GAVE HIM HIS OPINION

NZ Truth, Issue 1261, 30 January 1930, Page 5

GAVE HIM HIS OPINION

Chief Detective's Questionnaire DISMISSED (From "N.Z. Truth's" Auckland Rep.) The benefit .of the doubt was given to Walter Preston, .charged at Auokland with the theft of an automatic drill worth 12/6 and with attempting to steal a kit of . tools, valued at £2/7/6, both the property of Walter Scott. Mr. F. K. Hunt made it a condition that Preston took out . a prohibition order. THE owner, Scott, stated that he. was ■*• a carpenter and was working at a house m Symonds Street. He left his tool kit, which also ' contained the , drill, m the garage of the house, I which, so far as he knew, was locked >. up. On returning the next morning.! the drill was missing. | According to George Eberle, Preston I called at his house about 9 o'clock one i evening with the tool-kit, which he emptied out on the table and asked Eberle to put a value on the contents. "I told him to take them away, and he packed them up, but the next morning I found the drill on the floor," said Eberle. Cross-examined by Mr. J. J. Sullivan, appearing for Preston, Eberle said he had kryiwn the man for 15 years. Preston told him he picked the kit up from the gutter, where ,he had seen two men throw it. Mr. Sullivan: You heard two men outside your house making some remark like, "Pass it here"? — Yes 7 Admitting that up to nine years ago his clierit had "a bad police record, Mi\ Sullivan said Preston had gone straight since. In the box Preston said he saw two men leave the garage and play a game of football with some object, passing it to and fro. When they saw him, they dropped the object, which he picked up and found it was a tool-kit. After taking it into .Eberle's house, Preston returned it to the garage, but said he must have dropped the drill m repacking the bag. Chief -detective Hammond: I don't want to refer to your list, but you •have been consorting with reputed ' thieves over the holidays ?— Nothing, of the kind. '.■-.''■ . I can put detectives m the box with a sheaf, of notes about you. Mr. Hunt: You can only do that if you charge him with something else. Mr. Hammond: Are you. still prohibited?—No, I'm not. I had to speak to you about your behavior m the street a while back, < didn't. I? — Yes, and you told my sister and brpther-in-law you would get me some time. "J nevpr spoke to your sister m my life," said the chief- detective, "but her husband called ori me and I told him what I thought of- you." Mr. Hunt: Well, you take out an order. I am going to give you the benefit of trie doubt, as the tools were found again m the garage. . Dismissed/