TROUBLE AT OTAKI RAILWAY.

Otaki Mail, 2 November 1923, Page 2

TROUBLE AT OTAKI RAILWAY.

EJECTED PROM A BILLIARD SALOON. A STOLEN BAG AND THE RESUB At the Otaki S.AL Court William Quill was charged With tug one suit ease and contents, at £4 lbs. tlie property of George TvtV Take. Air. Afmore appeared for s ." eased, and pleaded not guilty, jv,five Holmes conducted the ease on p, half of the police. Take stated: I am a shearer, and ],•?. my suit ease on the railway platforn T gave no one permission i<> take I was away from it for .A or It) nunr.-., T met accused for the first time on iW urdav morning last, when he asked for Is to gel a drink. T left a s a C with my bag. and never asked accuse to look after it. I reported mv loss t* a railway official. To Arr. Atmore: T was with the accused on Saturday morning for abor 30 minutes, but do not remember heirwit li him in the afternoon. T had beeshearing and had plenty of uioner tv pay my way. I did not take the taih of drinks I had. I remember goin„ ;’ 0 the door of tlie billiard saloon but j, not remember going inside. T V, be surprised to known 1 was ejected i> the proprietor for being drunk. I not remember flic occurrence, but i may have been ejected. 1 do no* : r member offering to fight the propriety for a big roll of notes which I : out of my pocket. 1 can swear 1 ,!-. not ask accused in the saloon to relay bag. I cannot swear 1 did not permission for accused to mind mv In;. t walked from the saloon to tin; nil way. unassisted as far as I renicmle. I do not deny being too intoxicate nor do I remember being too far go:< T remember going to the station, : do not remember talking to the neens; in tilt* lobby. T cannot swear t asif. him where mv bags were. T think; . can swear I did not ask accused *; i mind my bags. I am uncertain. 1 J cannot remember if I put mv rents irk; bag on the train but 1 think 1 put itself on the train. I can hardly sk« to anything, t do not remember go" to the fruiterer’s shop, and did r know the proprietor had communion', with the police. To Detective Holmes: T was at drunk on the station, and rcmciri; making a statement on Saturday ni-:: 1 complained of my loss 20 minutes', half'-an hour before I went on the la: Constable Cole stated: At 7.30 , the 27th I went to the station wh»: Tuko complained that he had lov suit case. He had had a drink •: was about sober. I made enquiries:: heard the accused had been about •: platform so T went to his house, met hint at his gate and said to i “I believe you have a suit case , does not belong lo you.’’ Hr “Ves, come with me and T will slit you where it. is.” He took me up ' • to his bedroom and brought the ease from under his bed. I asked:: where he had gut the suit case aid said a fellow had given it to hb“ mind. I asked him to a room pa is to the railway station. We tool?

suit case. T got into touch witi'l Te lioro station and got Toko !' turn as T thought T had reoovnC suit case. Tuko Inter identific,! hull case .as I,‘s property-, A"', was there. Take said lie gave Tie ; mission to accused to take tie cute and accused made no reply. TiV-tn' a statement which accused read. To Mr. A tin ore: T’ak - un- in sober when T saw him. [ saw re tnrbanee at the billiard saloon. 1 member a ring from the fruit -or bug me Tuke had bean thrown o-: the hotel and was looking for urg' with a Native. T sew Tuke Helen left by train; he was almost sober was excited over his toss. I hear. discussion between I’uk.* and aert and did riot see Tuke poll out ■■ re. notes ard ward to fight. The hag locked w hen I got and ncMiscl ■ wilt me without hesitation. 1 k accused js on probation, T have ha trouble with him. and lie seems to 1 conducted lii*>>rdf properly. Mr. Atmore on behalf of acf said that accused and Tuke bad bed gether most of the day. Accused left Tuke at about 0 o’clock tot his tea. Afterwards on going to station be saw Tuke. who bad ; drinking freely in rlo- meatt He crossed over to Tuke, a.-ked accused to look after hi- • Accused made enquiries as to wi-A was; could not find it and proceed tin- -tatjon. He was again a-V ■■ Take if he had seen the bag. A said “no’’ and Tuke said h; r have to find it. and Risked aw-’ look after i: until lie either sc:: or caine for it. Accused suh- : -'-" *a v. the bag unattended on the‘"‘y and took it over to bis hoc-g : whole action was innocent, 1- ’ simply that of a man who incare of the property of uuotip: capable Of looking after hi- ovt • perty. Th- police knew that v.?\ was out on probation and that L ; n li-t of convictions against hfc : since accused had been released “ * nation he had lived a decent Hfe. The police had admitted th'-*-would say that in similar circurnp : if a man with a clean record h'-'" 1 as accused had done, no charge have been laid. It was. a case/-, dog with, a bad name. Aeosß'acted IBEoC?JitIy throughout.

Fred Barrett Mated: T date in question and remember T did not know him previously- My looked as if he was looking for.- *~i‘ bv* wa= causing a disturbance saloon and had to b- put oef. -- , drunk and was challenging t-v-;-. on the road. Hr- wanted to h*v* * *"« at anything. Parker asked *•* ,( leave the saloon and Take was» •' fight. I later took Tuke to (be when he pulled out a roll of note* wanted to fight. T had diffit--.f getting him to the station. him to put his money awav. I-’ - p got a “crack” he would have I®=;.-” inonc-v. I hf>ard Tuke a=k QuiH ’iC had his bag. and he ssid cr ’-, t , f . asked accused to get II *Si l°°-' : a ' it til) he came nr pent fvt If- .... Stan Parker, billiard saloon or. stated: T remember a distrrnj-e at'mT saloon, Tube causing the He was “fairly well on.” not pa drunk, but had a few, Tukt a state to be :a the saloon and him to go out. Tuke went r ' _ ™.®‘ hack and I pushed rr. cthen wanted to fight, and I rnres.-.yy to ring up the police- r 1" i: of cote- —or brown pap r -r wn..wanted to fight for. Trick Sarcieh stated: I am a rrJ . or »t Otaki Rail wav. T saw Tax-- ", considered him under the inffu-r f liquor. This was between 3 ano*. the afternoon. T saw him laW ® was in a similar cond'tion. like the Took of him and it he was anxious to come in (o ":# I was ready for him if he .j •Oaughter). He came to looked at me twice and - t: • %if. T ran# up the police saying - like the look of him- -a «? To Defective Holmes: x Tuke with any baprt- —-satfirj: Accused stated: T rer.embefuke on Qg-rurdau and _ j -f'-r----during perf of A* rmtiisi noon. Later I saw P V*«T F 3 ’"

Tukc out of tlic saloon; Ho was "stunned.” He askecl me to look after kis bug, and after making' enquiries I found it at tile station. He asked me later to again look after the bag and to keep it till lie sent for it. I got the bag and took it home, and was returning when I met Constable Cole, who asked m'e if I had a bag. and 1 j said yes, and invited him to come and see it. The constable took -possession 1 of the bag. I saw Tuke make a statment but it was not read to me, neither did I rend it. The constable then took me in eliarge. I had no intention of stealing Hie bag. I To Defective Holmes: The bag was ■at the station when T took possession of it. T do not know why Tuke should lay such a charge against me —T found nothing wrong with him. The S.M. said Tuke had brought the hags ready to take away by train, and he was not satisfied with the case. Quill had made no explanation as to the statement made by Tuke and went like a lamb when taken in charge. He would enter a conviction, and sentence him to a mouth’s imprisonment with hard labour. |i-