BURGLARY CHARGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 323, 12 July 1912, Page 8

BURGLARY CHARGES.

AUCKLAND CASES. ( SOME SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE. J TALK ABOUT SHOOTING. 1 "DON'T PUSH ALL THE BLAME i ON ME." j By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Wednesday. A sequel to the lucent long list of burglaries in Auckland was the appearance of several Jiien in court to-day., Ernest Kirchitz, a German, aged 21 years, and Charles Murphy (alias Reynolds), a Canadian of 2(i, were charged with having broken and entered the Clarendon Hotel on June 27 by night with intent to commit a crime.

Chief Detective Marsaek, in outlining •, the ease, said that the Clarendon Hotel stood out on the corner of Rutland street and Queen street. On the night of June 20, about midnight, Constable I Hill, who was on plain clothes duty on j the streets, noticed Kirchirtz hanging J about the locality, evidently watching the policeman on the beat. Hill watched him, and saw him stand in the doorway and watch the policeman go round the corner. Then he went across Rutland street to the cellar door of the 'hotel, Which opened on to the street. The door was a trapdoor, which closed by its own weight and led to the cellar, which "in 'turn led by a door into the Jiar. When the bar doors were locked at night, the bar was isolated from tiie rest of the building, and anyone who went there was himself trapped if his exit was blocked at the rear.. Hill darted across the street after Kirchirtz when the latter disappeared through the trapdoor from the street, and waited there. In a few moments he was joined by Scrrrt. Carroll and the pair of' them went through the trapdoor into the cellar and thence into the bar. There they found Kirchirtz endeavoring to hide himself behind a screen, and a further search produced Reynolds, whose true name was Murphy, hiding under the bar counter. Apparently nothing bad. been taken, and there was nothing incriminating on either man. Later Murphv said he had been living in rooms in Vincent street, and a search there revealed two plugs of gelignite and a detonator hidden. *

After a quantity'of evidence had been given, both accused pleaded "guilty," and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. WITNESSES HAVE MUMPS.

Paul Eugene Se.rim and Charles Murphy were then charged that, on June 2fi. they broke and \entered the Great Northern Brewery by night with intent to commit ?. crime.

Chief Detective Marsaek stated that in this case he had perforce to ask for ,~ remand, as all the witnesses he required from the Great Northern Brewery were in bed with mumps. His Worship: "Very well, we don't want them here." Mr. Marsaek: "No. sir; we have enough dangerous stuff here already." AN EXPLOSION. One of the two previous accused, Serim, and James Grant were bracketed to answer a charge of breaking and entering the sh,op of Arthur John Ellyett, grocer, of Mount Eden, on May 12,' and the factory of Messrs. Cousins and Atkins, Stanley street, on June 6. With regard to the first charge the story unfolded by the police showed that the owner of the shop, who lives in the vicinity, heard ah explosion on the Sunday night in question, but on account of the prevalence of blasting operations in the neighborhood he did not! attach any importance to it. On opening his shop on the Monday morning he found that the front door had been forced with a jemmy, and that the safe had been opened by means of blasting, the door being practically destroyed. A sum of between £2O and ,£3OJ which he had left there on Saturday night, was gone. A number of bags of sugar were lying about the flor of the office where the safe stood, having been brought in from the shop. There was butter splashed all over the room. A piece of burned fuse was found in the room. Subsequent to their arrest both accused had made statements, each one alleging that the other committed the burglary while he had kept watch. SENSATIONAL STATEMENTS.

Upon the second charge the evidence was of the most sensational character yet given. Formal testimony as to the premises of Messrs. Cousins and > Atkins having been left intact on the night before the occurrence, and the state in which the building and the two safes were found next morning was given.

Chief Detective Mar-sack, in the box, stated that upon the night in question, at about 11.15 p.m., he was waiting for a car at the foot of Constitution Hill, in front of Messrs. Counsins and Atkins factory, at exactly 11.55 p.m. Just after he had parted with Sub-Inspector Henry, an explosion occurred in the factory. A number of people came rushing up, amongst them the two accused. He persuaded the onlookers to go away, and then proceeded round to the back of the factory. The two accused followed him round, and when he turned the light upon them they asked him what was "the matter. He made an evasive reply, and they -went away. He discovered that the secretary's office was full of smoke, and that the safe had been blown up. A piece of burnt fuse found on the floor was about four and a half feet long, and was still warm. It would take about four or five minutes to burn. SHOOTING} MENTIONED. Continuing, witness said he next saw Serim at the Police Station on the day of his arrest, when he admitted having been at the back of Cousins and Atkins factory that night. Later on Serim said: "Make it as light as you can. I did you a good turn that" night. Grant wanted to.shoot you, saying that as you bad recognised us we would be arrested. I stopped him from doing anything of the kind, and said that if he tried'it I would shoot him. - ' Later on witness saw Grant and taxed him with the intention of shooting. Grant, on being told that Serim had said so, replied:— "No, it was just the other way about. Serim wanted to shoot you, but was afraid it might make too much noise. I persuaded him not to." Detective Powell described how he went to the house of Serim in M't. Eden, saying lie wanted to interview him about the burglary in the Great Northern r>rewery. Accused denied having in his possession any burglary outfit, except a revolver and some cartridges, which he said he had hod for a long time. A search, however, revealed some "(■lignite, keys, detonator, caps, a jemmv. and some fuse. "FLAT fONTR A DICTION.

When tlio two licensed were together on June 2i). continued witness, G.rant said to Poriin: " You said you would shoot Ohiof Defective Marsack. <rnlv it would have made too pinch noise." To this Scrim replied: "Xo, it was you who wanted to shoot him. Don't push all the blame on to me." Tn answer to a question from Serim, Detective Powell replied that the former had given every assistance in making the investigation. Detective O.mtHng corroborated the evidence of Detective Powell, neither of the accused intimating any desire to say anything in answer to the evidence or charges. Serim pleaded guilty to. both charges, while Grant put in a plea of not guilty to both. They were accord-

ingly committed, one for trial, the other for sentence. '. ■ Grant made application for hail. The application was opposed bv Chief Detee'tive Marsaek and was refused. Serim alone was called upon to answer a charge of having broken into the warehouse of C. E. Hemus at Newmarket on .Tune 3, and having-stolen the sum of £2 15s 9d. To this charge Serim pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme "Court for trial. He made application for bail as before] but the application was refused.