AN IMPUDENT THEFT.

Otaki Mail, 20 January 1919, Page 3

AN IMPUDENT THEFT.

AT AN OTAKI HOTEL. ‘ 1 . Constable Greggan, shortly before. S . • o’clock on Saturday night, had .ocea- .! sion to apprehend a man named James j McDonald, , a stranger to the township. J This morning; he appeared before Messrs Frank Bennett and AV. Tornp- | gitt charged with theft ‘(two charges). ' Accused, who had been drinking hcav,ily, pleaded guilty. 1 | It appears that on Saturday evening the accused went to the --Telegraph Hotel, and unknown to .the licensee ’ went to an upstairs bedroom. AVhen j his presence there was known ho was lat once ejected. Later iu the evening j Thelma Ross, niece of tho licensee, wont to her room to. prepare for the I pictures, and immediately noticed some 'of her trinkets missing. Suspicion a! once fell on McDonald, and a search; revealed lijm near the Central Hotel: I He denied tho charge of .theft, but. on | being searched several articles, belonging to Miss Ross, were found,, also seamen’s books, etc., the property ofJanies Gillerane, and it was evident McDonald had been in more -than one room. Questioned about the articles, McDonald said lie had purchased them at. DUliedin,' but this explanation did not suit: Constable Greggan, who soon discovered that the man had also committed theft at the Otaki Railway, where he had passed himself off as an unfortunate being. The Bench inflicted a penalty of .14 days on each charge, the sentences to bo concurrent.