ALLEGED THEFT AT OPUNAKE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 195, 26 November 1910, Page 3

ALLEGED THEFT AT OPUNAKE

. I ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT. At the Magistrate's Court yesterday ' morning, before Mr. Fitzherbert, S.M., i Martha Tainui, a half-caste Maori, was ; charged with, on or about the Bth Nov., , stealing a quantity of ladies' clothing ol ; the vaiue of about £27, the property oi Euphemia Mcllvride, and aiso certain bedding and household linen of the value of about £4 12s u"d, the property ol Thomas Knowles. ! Sergeant Haddrell conducted the pros.-, eciition, and the accused was undefended, pleading her own case. The general facts, as disclosed by the Sergeant in opening the case, were that accused was a servant at the Opunake Hotel, being there at a time when the house changed hands, Mr. Mcllvride selling to Mr. KnowleJ. The clothing was packed and sent to Wanganui, and on arrival Mrs. Mcllvride found some ot the underclothing was missing, and this was afterwards found in the possession of the accused. Accused stated that some of it was her own, and that the boxes had never been unpacked since she came from Urenui. Some of the household linen found had the name "Mcllvride" and "Black" (a former licensee of the hotel) on it; it had not been missed, and had been found when accused's boxes were searched. the evidence;. Euphemia Mcllvride, .wife of Mr. Mcllvride, late licensee of the Opunake Hotel, gave evidence as to Mr. Knowles taking over the hotel when they leftJ'Her personal property w-as packed and .sent to Wanganui, and on opening the boxes she found that some underclothing was missing. The property produced in Court witness identified as her own. Accused: Your Worship: I should''like to see those clothing.—All right.! You can come forward and examine them. ' On examination of the clothing, accused set aside some of them as belonging to Mrs. Knowles and others she claimed as her own. Witness (continuing) also identified other articles in the parcels .produced as her property. Some of the articles were being worn by accused when witness saw her at the gaol. The value of the property lost was estimated at about £3O, and that of the recovered articles at about £24. Witness was under the impression that all the articles were packed up ready for removal and she had not given accused any of the property produced, and accused had no righi to take or use them. Some of the articles witness identified as the property of Mr. Knowles. Accused to Mrs. Mcllvride: Where do ' you say the place was the articles were stolen from?

Witness: From the "dark" room on the morning of the packing. Accused: Did I ever go into your bedroom?—l have never seen you in my bedroom.

Could you say whether the boxes were not locked before you left off packing? —The boxes from which the things were taken were not locked.

I helped you to pack the things?— Yes. You never left the room all the time? —Oh, yes I did. Your son was with you; you were in the room all the time; you locked up the boxes in my presence ?—No, not one. Accused: Oh, yes you did.

Accused: Your Worship, combs and things were found in the bedroom and lam accused of stealing them. (To witness): Did you not leave behind the comb, photograph, and plush picture card?—l left none of the articles produced in Court behind; the trunks were sent away the day before we left.. Are you sure you did not say "Martha, if you find anything left behind will you look after'them for me?" —I said nothing of the sort; f did not know you were going to remain at the hotel.

You gave me authority to look after a number of things.—No, I did not. His Worship here interrupted: You are going to defend the case, and I do not know that it is wise for you to ask so many questions in the course of crossexamination.

Accused: I must have justice. His Worship: Quite so; but as you have no counsel I was just giving you a friendly hand. Accused then continued her cross-ex-amination of Mrs 1 . Mellvride: Can you swear on oath that those things (painting to the table whereon they rested) belong to Mr. Knowles?—Yes, to the best of 'my knowledge they do. Well, your Worship, I say they are mine.

Re-examined. Mrs. Mellvride said the name "Mellvride" on the tablecloth (produced) was the name of ttie proprietor "Black," the name on the sheet (produced was the name of the proprietor of the hotel before her husband took possession.

Accused: Excuse me, but that is Mr. Knowles' property. , George Mclivride, son of the last witness, gave evidence as to identifying some of the articles belonging to* his mother, when shown them by the police. Witness saw Constable Hickman take possession of nil the anticles produced in Court with one small exception. Some of the articles were found hanging on the wall underneath some of accused's clothing in her own bedroom a.nd others in a work basket and portmanteau. Accused said that witness's mother had left them in her charge, and also that; she had found they had been left behind and was taking care of them. AccuseU had no questions to ask this witness.

