THEFT AT THE RACES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 10, 10 January 1913, Page 8

THEFT AT THE RACES.

A CURIOUS CASE. WOMAN OF PROPERTY FINED. An incident of the recent Ellerslie races' had a sequel in the Auckland Police Court on Tuesday, when Hinemoa Hunt, Stanislaus Harding, and James White Harding, were charged that on Thursday last they stole a lady’s coat, valued at £J, the property (if Mary Elizabeth Green. The story told by Mrs. Green (according to the ‘Star’) was that shortly after she had got to the races on Thursday afternoon she observed Hinemoa Hunt near the totalisator with a coat on her arm which resembled that which the witness had brought to the races and left hanging in the cloak-room. She went and found that her coat, which had been checked, was gone from the cloakroom. She and her sister then looked for the girl Hunt, but could not see her in the crowd, and complained to the police. She and her sister afterwards saw the girl Hunt in company with her sister and brother-in-law, Mr and .Airs. Hardim/1 They kept them under surveillance, but could see nothing of the coat until after the last race. Then naming went to the members’ stand and came away with his overcoat over his arm, but the cuff of another coat showed beneath it. The detective stated that when he accosted Harding The latter said he had only one coat, but when his coat was examined it was found to bo rolled round Mrs, Green’s missing coat. Harding then said he had found it on the grandstand about half an hour previously. Mrs. Harding and the other young woman also each said she had found the coat. The whole pirty then went in a motor car to the police station, where, after the girl Hunt had made a statement, she was arrested. On account of Mrs. Harding’s state of health she and her husband were not arrested, but brought to the Court on summons. The statement made to the police by Hinemoa Hunt was to the effect that her sister had taken the coat and passed it to her. She gave it to Harding, who concealed it till after the races. The accused pleaded not guilty, and were defended by Mr. R. A. Singer. James White Harding said that he had been meat exporting and farming in a big way at Hawera, the turnover of the business being about £225,000. Recently he had had large losses, and had been forced to file his schedule, but Ids creditors would get twenty shillings in the pound. His wife had property in Hawera worth £20,000. They were in Auckland for a holiday, and went to the races. The first he saw of the coat in question was after the sixth race, when Mrs Harding told him that she had found the coat. She was sitting on a seat near the totalisator, and had been there for some time. The coat was left’, on the seat when everyone left. He took the coat and said he would find the owner. He put it in the members’ stand with his own, and after the races put both coats openly on his arm. He would not allow his wife to wear a coat of such idiotic colours. When the detective came up witness told him ho had two coats, one of which he had found, and when the detective spoke of arresting Miss Hunt, he said that lie was the proper person to be arrested, as he had the missing coat on him. He considered that the other woman-had seen the coat with his wife and mistaken her for Miss Hunt. He had intended to take the coat home and advertise for the owner. Witness was very positive that the detective placed Miss Hunt under arrest before he took the party in the motor car to the police station where the statement was obtained.

This evidence was corroborated by Violet Stanislaus Harding. Hinemoa Hunt, who gave her age as 19 years, stated that she had not on the day in question touched Mrs Green’s coat. Respecting her statement, she said that when she was alone at the police station with the detective he thumped his hand on the table and took hold of her by the shoulder and said, “Well, if you don’t want to stay here all night, you tell me who stole that coat.’ He flurried her so much that she didn’t know what she said. She didn’t know until yesterday that site had made such statements as “I got the coat produced from my sister, who told me she took it from the dressing room' without authority,” and “I knew she stole the coat.”

Mr E. C. Cotton, S.M., said that lie did not believe the evidence of the defence, but even if lie did, still it would not lead to a dismissal. A person who took a coat off a seat at a race meeting and proceeded to take it borne, unless there was very strong evidence of innocent intention, was, he held, to have committed, a theft. The evidence for the prosecution did not seem to give the whole story, and the effect of it was that all three accused must be convicted, as the girl Hunt’s statement, while evidence against herself, could not be taken as evidence against Mrs Harding. He thought it probable that the statement was correct, and that the girl and the husband were put in an awkward fix trying to conceal what Mrs Harding had done. He would take that into account in awarding the penalties. Mrs Harding would be fined £lO and costs, and the other two would lie convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called on.