POLICE COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 125, 21 June 1901, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

3 Thursday 20 June, 1901,—Before R. L. Stanford, E-q . S,M. ' ALLEGED TEIEFT. „ Allea OlelaDd on remand was charg.-d 'jthafc on or about June 1 l f h ho did , br.ejk and enter the storeroom of Boon s Bros., and stcil therefrom two drum* ' of oil and one tin of whits !ea i Sergeant Stigpool applied for a furfor a further remand till Wednesday next. Mr Weaton for accused had uo obj ctioa. Accused accordingly bail as before being allowed. FORGERY, John Joseph Connoll, on remand, was charged that cn June Bth he did commit forgery of a cheque for £26. purporting to be signed by W. Mason. S -rgeint Stagpool said tha case wa* a simp'e ore of fo gt.ry. The Rccu?ed W9S a labourer who had coma in from tho court'y, and bad represented tbat he had £2OO on deposit. He engaged Mr Peddie. a builder, to draw up plans and specifications for a building, and fin illy lie got Mr Peddie to get h>m a blank cheque. Aferwarda accused filled in the cheque and g-ve it to Mis Bullob to o\sh She could not cash i l -, but hold i!i, and on prrsen'ing it at th" batik a day or sa after fourd out the accused had no eccovint there. S irgaan* Stippoool then called thp following < vide Dcs : A 1 x Peddi«, being sworn slid : I •.ill a builder and tontian'or, resfding iti New Plymouth. Know the accused. Ratneniber mooting hira cn Siturday, Bth insn. Ho. fskrd me to prepire a sketch plan, ss he proposed to build a hous\ I did it then, showed me a batik dfp sit slip fo ' £2OO. I said I did ro*; want to sre it, •s I w.is qui'e isfied Slip produced (exhibit marked a) is the one I saw

Tne S.M.: Why do you call it a deposit riCK'pt;"it it merely rnant slip, and siyi paid to current

account. Witnes:: I tcrk it for a dopo it rece : pt. Examination continued : I knew thn oink was clos'd when sconced told me ho wnn'ed to drnv a ch que, ai hp ivantri! sinne pssh, find asked me if I "o'ild go'ihim a cheque. T siid there w*b no difficulty at a'l. I want into Mr. i-'o'e's.ind got one. It was a Hank chi-qus, a. <3, I think, on the Bank c.f Naw South Wales, I gav? it to accused. Mr, Sols known me well. The vcuar-d made tho ramrk that it was en t'ror.g Bar.k, and h*s would wait till Monday ar.d g-1 on hia own ■wik. T told him he could alter i l , bn l ! io fol 'ed it up and put it i 1 his pookf t He left very sho-tly afterwards, I next saw the chequo at Mrs. Bu'lo'.V 'oarding-house on the following Tuesday. Cheque produce! marked (exhibir, a) is the one I saw. It was thi-n filled in for ,£26. Ernest Sola said: I am a member of the firm of Sole Brothers, butchers, and reside at New Plymouth. I know the last witness, and remember supplying

him with a blank cheque ao Saturday, called on me and aftor some cob- I June Bth. Cheque produced (marked cxhiMt b) corresponds with the block in my cheque book. i Mary Bullot said: I am a boarding hous-i keeper residing in New Plymouth; accused was stopping in my house; on Saturday, June 8 ,h, about 7 o'clock, accused was string out, and he asked me if [ could csh a cheque; he did not -how me a cheque, as I told him I toul.l aot; he did not tell rue tha amount Ou Tuesday 11th inst., h.i asked me tr t'ks care of two dirty p'eies of paper which he produced; I took'hem but <lid cot look at tho contents; I pu' them in my purse, and put my purse in my pocket, about half-an-hour after wards Mr Peddie and Mr Mayrie versation I looked at the papers in my purse, and showed th n m to tbi m; Exhibits marked a. and b. are the papers.

I sent 'hecheque to the Bank ti ask il | r .here was any account there, and it rame back marked no account; I subsequent'y handed it to the police. Richard 0. Ess l ! said lam arcountan' at, the Bank o c New South Wales in New Plymouth ; the cheque produced (rnarltxl exhibit b) was presented a' our Bank and mat ls>d '• no account.' There is no cus' o oner at our branch of the n'imo of W. Mason.

Cons'ab'e Young said: lam a police constable st'tiov.ed at New Plymouth ; 1 arrcs'ed the accused on tho 15th of t,h : s month; when Sergt. Stagpoole charged him with forgery, he said he was drunk at tha t'me; he paid h 9 had I not; off-re 1 the cheque himself; he did not d' j ny the offencn and Slid that he ®ould pleid guilty; ha was not drunk when I arrested him, though there is no doubt he was under the influence. The accused was than infotmed that tie would be c mmi'ted for trial, and

t.ha' he could ple d gui'.ty if he wished, bu 11 - could not a ft orwarJs withdraw the plea. Aoeus d thei pUnd d gu : jty, and was comnnit'ed to the Supreme Oourt for sentence, 'J>e Onurt thon rase.