ALLEGED THEFT OF JEWELLERY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 105, 24 October 1911, Page 4

ALLEGED THEFT OF JEWELLERY

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. By Telegraph—Press Association. _. Auckland, Yesterday. J. he prisoners, William and Maud Uogers, who were brought by Detective Scott from San Francisco to answer a charge of having broken and entered the jewellery shop of Adolph Kohn on March 19 last and stolen therefrom goods to the value of £83!) 13s, appeared again at the Police Court to-dav, before Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M. Chief-Detective Marsack conducted the prosecution, and Mr. C. E. Matthews (instructed by Mr J J?" London) appeared for the accused, ami intimated that they would plead not guilty, and that he would call no evidence nor cross-examine any of the 1 Crown witnesses at this stage of the proceedings. Detective Edward William Scott said that early in June he proceeded to San Francisco, arriving there on June 23. On June 26 he had a conversation with the male accused in the county «aol. After telling him who he was. he asked where he had lived. He told him some fingerprints had been found in Kohn's premises, and had been identified as his He said, "Go on! Did they find fingerprints?" Witness said, "Yes." He replied. "I was a fool anyway. I C oul<t have the lot of the stuff'over there, but .1 thought I'd get more for it here, and I've fallen in." He said he "done the job on his own," and that while in the shop ho saw a policeman and another man look in the window, but they could not see him, and had no chance of doing so. He went on to say that he came •over to San Francisco' in the s.s. Manuka with his wife (the female accused) and that he had brought the jewellery (the proceeds of Kohn's robbery) ashore in a chesterfield overcoat and concealed about his person. Witness asked what, had become of a number of watches that were missing, and he replied that some of them were, rolled gold, and as they were not much good he "dumped them" in New Zealand. Witness saw the female accused, who was also in custody, and she said she had not pledged or sold any jewellery, and knew nothing about the robbery or the pledging or sale of any jewellery. " Detective Scott said that in consequence of a communication he received from Wm. Rogers he again visited him in Alameda County Gaol, where he saw both the.accused together. Wm. Rogers then wrote out a joint confession,"declaring that they had only CO in money when they arrived in San Francisco and the sum of 400 dollars found in their possession when taken to prison in San Francisco was the sum of money received by the accused from different pawnbrokers for jewellery pawned or sold. They in this statement waived all further proceedings in the matter and directed their attorneys to take no further proceedings in their behalf in any court or courts, and further voluntarily agreed to return to \"e\v Zealand with Detective Scott under the warrant from New Zealand held by him. This statement was written voluntarily by Wm. Rogers, and signed by him and his wife.

Edmund Walter Dinnie, finger-print expert, said he had received a fanlight, and on it he found two really distmct finger marks. He had no doubt whatever that the marks on the sash were made by prisoner's hand. This was all the evidence.

Tile; prisoners pleaded "not guilty," and reserved their defence. They were then formally committed for trial at the crimiiinl sittimrs of the Supreme Court at Auckland, which are to commence on November 21.