Stealing a Watch.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 783, 29 March 1905, Page 2

Stealing a Watch.

BUSINESS MAN HOIIUEU JN A HOTEL.

At the l'olicc Court on Tuesday, before Mr T. Hutchison, H.M., a man mined Archibald Morris, alias Jo•eph Neil, was charged with having >n Oct. 17 stolen fiom the person of itorge Godfrey Uoulton, a rolled watch, chain and pendant, valeJ at 18. Mr C. H. Weston aj>~enred for the defence .Sergeant Huddrcll, who conducted the prosecution, explained the facts briefly. On the date stated the complainant, llolton, sat down to rest in the bar parlour of the Taranaki Hotel and fell asleep, between the hours of IO.ISO and 12 noon. On awaking he missed the watch, chain, and pendant, and informed the police. Subsequently it was discovered that the accused had handed the watch to a man named -lames Cook, from whom it was recovered by the police. In the interim the watch had been engraved with the inscriprion, "Presented to .1. Neil, for life saving."-

Aceusjd, who elected to be dealt with summarily, pleaded not guilty. Ccorge (ioclfrvy Jkiullon stated he was a storekeeper in business in New Plymouth Me went to the Taranaki Hotel on Oct. 17 for orders. After business he sat down and must have 'dozed off, and on awakiag,'|tuissed the articles emimcratpd. He idenLilied the watch produced as his pro-|K-rty. Henry .lolm Julian, licensee of the Taranaki Hotel, also gave evidence. Witness saw accused about the hotel that morning. Witness was serving in the bar during the time Jtoulton was in,the room. Witness did not see anyone enter the room, but anyone could have entered and left without necessarily being observed.. .Ins. Cook, labourer, in tihe employ or the Harbour Hoard, said he knew the accused, who had also been in the employ of the Harbour Board lately. On Feb. 17 accused handed witness two watches and a chain to mind ; that produced was one of the watches. . The conversation took place in the Harbour Board yard. Accused said "Mind these for me- till I come back." Witness did not knowwhere accused was going, but the same day saw accused under arrest. Witness knew nothing about the charge until Detective Benjamin spoke to him about it, and he then handed over the watches to the police.

To the Bench : F have been in the employment of the Board for aboul 12 months. 1 think Neil came there about December last. Detective Benjamin gave evidence as to the recovery of the watch. James Cassels, detective stationed at Wellington, deposed us to accused's arrest. When lie asked him to account for the possession of the watch he replied "That is ray business, I refuse to answer any questions." . Accused, sworn, stated that, in October last he was dealing in bottles, lead and zinc, and similar lines. He was going across to the hotel nnd picked up the watch on a spare piece of ground opposite the hotel. He could not exactly give the dale, lie was in the habit of leaving his horso and cart on the spare piece of ground. He looked in the pnpers'l>ut could sot no advertisement about a watch lnting lost. The B.M. '. What about the lifesaving inscription afterwards put on

the watch ? , , Accused : I wrote the inscription myself. It was a sort of freak of my own, I suppose. I used to wear the watch regularly. I was willing to give it up, but nobody ever claimed It. The Magistrate characterised this yarn as altogether too thin.- He had no doubt that accused stole the watch from Mr Iloulton. Accused would be sentenced to nine months' imprisonment with hard labour. Commenting on the case the S.M. remarked that it was a pretty bad state of affairs when a respectable man could not go into a hotel in broad daylight without having property stolen from him. He thought the 'attention of the licensee should be called to the matter by the police. The police should notice occurrences of this kind. 11 appears that the accused was some months ago committed for trial for theft and absconded from bail, hence his apprehension in Wellington.