Matamata Rep.) On returning from his milking* shed one afternoon, a Waihou farmer saw obvious signs that m his absence somebody had been through the house. A SEARCH revealed that a gold ring ** was missing, as well as • a cheque form, while an employee also complained' that six £1 notes had been extracted from a pocket of trousers hanging up In his room. Eventually, through the instrumentality of the stolen cheque-form, which later was filled m and cashed, a cousin of the owner of the premises, Ernest Alexander Cooper, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, theft of the ring, cheque-form and £6. To eaoh of the charges, with the exception of the theft of £6, he pleaded guilty, but strenuously denied having taken the money. On the charge of stealing the £6, therefore, he stood his trial at the Hamilton Supreme Court l_tst week, when the jury failed to agree. T.A new trial was then ordered. The unusual course was adopted that after a jury had been empanelled the Crown Solicitor intimated that he had no evidence to offer. ' The jury, m accordance with- the direction of the judge, returned a verdict of not guilty. On the other' charges Cooper was sentenced to two years m a Borstal institute.,