DOLL STEALING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 44, 16 February 1912, Page 5

DOLL STEALING.

At the Magistrate’s Court this morning, W. Samuel Brown was charged before Mr, W. K. Kenrick, S.M., with stealing two doll? the property of Arthur Richmond. Accused pleaded guilty. He had been drinking, and admitted taking the dolls. He had carried the parcel for Richmond, and had not given them back to him. He was never out of work, and but for “the drink” this would never have occurred. Sergeant McNeeloy said that he had onlv known accused for six weeks. Ho had been drinking a good deal during Mint time. The fact was that accused had worked himself into Richmond’s confidence, and had gone into a shop with him to buy Christmas presents. Accused had taken the dolls from the shopkeeper and assumed possession of them. On the way back he had disappeared with the dolls, which he had afterwards given to his employer’s son. The Sergeant then read outthree previous convictions. Two were for petty theft at Otahuhu, and one for stealing clothing at Auckland. For the last he had received fourteen days in gaol. Accused: Drink was the cause of that!

His Worship: You should have had enough sense to know that yon would be caught. The dolls were no rise to you. You’ve had three chances before : for two offences you were only fined lUs. You then got fourteen days in prison. What one ought to do with you is to send you for reformative treatment. I am strongly inclined to give you twelve months. However, you will he, given two months’ hard labour. These things, concluded the Magistrate, are not due to real temptation, but to a bad mind.