ON THE 'PHONE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 695, 22 November 1933, Page 3

ON THE 'PHONE

Correspondent) .

INNOCENT LETTERS DETECTIVES. DO BRISK WORK IN BOOKMiAKER'S PREMISES. OCCUPANT FINED

(Special

Christchurch, Tuesday. For nearly two hours on Thursday last Detective J. J. Halcrow played the role of hookmaker, sitting over a telephone in a house in River Road, receiving mysterious messages and recording them. In the meantime Detective J. McClung was in anothef room with the occupier of the premises, John Henry Knowles, a railway signalman, aged 45, who was sending messages over a radio transmitting set when the detectives arrived. Knowles appeared before Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magis- ' trate's Court to-day, charged with using his premises at 171 River Road, as a comifton gaming house. He pleaded not guilty at first, but after , evidence had been given by three witnesses, he altered his plea to one of guilty, and was fined £50 and "costs. Accused was represented hy Mr. R. Twyneham, who said his reason for pleading not (guilty was simply to ascertain what the police evidence was. Chief -Detective W*. H. Dunlop s,aid that on Novemher 9, Detectives Halcrow and McClung executtd a search warrant at the premises. Detective Halcrow listened in on the telephone for a considerahle time, and took a record of conversations he had with callers. On several occasions a person rang notifying what horses won. In a range in the kitchen there was a fire hurning and the range was stuffed full of paper. Detective Halcrow said, in evidence, that he went to to the back door and Detective McClung went to the front door. Witness was admitted by Mrs. Knowles and in a room near the hack of the house he found accused sitting and told accused he had ia. warrant for his arrest, In a rocm in the front of the house witness found a telephone on a tahle, a few pagcs from a scrlbbliwg' hlock ,and a pencil. He remained in the room until 1.44 p.m. and during the time he was there he had numerous ' conversations over the 'phone. Wvtn«ss produced records of the conversations. On some occasions there was no answer when he answered the 'phone, but he took several hets and received r sults of races. When questioned, accused denied that he was engaged in the bookmaking business. To Mr. Twyneham witness said he did not find any hetting material in thc- house. Detective McClung said accused denied that he was in any way connected with bookmaking, when witness acquainted him with the reason for the visit. Witness told accused of the conversations over the telephone, hut he said he knew absolutely nothing about them. There was a quantity of paper hurning in the range, and when accused was asked about it he produced a duek and said the paper had been used to wrap the duck in. /Detective R. Thompson gave evidence to the effect that several of the horses mentioned to Detective Halcrow over the telephone were engaged in races at Addington that day. William Frederick Owen, stationmaster at Woolston, said he knew accused, and had made hets with him. The usual practice was to ring and Mrs. Knowles would take the hets. Accused would do the squaring up. Witness had not had more than 10 bets with accused over a period of 18 months. Witness gave details of hets laid with accused. So far as he knew Mrs. Knowles answered the telephone on each occasion. It was the custom for accused to square up at the end of a meeting. At this s-tage Mr. Twyneham spoke with accused, and altered the plea to one of guilty. 'Mr. Twyneham said Knowles had been employed hy the Railway Department for 21 years and had a fine record. This conviction meant that he wonld lose his billet. The business was conducted for the most part hy accused's wife. He had an excellent character and had never been before the court hafore. The fcetting was done mostly with railway ' servants, and for very small amounts. Chief-Detective Dunlop said accused was a railway signalman. He had & motor car, the telephone, and a transmittinig wireless set, and received a salary of only £14 a month. He had been known to the police for three .years, and was fortunate that he had not been caught before. "It is evident from the evidence before me that he had a considerahle numher of clients," said the magistrate. Default was fixed at two months' imprisonment, hut accused was allowed 14 days to find the money.