Thomas Knowles, present licensee of the Opunake Hotel, said accused was housemaid in his employ, commencing at the beginning of November and remaining until the time of her arrest. Accusod said that some of the things had been left in the house, and she was taking charge of them for Mr. Mellvride; also that, seme of her boxes had not been unpacked since she left Urenui, but when «he opened one of them in witness' presence it contained some of

" was put in, and was being referred to ) when ills Worship ruled tint as witness ii could nut swear that the writing was amicus, the letter eouid not be ad- .- mitted. Accused: 1 did write to !Mr. Knowles. f and would like to a»k him a lew quest tions. About my behaviour while in your q house? —Your behaviuur while in my 1 house lias been very good. So good, 1 your Worship, that Mrs. Knowles raised . her wages alter a couple ox days. Did you not say you would take me ■, back?— Yes, I did say so. To a private 1 house; but I did not know then, vhat e I know now. Did I not tell you mv, trouble?— Yes,, t and I forbade everyone in the house to 1 give you drink, and I think my instruc- . tions were carried out strictly. ] Yes, that is so; and I thank you very much, too, Mr. Knowles. B His Worship: Do you wish to ask. s any more questions?—No; I just wished . to thank Mr. Knowles for his kindness B to me; he has been very kind, indeed. 1 Thomas Hickman, police constable, stationed, at Opunake, said he interviewed nCcused at the Opunake Hotel, the previous witnesses being present at' the . time, Jold her some things were miss-' ■ i'ng i't'Om Mrs. Mcjlvritle's 'boxes, and asked if she had seen any of them lying about. She replied in the affirmative, and showed witness some things. Asked <as to the contents of the basket and portmanteau, she said there was no occasion to look at them, as everything > belonged to her, and they had notibeen > opened or unpacked since Mr. Knowles > had brought them from'Ureuui for her, : Accused opened them and, on searching; ■ witness found most of the articles' produced in Court. Near- the bottom of ■ the box witness found'a birthday card which George Mcllvride had given to his mother; and, in reply to Mcllvride -■-as-to how it got there if the box had not been opened since being brought from Urenui, accused said she did riot know. Witness then arrested her. No mention was made of Knowles' property. After arrest, accused still claimed some of the things as belonging to her. Accused was wearing some"' of the clothing iat the time of her arrest. The gloves and belt accused was wearing in the Court that morning. 'To accused, witness said - the other things which he found' jn the boxes were at the police station and unidentified; he did not accuse her of theft until he found the things in the boxes; he admitted she said she picked up the photograph. At the police station she admitted having some of Mr. Knowles property, but said this was owing to picking it up in her room when confused. , Accused, to witness: Did it ever strike you as strange, after you had arrested me for theft, that a thief would leave' the thing hanging on the wall?—lt was after I found the things in your boxes that I charged you with theft. • On being asked in the usual formal way if she had [anything to say, and cautioned before being committed for trial, | accused said she wisJied to give'.evidence. "What I have got,to say is what I said tin's morning," she remarked as' she : . stepped into the witness- box. And she '. added, meaningly: "The evidence will . lead to other things!" Her proper name , was ; MAET.HA "TAINUT McDONALD. i "I went to Knowles' on Tuesday, No-. , veraber 1. While there I met Mrs. Mc- ' ; ; llvride and spoke to her, and she said ■ she would take me if she had a hotel. I agreed. to go as soon as she had one. But she. wanted a rest, and would not ■ take a hotel until after Christmas.. She said, Euby, if there are ; any things left behind, take charge of them.' In the linen press were clothes of all descriptions ,and I took .them and put them in my room."' \ His Worship here again advised ae- t cused as to having so much to say at c this stage of the proceedings. But she continued: j There were eight boxes of things of ,j all descriptions burnt—boots, etc. , 1 c burnt them myself. There are clothes t there given to me by the son—lidon't 1 know if they belonged to his mother—on t the Thursday before my arrest. I was , 1 never in Mrs. Mcllvride's bedroom—nor j i in the darkroom until the day I helped [ to pack the things. On the Friday—(the truth must come out)— George Mcllvride ? tried to insult me. and on the Saturdav 1 I was arrested, charged with the theft 1 of goods. , c Accused at first wished to have thc. : case thrashed out by the Magistrate, but t eventually pleaded not guilty, and was s committed to the Supreme Court for i: sentence, bail being allowed on accused's c own recognisance of £IOO, and two.'other a sureties of £SO each. r