THE EASTER BURGLARIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 356, 6 April 1910, Page 2

THE EASTER BURGLARIES.

JAMES BALDWIN PLEADS GUILTY, COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE.

At the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon a young mun named James Baldwin, on remand, ww charged with that he did on the 27 th day of March last break and enter the dwelling-house of John Joseph Stagpoole at St. Aubyn street, New Plymouth, with intent to commit a crime, and that he did then steal a .pair of spectacles and case, valued at £1; a pack of cards, valued at £1; card-case, valued at £2; a bankreceipt book, and £l7 in money. Detective Boddam conducted the prosecution, and outlined the facts leading up to the charge, which was laid under "The Crimes Act, lws." John Joseph Stagpoole, a baker, residing in St. Aubyn street, gave evidence that on Sunday, March 27th, he left his premises at about 9.30 p.m., leaving by the bakehouse door, and merely ''pulling the door to;'-' without locking it. He returned about an hour later, entering by the same door. In the bakehouse he noticed the counterpane of his bed tied in a bundle on the floor, and his bedroom clock, the watch from his waistcoat pocket, and the key of the front door were on the doughtrough close by. Wondering how these things got there, he went to his • bedroom, where he found things all upset, papers lying about the noor. His clothes were "in their usual place, hanging on the bed. His box was 'wide open, and the drawer had been emptied of its contents. The contents included £lB 3s 8d (in nine single £1 notes, £2 10* in gold, and the rest in silver); a silver card-case, with his initials engraved; a pack of playing cards, and a pair of •gold-rimmed spectacles. These cards were token out of their case, which had been left behind. The silver card-case and playing cards now produced were the same. On the Wednesday morning following he found the spectacles and case amongst some grass in King street, about 150 yards from his premises. The bank deposit receipt book was kept in the till in his shop. The accused was an absolute stranger to him.

Claude Henrichs, carter, in the employ of the previous witness, deposed that he was at Stagpoole's shop at about 0.30 a.m. on Monday, 28th March. A little boy came to the shop at about seven o'clock and handed him a bank deposit book (produced). In consequence of something that the boy said, he made a search at the corner of Dawson and King streets, and found the silver card-case (produced). Detective Boddam gave evidence that the robbery was reported to him by Mr. Stagpoole between midnight of the 27th and 1 a.m. on the 28th March last. He made immediate enquiries, in company'with Constable O'Neill, who was on night efuty, and John Olliver, the nightwatchman. At 1.45 a.m., accompanied by them, he went to a boardinghouse in Silver street. They went upstairs to u bedroom occupied by the accused and three others, all sleeping in separate beds. On a table close to the bed occupied by the accused witness found the pack of cards produced. Accused was' asleep, lying on his back. He recognised him, and woke him up, saying, ''Baldwin, get up; I want bo speak to you." Lie made no reply, or effort to get up, so witness pulled the clothes off him, and noticed that he had something tied up in the lower portion of the front of his shirt. -He unfastened the bundle, and found it contained £2O in notes—a £5 note and fifteen, £1 notes, which he now produced. He then told Baldwin again to get up and dress, which the accused did, remarking as he did so that ''This is a bit of bad luck." He then removed the accused to the police station, and searched him, finding on him two sovereigns, a halfsovereign, eight half-crowns, five florins, 13 single shillings, six sixpenny pieces, 14 threepenny pieces and two coppers. He charged him with robbery at Stagpoole's, and locked him in the cell, the accused's only reply being a repetition of his statement that it was a bit of hard luck. During Monday morning he read over to the accused the charge as set forth in the present information, the accused again making no reply. On the 31st March he received a letter from the prisoner, written from the New Plymouth prison, intimating his intention of pleading guilty to two charges of breaking and entering. The accused, who had asked no questions of the witnesses, haa nothing t& say. He pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence.

A SECOND CHARGE. The same accused was then charged with having broken and entered the dwelling-house of Christian Peter Johnson on the same night, and stolen from one Jabez Rouse the sum of £8 18s 2d. Jabez Rouse, an elderly man, very hard of hearing, gave evidence. He said he ! was a laborer, living at Mr. Johnson's boardinghouse in St. Aubyn street. On the night of 27th March he slept ia No. 0 on the tirsfc floor, with the proprietor. They occupied separate beds. They west to" bad at about ten o'cloek. When he turned in ho placed his trousers beneath his pillow. He had £8 10s in one of the pockets and 6s 2d in the other. He quickly dropped off to sleep. Johnson woke him up between 10.30 p.m. and 11- p.m. His trousers were then on the floor, the poekets tamed inside out, and the whole of the money missing.

The Bench: Did you get the whole of the money, Mr. Boddam? Detective Boddam: Most of it, sir. The accused was suffering from drink, and, putting the money away in a hurry, must have dropped some. Witness said that on the same evening he had passed three men in King street near the Carnegie library. When he reached the Theatre Royal, the accused caught him up, and asked him to have a drink with him. They walked back to King street, and had the drink from the bottle that the accused had. He went to the White Hart Hotel corner, and accused followed him up. Baldwin asked where witness stayed, and he told him, alsq directing him to it. Saw no more of him that night, but saw •him nest morning at the polics station, where he picked him out of three others, and identified him as the man who bad spoken to him on the previous night. Accused asked no questions.

Christian Peter Johnson, the proprietor of thu boarding house, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness in reference to the hour of retiring and putting the trousers under th» pillow. He was reading for nearly half an hour before he went to sleep. He had not been long aslerp when he felt a hand pass over his face, a« though' some person was trying to save himself from falling. He turned round quickly and grabbed the intruder by the arm. asking "Who ,is this? What lark is this you are at?" but got no reply. The man got away from him and left the room qnietlv. for he had no boots on. Witness lighted his candle, and

woke up the occupant of No 3 room, a man named Bartlett. Together they searched the upstairs bedrooms, and in No. 5 he found the accused under the bed, fully dressed with the exception of his boots. He pulled him out, and asked what business he had there. The accused said he was in the Terminus Hotel, and intended to stop there, lie pretended to be very drunk. Witness said "You can't be so very drunk when you got away from my room in such a very short time," but the accused didn't answer. He asked Bartlett, the boarder, to look after him whilst witness went for the police. Bartlett, however, said "let him go," and they let him mu by the fire escape. The accused was not a boarder in the house, and had no right on the premises. He then wakened Roust?, whose trousers he now saw were lying on the floor. .Ttift before going to ued that night he had examined tk> windows 'on the ground' floor. They were all shut. After wakening Roue* up he went down apain. and found the window of the kitchen sufficiently open to allow of a man climbing through it. He had seen the man before. Detective Boddam gave brief evidence of the arrest of the "accused, as detailed in his evidence on th» first charge.; The accused had in all £24 Ills Sd upon him. The accused made no defence, but pleaded guilty to the eharga. He was then committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence.