FATE'S NET

NZ Truth, Issue 1211, 14 February 1929, Page 1

FATE'S NET

Horse Gives ;.- ■• ; Hiiti..Aivay " : - ■ } (From "N.Z. Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) An insignificant turn' of the^ wfieel, of Fate, yet how many male,- : factors owe- their prison fetters to some trifling' incident '-- of every- i. ■ day life? ; ; \- - .V YV7HEN Leonard Walter Cooper made "* his one big plunge into crime,'little did, he anticipate that the fretful nature of a farmer's hack would be; a valuable though unforeseen factor m the sealing of his doom.- v >. • . . .■ The day after the destruction by fire of the Kurow post office, a horse ridden by Mr., Delargy shied at someth'i.ng white on the side /of the road m the vicinity of the post office ruins: •'..... ?*■'• Inyestigatipn by the, rider re- , vealed a quantity of mail scattered ■by the- ■ road-side,, thus providing the clue Which set th'e police. in- .« quiries in^ motion 'on the theory of', burglary and/arson. 'V. The closing scene of the rash; young criminal's adventures was staged at the Dunedin Supreme Court. It' was short and sharp. ■ , , In passing sentence, Ms honor re-marked-that the man m the. dock was qualifying, if he had not already done so, for. declaration as 'an habituai criminal. •■■ : '\' '..-'..-} ■.•■••.■'"! On";- the arson charge, Cooper' was sentenced to four years': imprisonment. On two counts Of breaking, entering and theft, and on© of forgery and utter- ■ ing, Cooper received two years on each charge (concurrent). .-:■ •■,'..:<•■ , 'The forgery and uttering charge was m connection with a cheque for £15/16/6 which -Cooper cashed at a shop after pillaging the post office.