RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, GISBORNE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1025, 19 January 1882, Page 2

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT, GISBORNE.

Wednesday, 18th January, 1882. [Before M. Price, Esq., R.M.] White v. Sorry. Peter Sorry was charged on the information of George White with having, on or about the 30th December last, feloniously taken and carried away monies amounting to £lBO 10s., and other property of the said George White, without authority, being an indictable offence. Mr Nolan appeared for the prosecution ; Mr Finn for the defence. Mr Nolan applied to withdraw the information as originally laid, which was withdrawn accordingly. The prisoner was then discharged, and, on going outside the court, was re-apprehended on a new information, and Mr Nolan addressed the court on behalf of the prosecution. Ann White, sworn, deposed : I am the wife of George White, the prosecutor in this case, and late proprietor of the Roseland Hotel. I know the accused. I remember packing up my boxes prior to the sale of the hotel. I had no conversation with Sorry until the 24th of December, when I took one of the boxes to his house. It was so heavy that I had to obtain assistance. I saw Sorry, and he helped to carry the box. They took it to Sorry’s shop. I told him to take charge of the box, and send it down to the Turangunui Hotel by the first dray, and tell Mrs De Costa to look after it for a few days until I came to town. In the afternoon I saw the box in the blacksmith’s shop, aud I said to Sorry, “ for goodness’ sake don’t you let White see that box, for there is something very particular in it that I don’t wish him to see.” Sorry said he would not trust the box with anyone but Luke the carter, and would send it by him. I then pressed him to send it at once, or cover it up, or hide it, so that White did not see it. I saw the box still in the shop on the 25th, but on the 26th accused told me he had sent it down by Luke. I gave accused 10s for the carriage. Sorry said the box was in the passage at Mrs De Costa’s ; he said it was a very dark passage, and it was not a safe place for the box. I saw accused again on the 27th. He said he had been down to the hotel that day. He saw the box in the passage, and said Mrs De Costa did not seem to take care of it. This conversation took place in the bar of the Roseland Hotel. On the 28th I went over to Sorry’s at tea time. Mrs Sorry, a girl, a boy, and accused were taking tea. Sorry said the box was still in the passage, anybody can go in and take it away ; and if White goes down he is sure to see it, and you will be euchred out of the box. Don’t you think it would be advisible to put the box into Kennedy and Bennett’s store ; it will be safe there, and you need not trouble any more about it, until you put it on board ship. I said all right, put it in the stere, and you need not say whom it belongs to. He promised to put it in the store next day. On the 29th of December Sorry came to me about dusk, at the Roseland Hotel, and said he had secured the box ; he had put it in Kennedy and Bennett’s, and I could make my mind easy. I said all right, ff you think it was not safe at the Turanganui Hotel. On the 31st of December I went to the Turanganui Hotel. The box was not there. I stayed there till the following Saturday, the 7th of January. I enquired of Captain Bennett about my box. I did not find it in his store. I then enquired at Pitt and Bennett’s but found nothing of it there. I then sent word by Tom Finucane, on the same day, for Sorry to come down, as I could ; not find my box. He did not come down till next day, Sunday, the Bth. He came to the ■ Turanganui Hotel in a great state of excite- < ment. He said his missis had given him an i awful blowing-up about the box, and told him 1 to go to White and tell him where it was. He

