POLICE COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 116, 18 May 1903, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

cSaiurday, 16th May, 1903. -Before Mr R. L, Stanford, S.M. | TUE hahotu post office robbery, , Frod Wat=on, in charge of thfi shipping branch of Mr Nowton King's bus ntss, said he received a communication signed W. A : len, O onui, rela- ' tive to booking k passage for London? I This was r< plied lo on the 11th April,, I Letters put in. A letter from Alien, date! 18; h April, stated he would take ' a steerage ps age for London by the Athonic, aDd on the 2Cth witness re- j pliel t.liita b rth hid besn O.j 25th I r ceived a letter containing 1 .£l7 in single, notes, amount of p\s;agej moaey, and a memo atiting that Allen would call for the ticket. Witness still held t*e mon iy. | W. A. Oollia, photographer in Now j Plymouth, stat d th.it in September 1 accus)d CAtne to h's place with Miss Coikin and lud some work done amouniing to atout £2 4<. A. Guy, bu'eher of Rikotu, remembered attending an en'ertainment at Rahotu on the evening of the 4,h April and siw accused there. Accused left the hall a few minutes befort the interval and was away about ha'f-an-hour.. ' Mary D <ly, waitrees at the Rahotu Hotel, said she rem mbered tha entertainment held on tho 4th April. While

it was on vucaes was locking after the bar. Between' 9.30 and 10 p.m. sc-j cused citnein and bad a drinir and went away pg^in. To Mr Weston; Witness had no conversation with accused. Constable Liod, sta T ioned a} Raho'u, siid: Mis} Honan reported to me the] robbery at the pat offio?. I made an' examination, atd found a bix in the' bedroom covered with cretonnp, and on' | the cretonne some mul and dust wh'ch' corresponded wi.h tho fch ipe of a footmark. I examine ! ths a fe; it was in 1 good cocdi ioD. Did not sie aoy money j there. Found the tray of the cash box about 250 yards behind tha post cflfhe, •in a paddock : it wasemp'y. [ recited I a £1 note from Mr Itusk, the store | keeper and poatmis'er a*i Oaonui, on|

Sunday last, The no'e produced is the ODe, and it was in its pre-ent condition.! 1 had a conversation with tha prisoner j yesterday. He said he had nnde up his account of what money be hid spent and what money he had received, and; could prove everything. H<j said the reason he changt d tha mte was that hej might go Horn", aud gold wou'd be much handier, I said you changed a number of notes at Oaonui for silver. 1 He sa : d silver wis as good as ths gold ; the notes I ch inged at Oionui I got from my emp'oyer. I said are you quite cure about th it. Hesiidl am quite sure of it. Mr Weston had no questiobe. James Ai ken Lusk, storekeeper and postmaster at Oionui, said he had known accused for soma years. Remember his calling on me on the morning of 30th April last. He owed m > Is 9 and pu 1 ; down a XI note, Llded ia fou-, saying take what I o*e you c u L > of tha h . I gave him the change and he went out. I took up the note and examined if, and remark'd about it to my wife. The note produced is the o. e. I kep 1 ; the note and handed it to Dona'able L>nd. I had no reason for kcepiug the note If I had gone to Opunjk-) I should probably have bank d it, I put it in the cash-box, but' am certain it is the oae I gat from accuse.), as I particuhrly go feed the tear oa th'f end of it. Mr Weston had no qu s'ions. Hus'on Young, farmer, living near Oao.u', sail ; Toe accused his bsea in my employ since Sep'ember last; his wages were £]. & wo k and fou ad ; he was paid monthly. Remembered being at a sale at Rihotu in January las h , accused was also th.re, W, G. Scott was conducting the Accused pu - chased eom s goods an 1 harrowed a note from me lop y for them, the money was owing to him. 1 remember the accused go'ng to an entert linment at Rihotu, but I do no'; remenabsr th<* date ; he re'urned the following morning (Tuesday) at 5 30 ; he slid he had been to the entertainment with his gii), Miss Oorkin. He mentioned that be ■saw the Miss Honsn's there, and that they were hard c.ses. I generally pay him his wages in note.'. The last three payments were all in brand now notis, I can swear on oath that I never pad accused the note produced. He was working for my brother for about a year before he came to me; he whs getting XI a week and found ; should say while he was with me ha was spending pretty nearly up to his wages; I never witnessed accused's signature to the oodial of a will; this is not my signature on the document now pro ductd marked (1). I never authorised anyone to put my signature to a document of that kind, Mr. Weston had no question?. Walter Haddrel), Sergt. of Pol'ce at New Plymouth, said on the 7th of this month be saw accused arrive by the Opunaka coach. Ha tried to get away without paying his fare. The diiver called oui to him " I want fire, please." He replied " I will piy as 1 go back." The driver said " when will that bo," He replied " I will be going bank in a fortnight; I am going up to Auckland now." The driver siid " ycu will pay your fare at once." A cused handed the driver a X 5 note and I saw Lina r;ceive change in no'es and silver. I tdd accused he was wanted at the Police Station as we bad a warrant for him. At the siatbn I ask?d him if hj would show me how much money he had üboui him. He refused. I said "will you be good enough to put ou' all the m:ney you have," and with tint he put out four XI notes, 14 sovereigns and X 8 in half-sovercigt.g. I ask d him if he had any more and he opened his portmanteau and took out this big containing silver in half-crowns X 3 15s, £2 161 in florins, 30s shillings, two sixpences, and Is 31 in threepenny pieces; a total of X 8 3s 3 J. This was the amount of i-ilrer, less 18.', found by Oonstabh Mcßae. He 6ai! that was all the money he had got. 1 ask-.d him could he tell me where thit money came from, and be siid it was what he had worked for and earnei. He also produced a post office savings bank book (exhibit F) and pointed out "to me that X 23 12s hsd been drawn on the 29th April. I said you have s good deil more money here than X 23, and he said it is what I hive worked for, Constable Mcßae searched his poitmanteau and found the white purse (produced) containing four halfsovereigns. Mcßae said wcere di-i these come from, and accused rap'itd they were a keepsake. I asked him if there was anything pecu : ia,c about them that thiy should be worth keeping. He said " Oh, no." "Isiidwhere did you get them from. He said he go; them for silver from a man named (I undars'ood him to say) Davis. Thib i'ed purse (produced) was f-.uo 1 hy Oonetabl) Mcßu l , who said why here ate four sovereigns, where do they come from'( Accused said: " Oh, I

