A TRAPPER IN TROUBLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 10

A TRAPPER IN TROUBLE.

A CARE DISMISSED. i At the City Police Court on the Ist, befoiv Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S M., Chas. V\ yse \va« charped with obtaining with intent to defraud, one tent, one fryingpan, one axe, one kettle, three dishes, one billy, and two plates, of a total value of | 19s, the property of Chas. Harold Austin, ! by means of a false pretence. Mr Scurr appeared for accuse-d, who plpad/xl " Not ' guilty." and Chief Detective Herbert conJ ducted the prosecution. j Ohief Detective- Herbert stated that ac- , cusod and his mate, Gordon Hentlereon, j both young men. beinsj out. of work and j out of money, decided to try their luck i at vabbit-lrappinp. They secured 153 traps, j with pegs and adzes, from Mr F. J. Sulli- • j van, the understanding being that their j value, some £8, was to come out of the j remuneration for the rabbits, which the J pair were to trap and forward to Mr Sul- | livan. The next trouble was the sscurinc jof a camp outfit. Wyse had been an old ! mate of Austin, who kept a dealer's shop in King street, ami thore. after a ilk tie negotiation, a t?nt and utensih ' were secured on credit. The trapping expedition was not a success. owing 1 to a start being made too late in the season The traps were sold upi country to pay off local accounts, and the ! pair returned to town. Chas. Harold Austin stated that when ' Wysa obtained the article- from him lie represented that Mr Sullivan had s-.ine £3 or £9 of hi? mon^v, and stated that Mr , Sullivan would defray any exjwnse mc;-- ] dental to their <r.ettinff away over pnd I above the cost of th? traps. At acfis".-r.s I suprt>-est:on witness rang- up Mr SrHivan t j and ascertained that the nair were coma: I rabbiting. Witnp^s thought that sufficient. j Mr Scurr : Did not it e'rik^ you to <zet ! oi order on Mr Sullivan for the monoy 9—9 — ' No. j Did not you endeavour to bluff Mr Sulli- ; van into raying? — No. I Under further cross-examination, 'virxess admitted having arone a 0 -°con'l time to the flephons, without rintrincr up. and ' i-pturnins: and telling Wv? it would V>° j all right. Tie had not liked to inquire of Mr Sullivan about the mciej in tho ' presence of Wv«e, v. ho had b"°n a fneiul of his i Mr Pouit : And a very crnod fmnd. tno | i Didn't he 1111 * 1 you ; nro th. ; « f^.npt'\ | on a X"'.v Zealard trcoii>hip a« a Fourth Continental"? — No I j Didn't you come to New Zealand on a I troop c hi|>? — Yp°. U.d you pay your passage?— Yes. I got

*an " indulgence " passage. I had my discbarge from service in South Africa. Mr Scurr: What means did you have on your arrival here? Did Wyse assist you to live? Chief Detective Herbert objected Mr Scurr • I am trying to show the motive actuating Austin in bringing the charge The friendship between the two ceased owing to Wyse accusing Austin of stealing a diamond from him. Witness : No. 1 accused him of stealing the diamond from me. It is a diamond I brought from Africa. It came out of my father's mine. He (Wyee) would borrow it from me and show it to people. Finally it was lost, and I never saw it again. Francis J. Sullivan stated that he held no money of accused's, and had given accused no authority to use his name as security for goods obtained. Detective Hunt stated that when accused was ajre.«ted he stated that hs was just going to the post office to di. / money to pay Austin He had a bank-book with him. Accused, giving evidence on his own behalf, denied that he had alleged that Mr

( Sullivan held £8 of £9 of his. "What he had told Austin was that they were out of funds, but if Austin would provide the out fit he (Wysa) would see Mr Ha-iris at Sul j livan's, and ask him to '' stand " foi them i until they were in funds with Su livan He (wi f n-ees) saw Mr Harris t'.:« following morning, and toW him how things were. That was the day of the.r -departure. He (witness) saw to t'^e despatch of the traps, and his mats Henderson called for the tent, etc., at Austin's shop. J Gross-examined, accused said that wlen arrested he had £2 He had been back in town about three weeks, and was work- { ing at St Leonards. Austin had "set" ' him about the diamond. He gave it to i witness in Kimberley. It was a rough diamond. "Witness was offered £10 for it once. Gordon Rendearson gave corroborative evidence. Charles William Harris, manager of Mr Sullivan's rabbit department, said that he informed Austin through the telephone that his firm would not be responsible for the . gcodis, but lE Austin obtained an order from Wyse to pay the amount, hi» firm would do so, provided there were sufficient

funds in band to \Vves's account- He alec told Ai'stin that they had supplied W^a with t.raps to the -\alue of over £S. "Austii had not asked whether the firm nad anj money in hand for Wyse Two or threfl months 'afterwards Austin had :Hin.g up and asked *or payment ct this 19s. alleging that tne firm aad practically guaranteed itwhioh wps not tho case His Worship: In view o! the evidenco of the last witness, which is very important, and explains what happened at s orucial period 'A the transaction, it i: perfectly plain that ths change must b di-missed. Accused is dischargee!

When George Jones, 50, a labourer, wi charged at Acton (England) with acting as a pedlar without a license k he told tha bench that for the past two years he had found it very difficult to get work. He added : " It's through the Employers' Liability Act that I find rfc difficult to get work. I'm getting a bit old now;' and masters don't care to employ mo." Ila was discharged, and as he appeared not to be the ordinary type of pedlar, the court missionary was- asked to try to assist him in getting employment.