said I will see that the box is safe; he pointed his finger in the direction of Kennedy and Bennett’s, and Baid it was all right. He repeated this two or three times. I got angry with accused, as he would not tell me plainly where it was. He said he was looking after my interests. I then gave him £1 — two half sovereigns. No one was present during this conversation, nor when I gave him the money. I asked him if the box was in Kennedy and Bennett’s. He answered evasively, and merely said it was all right. 1 threatened to tell White if he persisted in not telling me where the box was. He then said he had got it at home in his blacksmith’s shop, covered up and safe. I expressed my surprise at his taking it up to his place again. He seemed anxious to get away. I told him to send it down at once, and be left. On Tuesday, the 10th, the box was left with me by Mr Luke. I suspected something was wrong, and did not open the box till the following Wednesday morning, the 11th Jan. No one was present. When the box was delivered to Sorry by me on the 24th Dec. it contained sheets, pillow-slips, table napkins, three tablecloths—two marked “ Henry Trask,” and one unmarked—six sheets marked “ Henry Trask,” the others marked “ G. W. and some “ G. White.” Some of the pillowslips were similarly marked. Four dozen frilled pillow slips, some of them marked ; two pairs long lace window curtains, six covers for pincushions, £lB7 10s., and a purse containing silver coins. The money consisted of £125 in notes, consisting of two £l6 notes of the Bank of New Zealand, Napier branch ; three £5, on the same bank. The balance was in £1 notes on various banks ; £2O, consisting of 8 sovereigns, and 21 half sovereigns, £35 in silver, £lO of which were in 5s pieces and £25 in various coins ; and a purse containing 15 half-sovereigns. I can identify one halfsovereign which was in the purse. A dent was on the head side of the coin somewhere near the ear. There was a florin I can identify by a cut on the reverse side ; also a halfcrown with a black spot on the reverse side. I don’t know if the half-sovereign was a colonial or an English one ; also two 5s pieces I 1 could identify—one of them by a cut on the head side of the edge ; the other was similarly marked, but I am not sure of the latter. ! Some of the 5s pieces were marked with a 1 figure 2, and some with a cross, on the head 1 side. Several also had holes through them, ! made on the top of the crown. I cannot I identify any of the notes. The box also contained three diamond rings, 5 lockets, 1 large 1 and 1 small gold crosses, 1 gold chain, 1 gold i watch and chain, 1 necklet, 3 brooches, 1 pair earrings, 4 gold rings, and 1 pair studs. When I opened the box I missed 1 gold cross, i 2 rings, 1 double locket, and 1 pair studs. I • could recognise these things if I saw them by certain marks on them. I also missed 12 ■ sheets, 2 table napkins, 12 frilled pillow slips, 1 10 plain pillow slips, 1 pair window curtains, ’ and 3 table cloths. All the money was gone ■ excepting a few silver and copper coins. The : contents of the box were turned topsy turvy. ■ The box is the same as that delivered ' to Sorry by me on the 24th of Decem- • ber, and brought down to me by Mr Luke ' on the 10th January. On missing my pro- ■ perty I sent for Sergeant Bullen, and went 1 with him to Sorry’s Louse at Makaraka. A 1 search was made, and I accused Sorry of ' having robbed me. I found one of the studs i under a little box on the drawers in the bed--1 room. The stud produced is one of the two ■ studs in my box when I gave it to Sorry. The i Sergeant found an anti-macassar—the one 1 produced, which I recognise as mine, but forgot to enumerate it as being in the box ; also one pocket-handkerchief, in which the silver i was rolled up. I recognise it by the border. The Sergeant also found about £l2 in money on the persons of accused and his wife. I recognise the two five-shilling piec -s produced as those I lost, by marks made by me on them wit h a knife. I also recognise the 2s. piece, the half-sovereign, two half-crowns, and a pillowcase, now produced, us my property, from the i marks on them. I cannot identify the pillow- ! slip produced, but I believe it is mine. I 1 remember a locksmith coming to my room on , the 13th of January wii.h Sergeant Bullen. , He opened and shut the lock of the box in question with a piece of wire. By Mr Finn : I swear the goodsand money ; I have sworn to were in the box when I delivered it to Sorry on the 24th December. I - did not touch the box again until the 11th of ■ January. I know George Burnand. I told him after my arrival at Mrs De Costa’s that I i had no money. I had about £6 in my pocket I on the 24th December. No money came to ■ my possession between that date and the 11th ■ January. I paid none of that money away between those dates except 2s. I know ) McKanny. I saw him at Sorry’s on the 28th » December. I gave him 7s. to buy a bottle of I gin for Mrs Sorry. I also gave Burnand £1 • on the 31st December. I took the £1 note J out of my handkerchief. I did not tell him to see if it was not a £lO note. ’ I did not say, look if it is not one of the £2OO ; I had in my hand. I did not say I had I euchred White out of the money. I gave > Burnand the £1 in Sorry’s house.* He gave ’ me the change 16s. The money had been in i my box since I left Farndon. I only touched i it to add to it. White did not smash that box. I got it repaired three or four days be- • fore I sent it away, but not because White • had smashed it. It was not unpacked, but repaired in my presence in my own room. I : have been saving the money from before I left • Farndon. I had £69 when I came to Gisborne, and got the rest since, from the bar and the cash box. I had the handling of the cash. Jane Muller was an assistant in my house ; I did not say to her, I must go down, White will find my plant. I did not shew her a handkerchief of notes in my hand, and say, there it is, he has not found it. I did not enquire for my box of Mrs De Costa the night I went to her hotel ; I enquired the next morning. The next three or four days were holidays, and I could not enquire elsewhere. I thought the box was all right. I did not go to Sorry’s house on the 30th December, and in the presence of the woman who passes as the wife of the accused, say, White has got the key of my box, for God’s sake go to Mrs De Costa’s and say you are taking the box to Kennedy and Bennett’s, but bring it back again so that White won’t find it. Nor words to that effect. When Sergeant Bullen first showed me the coins at Sorry’s, and produced to-day, I did not say I could not identify them. The Sergeant produced some money in Sorry’s house, including that produced to-day, and asked me if I could identify any of it as mine. I did not say I could not identify it. I don’t remember saying to Mrs Sorry that I would give her seven years to wash prisoner’s linen. I swear that at the time I put my hand on the top of the chest of drawers, I had not the gold stud produced to-day in my hand. I am unaware if the police had searched that place previously to my discovering the stud. I did not say the stud was mine before I examined it. I kept the half-sovereign in question in my purse in the box. I only recognise the coin by the one mark on it. I cannot say whether I have seen the 5s pieces during the last two years. I have had them some time. The Sergeant found about £5 in silver on the accused. I have had the half-crown since the night of Mr Mr Gannon’s meeting. I saw it and the 2s piece when I packed up the box. I don’t know if the two half-crowns you produce now, are the same as I swore to in my examination-in-chief. I recognise one of the 5s pieces, but am not sure of the other. [From the witness’s hesitancy she appeared to think that the coins had been tampered with in ths

meantime.] I had not the antimacassar produced, in my bedroom on the 30th Dec. last. I did not present it to Mrs. Sorry and say it would remind her of me when far away. Mrs Sorry was in my room on that night. I gave her a shell box. I saw the box afterwards at Sorry’s, but did not claim it as my property. When the ss. pieces came originally into my possession, I did not look at them very minutely. 1 have had the stud in question about eight years. All the valuable jewellery was in my box when I opened it. I took the two half sovereigns I gave to Sorry out of my handkerchief. I marked any amount of the coins I had besides those produced to-day. I had no conversation with my husband during lunch-time as to the evidence I was to give. He did not tell me not to answer linn’s questions. All I said to him was to ask if that little man was Mr Finn. His Worship : Mr Finn is not a little man. This sally caused a little genial mirth, and the Court adjourned to to-morrow (this) morning at 10 o’clock. Bail was refused.