forgot all about them." Mcßae Paid is that all? and he leplitd yea. Mcß.e s tid, then where do these come from ? taking three half-sovereigns out of the purse, accused made no reply. Most of the exhibits in Court I found in his portmantau —exhibit E.L.9., and the letter f* r Mr Newon King (put ox hibis II). Tl is letter was also found on him in an envelope, addressed Mr W, Allen, Kahui-ioid, Rahotu, and raad as follows I May 14th, /93. I Dasr Annie,— I I now take the pleasure cf writI ing these few lines to you, hoping that j they will fiod you in the vary bast tf ' health, as I am tip top. I have got the trap, and- me and Mr 0. Francis j went out as far as Wnitara, and had a I real good time. I might enj y myself I bettor if you were Lere, but I suppose lit can's be helped, bo youmu«tch'er lup till I c-me back. Me and Mr C. F at-cU aie bath going up to Auckland on Saturday night to-gether, and I am paying half _of Charley's fare, or eke he would not. go, for he is short of mooey, but as so:n as we get bick, which will be about nearly the end of n°x l j month, about the 22nd or 25 :b of June, and then I am going bick again within a fortnight after I come back, and then I will take you up to Aucklmd for a trip, for I intend to ask the II boss to let you come to New Plymouth for a week, stop there three or four *:days, get married, and then go to

Auckland and then to Wanganui for a a trip, so cheer up and dou'c. get miserable, for we will have a jjlly time of it when I come back again. 1 will send you a telegram when I get back to New Piym iuth, so as you can be on the look out for mp, ss cheer tip and keep something, for your trouble will be over as soon as I get back. Tell the old woman we are a pair of lurikins, and Oharely wishes to be remembered to you al l . • I remain your true and ever loving ■ Sweetheart, W.R.A.

I hwe bought two cf those tugs, and also a mufflir for you, mvde of feithew, which will keep you r:rm. It cost 45a at the Clothing Fact ry. Among the papers I found thisch quebook, on the Bank of New Zealand (uaatk M) It has W. Allan's name i.-i it, care of J. Youog, Oao&ui. Pour cheques have boon used out of i*. I aho found th ; s recaipt for office order, post-imrkei 23rd April, 1903, addressed Mr Newton King; receipt for for 5a for euo) olopedia, da f ed 24th January, 1903; rcc.ipt, Novembar, 1902, for £3, signed Trethank; also another receipt for £5 15s for a bay horse from Mr Soott; and another receipt, dated April 4tb, 1902, Vgced J. Dak«y, for £2l 5s ; and a receipt from Gardener, dated-March 29th, 1901, for £2l 158 for music ll i strument. Tha gold chain produced was also amongst his effects, and a number of savings bink receipts. The entry in the b.nk boak, Juae 14tb, 1902, is for £3 15s, the coriespjnding receipt from the General Post Oflic3 sho<«s as if £37 15] was paid in. The eoty for 23rd November, 1902, is ior £3, the receipt from the General Pos". Office shows £436 9s. Toe remainder of the receipis are nil altered in a simihr manner, and there is no receipt corresponding with the entries in the bo jk. Accused was subseq lently charged by Cbnitable McRao with breaking and en'ering the Post Office at Rihalu on 4th April, and sioaliog therefrom £46. He said he could easily disprove tha*, as he was with his girl at an entertainment that night, and she could prove he could not. havo dons it, as he was with her all the time. The Court here adjourned for lunch The c<S3 occupied the whole afternoon, and, at the conclusion of the evidence, the accused was committed for tiial at the next sitting of the Supreme Cjurf.