LAW'S SHADOW DIMS ROMANCE

NZ Truth, Issue 1238, 22 August 1929, Page 8

LAW'S SHADOW DIMS ROMANCE

Youth and Girl Chose Open Life In Dug-out, Where They Concealed Stolen Property

ARCADIAN ESCAPADE ENDED BY POLICE

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Hastings Representative.)

"He came to me and told me that the police were looking for him. I took him into the house and hid him m a loft for two or three days. At night he used to sleep m a room next to mine. Then we cleared out to Fernhill, lived together m a dug-out, and broke into a shop and stole some of the things there."

THESE words comprised portion of a statement made to .the Hastings police by Irene Campbell Pryce. Just over 17 years of age, tall, fair and good-looking, Irene Pryce is the daughter of respectable parents residing at Taradale, near Napier, and one of a family of 13. Her friend, whom she sheltered from the law and with whom she is said to have lived m the dug-out at Fernhill, at a place called (for some reason unknown) "Monkey-land," was Robert Forbes Raverty, alias' Tom Daly (as he was known to Irene), and Douglas Symes. His age is 22, and he hails -from Australia. i He it was who induced Irene to accompany him to the; dug-out .at Fernhill, where eventually they were found by, two members of the Hastings police force. One Louis Gumbley, who keeps the store at Fernhill, a little village on the outskirts of Hastings, .was out visiting and did not return home till about 11 p.m. Then everything was all right, • but the following morning when he went into the shop he found that the door had been forced open, and that his stock was not by any means as' large as it was the night before. What stock was left, or most of it, was. strewn all over the floor. A call to the police naturally followed, and Detective Farfluhar-son and Constable Alsop .made the journey to Fernhill. Their inauiries led them to the back of a maize field m the part of the district known as "Monkey-land" and there m a dug-out, hollowed out of the hill, they are said to have found Irene aiid Robert outdoing all the gipsy vagabonds that ever lived. -But, according to the police, no gipsy ever lived the high life that these two were living for they were m want of nothing. In their "home," the police alleged, were rugs to keep out the cold, dozens of tins of meat and friiit, chocolates* cigarettes m a' dozen 50 tins and pac-

During the interval following the first appearance of the accused, the police had been busy, and after Irene and Robert were jointly charged .with breaking and entering the shop ' of Louis ' Gumbley And stealing goods therefrom to the value of £19/2/-, Robert Raverty was charged with the following:— (1) On July 18, at Taradalei by night breaking and entering the shop of E. G. Barnes, and stealing goods to the value of £6/7/-; (2) On June 6, at Hastings, forging a cheque for £20 purporting to be drawn by G. S. Buckley; (3) On June 6, at Hastings, forging a cheque for £14; (4) On the same date forging another cheque for £16; on July 24, at Oniahu, stealings pick and shovel, kettle and canvas cover valued at £1/16/-, the property of Francis Lawton and others. There was no one representing the two accused, but this did not

worry them for throughout the I whole proceedings they were laughing and joking together with such effect that eventually they had to be called to silence by the court orderly. The jointly-preferi-ed charge was taken first, and the first witness was Louis Gumbley, who told of his discovery that the place had been broken into. Constable Alsop described the finding of the two m the dug-out and stated that when they came to the police station, the girl made a statement on her own account. '', * \ In it she said that she lived at Taradale, but had been employed m several places as a domestic. Her last place was at J. S. McLeod's at Waiohiki. She went home where she met Tom Daly, who had been brought to the house by her brother.

Later, Daly came to where she was working, and told her that the police were after him, so she hid him m the loft for two days. At night he slept m a room m a detached part of the .house. She gave him some of her blankets. , Following this, continued the statement, she decided to clear out from McLeod's and she went home. Her parents, however, seemed suspicious that something was wrong, so her next move was to clear out from her home dressed m her brother's clothes. She again met Tom Daly and they decided to make for Fernhill. They walked there, and found the dug-out m which they made their "home" together. When she left McLeod's she had 25/-i and this she allegedly gave to Tom to buy some groceries. , He bought these from Gumbley's, and after they had

bought them they decided to break into the store. The girl also alleged that Daly got a pair of pliers and a chisel and broke open the door, and they both went m and helped themselves to what they wanted, carrying the goods to the dugout. Detective Farquharson produced a statement by the man, also made voluntarily, m which he corroborated the girl's story of the episode, but ne strongly denied that she had anything' to do 'with the burglary. He. said tnat he did it entirely on his own, and that she was at the dugout when he broke into the place. The detective said that both had been very frank about the whole thing and had given every assistance to clear the matter up. ■ . When asked to plead| both accused pleaded not guilty, and were remandedto the Supreme Court at Napier for trial.

The charges against Raverty himself were .then taken, and .during the whole of the hearing, the girl remained m court .listening intently to the, story of his alleged escapades. v In regard to the Taradale theft, Ernest George Barnes gave evidence of finding his shop broken into and a number of articles missing. These comprised mostly tobacco and cigarettes, and he recognised the goods on the table as his property. Detective Farquharson produced, a further statement, said to have been made by the accused, m which 'he frankly admitted that it was he who had broken into the place and stolen the goods produced. lyVhen he was asked to plead, Raverty replied: "Not guilty," and was remanded to the Supreme iCourt on this charge also. ; In connection with the forgery charges, Detective Farquharson said that accused had been employed at the Aomarama Station, and before leaving, he allegedly got hold, of some blank cheques, filled them m and cashed them at various business places m the town. The detective said that he had interviewed the accused m regard to the three cheques, and the accused allegedly made a written statement; m which he^ admitted stealing, the three blank cheques, filling them .m atid cashing them. ' He also admitted that he had signed the name of G. S. Buckley to the cheque and made them payable to himself. The money he got m change he had used on a trip to Rotorua and Taupo. To these three charges the accused also pleaded not guilty, and was remanded to the Supreme Court at Napier for trial. "When they entered the dock, after a long separation, they nestled close together. Raverty pleaded guilty to all charges, but Irene maintained she was innocent of breaking; into Louis Gumbley's store with her "Tommy." His Honor told Raverty,- to stand ■ '