ALLEGED BURGLARY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 61, 14 March 1913, Page 5

ALLEGED BURGLARY.

THE CASE AGAINST BROWN AND

PEARCE

At the Stratford Magistrate’s Court this morning, Alan Brown and Charles Pearce were charged that they did, on March 9th, break and enter by night the premises of Samuel Pivac, with the intent to commit a crime, Mr W. G. Kenrick, S.M. was om ia© bench.

Sergeant McNeely conducted the case for the prosecution, and Mir Rutherfurd appeared for both the accused, who pleaded not guilty. Sergeant McNeely called Samuel Pivac, restaurant and soon-keeper, residing in Stratford, but not living on his shop premises. On Saturday last he closed his rooms at about a quarter to twelve, leaving tlie back doors locked, and shutting and locking the front door. He did not look at the windows to see if they were locked, though ho knew they were shut. Witness then explained the internal arrangements of his shop, there was nothing to stop a person from getting from the dining-room window to the shop; there were no doors. He was awakened at about 2.31) in the morning of Sunday last, by Mr J. K. Stone, a jeweller who lived next door. In consequence ot what Mr Stone told him, ho accompanied the jeweller back to the sliop. Witness opened the front door, and switched on the lights. He went to tiie till, i n which ins monej- was kept, ■and found the money all correct. Then witness and Mr Stone went into the dining-room where, after switching on the lights, he saw Mr Stone pick up a white straw hat. Witness examined the hat and found, written inside the name ‘ ‘C. Pearce.’ ’ Witness duly identified the hat produced, as the one he had seen. Later on Mr Stone handed the hat to Mrs Pivac, his wife. He found the two back doors wide open, and the dining-room window also open. There was £l4 6s in the till. The hat was picked up just inside the second dining-room doorway. There were curtains hanging on the door, and it seemed natural that if any one rushed through the passage in the dark, the curtain would very likely knock off his hat. On Sunday afternoon, witness further examined his premises and found about twenty-three packets of cigarettes missing, and three cigars. Tney were Green Three Castle cigarettes, similar cases to the ones produced. These cigarettes were-kept in a little cupboard in the shop. He knew' the two accused—Charlie Pearce for five or six years, Brown for four years. Neither of them, to his knowledge, was in his shop on Saturday night or at any time on Saturday, Persons who came in for refreshments on Saturday after nine o’clock were attended on by himself. He never noticed the hat lying on the floor before he locked up, and there was little chance of it being there without his seeing it, since it was lying about twelve inches from the end of a table. While attending to his customers, he would have to walk round the table, but he did not see the hat. The Court then adjourned for lunch.