“Not Afraid to Face Jury”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 65, 8 June 1927, Page 9

“Not Afraid to Face Jury”

CARDIFF MAIL THEFT ARREST AT HAMILTON (From Our Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, To-day. T I HARGED with the theft of v ' £IO,OOO, in Treasury notes, the property of the British Government, a man named Joseph Foster was arrested at Claudelands, Hamilton, yesterday evening. Foster, who is aged 44, and married with one child, was charged at Hamilton this morning with committing the theft of mail, valued at £IO,OOO, in England on February 2 and with receiving mail, consisting of £IO,OOO in currency, knowing same to have been illegally obtained. On the application of the police accused was remanded to appear at Wellington on June 15. He will probably be escorted to England for trial. “They may think I know something about it, but I know absolutely nothing,” stated Foster to THE SUN representative. “I’m quite certain that when I am put before the court in England they will have no evidence against me.” Accused continued that he was quite confident about facing a jury, and stated that although he was charged with committing the theft on February 2 he did not leave England until March 13. Everyone knew that he \yas going, and he received a presentation- before he left. Singularly enough Foster, who was a capable athlete in earlier years, won his first race at Steele Park, Hamilton, and performed later at Waihi, where he stated Constable Saunders probably saw him running. The story of the alleged theft shows that on February 2 four registered packages of Treasury notes valued at £IO,OOO were in the mail on the Lon-don-Cai'diff train, having been despatched by Lloyd’s Bank to the head office in London. The bag was one of a heap of '2l placed in the mail van by the Cardiff officials. The van was locked and was opened for a few minutes only at Newport and Swindon, where other mails were added to the ‘ pile. The only other stop between Cardiff and London was at Reading, but no mails were taken on there, and the van was therefore not opened. On the arrival of the train at Paddington the bag in question was missing. It was one of what are known as “final” bags, which are tied with pink labels to distinguish them. On arrival in London, however, only two pink-labelled bags were found. The train was searched from end to end and Cardiff communicated with, but nothing found. Suspicions were aroused in Scotland Yard, in connection with a passenger on a ship for New Zealand and the captain was asked to prevent a landing, but the man was not found on arrival. Foster is described as a traveller and is a son of the late Pastor Foster, formerly of Hamilton and Waihi. His mother still resides in Hamilton. Twenty years ago Foster went to live in England.