THEFT AT THE RACES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 202, 15 January 1913, Page 7

THEFT AT THE RACES.

a mnois : ASK. WOMAN" 01' PP.Ol'Ki; .\" FINED. TTAWERA I'FOI'LF. IN T 1101*1.5 Mi. An incident of the recent Klleivslic races had a sequel in a Police Court prosecution at Auckland last week, when Hinemon Hunt. Stanislaus Harding, and Janus While Hardin?, of llawera, were charged tint oa Thursday last they stole a ladv's coat, valued at £1!, the property of Mary Kli/.abelli (Ireen. The story told by Mrs. (Ireen was that shortly after she had got to the races on Thursday afternoon she observed Hinemoa Hunt near the totalisator with a coat on her arm which resembled that which the witness had brought to the races and left hanging in the cloakroom. She went and found that her coat, which had been cheeked, was gone from the cloakroom. She and her sister then looked fnr the girl Hunt, but could not see her in the crowd, and complained to the police. She and her sister after* wards saw the girl Hunt in company with her sister and brother-in-law. Mr. and "Mrs. Harding. They kept them under surveillance, but could see nothing of the coat until after tkn lust race. Then Harding went to the members" stand and came away with his overcoat over his arm, but the cu(T of another coat showed beneath it.' The detective stated that when he accosted Harding the latter said he had only one coat, but when his own coat was examined it was found to be rolled round Mrs. rireen's missing coat. Harding then said he had found it on the grandstand about half-an-'hour previously. Airs. Harding and the other young woman also each said she had found the coat. The whole party then went in a motor car to the police station, where, after the girl Hunt had made a statement, she was a nested. On account of Mrs.' Harding's state of health she and her husband were not arrested, but brought to the court on summons. The statement made to the police by Tlinemoa Hunt'was to the effect that her sister had taken the coat and passed it to her. She gave it to Harding, who concealed it till after the races.

j The accused pleaded not guilty, and 1 ,i were defended by Mr. R. A. Singer. ] \ James White Harding said that <le '■ l .had been meat exporting and farming in ' !' a big way at Hawera. the turn-over of the business being about £225,000. Rel cently lie had had large losses, and had > been forced to file His schedule, but his | creditors would get twenty shillings in J " the pound. His wife had property in ] Hawera worth £20.000 They were in j Auckland for a holiday, and went to the j races. The first lie saw of the coat in j question was after the sixth race, when ' Mrs. Harding told liim that she had found the coat. She was sitting on a seat near the totalisator, and Jiad been there for some time. The coat was lef|t on the seat when everyone left. He-i took (he coat and said he would find the'! owner. He put it in the members' stand with his own. and after the race put both coats openly on his arm. He would not allow his wife to wear a coat of such idiotic colors. When the detec-.: tive came up witness told him he had two coats, one of which he had found, 1 and when the detective spoke of arresting Miss Hunt, he said that he was the y proper person to be arrested, as he had the missing coat on him. He considered that the other women had seen the coat' with his wife and mistaken her for Miss Hunt. He had intended to take the coat home and advertise for the owner. Witness was very positive that the detective placed Miss Hunt under arrest be,-. fore he took the party in the motor ear to the police station where the statement iwas obtained. , * \

This evidence was corroborated by Yin;h I Stanislaus Harding.

Ilinemoa Hunt, who pave lier age as 'lO years, stated that she hud not .on the day in question touched Mrs. Grin's coat. Respecting her statement,,, Jie said that when she was alone at' the j police; .station with the detective lie. I thumped his hand on the table and too!,; ,hold, of .her by the, shoulder .andrsaidj, ,'"Weil.,if' you. doij't want to stay,.here,,all iijght, you tel| me who stole, the. c.oat." He flurried" her so niucli that she didn't know what she sajd. .She didn't know until the.previous day that -.lie had niadii <uch statements as "I pot the coat pro* duccd'frWm' my sister, who' told me shi* took it from the dressing-room without authority," and "1 knew she stole the coat." '

Mr. H. V. Cuttc.il. S.M.. said that he! did not believe the evidence of the de< fence, but even if he did, still it wouhf not lead to a dismissal. A person who took a coat off a seat at a race meeting and proceeded to take it homo, unless tkcre was very strong evidence of innocent intention, was, he held, to have, committed a theft. The evidence for! the prosecution did not seem to give the whole story, and the effect of it was that all three accused must be convicted, as the girl Hunt's statement, while evidence apainst herself, could not be taken as evidence apainst Mrs. Harding'. He.: thought it probable that the statement' was correct, am! the girl and the husband were put in an awkward fix trying to conceal what Mrs. Harding' hud don'c. He would take that into account in awarding the penalties. Mrs. Harding would be lined £lO and costs, and the oilier two would be convicted and ordered to come up for .sentence when called upon.