AUSTRIANS IN DISPUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 212, 7 March 1914, Page 4

AUSTRIANS IN DISPUTE.

ALLKUEI) THK FT OF MONEY. A young and appannlly well-educat-ed Russian Pole, named Arnold Victor Smith, appeared before Mr. A. CrooUe, S.M., in the Magistrate's Ceiirl, New Plymouth, yesterday, to iui; l vcr to charges of theft of sums altogether to £B7 2s, from Galician Ausuians, emplovees of the Blenheim and United Oil Companies, with whom he kad from time to time lived at Moiuroa. He was not represented by counsel, but was quite calm and colieit•4, cross-examining the. witnesses in very fair English, and sometimes smilingly correcting their statements. The case was a long and tedious one, five Austrian witnesses mounting the box and submitting to the wearisome examination through an interpreter, Mr. J. Bitter von Fcdorowiez. The ease against the accused, as out- , lined by Senior-Sergeant lladdrell, who • conducted the prosecution, was princii pally circumstantial. It was base! mainly on the fact that before ho came s to New Plymouth he bad been very short of money, that after the first theft had been committed, accused was known to have spent money freely in Auckland and elsewhere. He was charged with the theft of £4l on February 1 and of £45 2s on February 21. On January 111 one of the Austrians in whose house accused had lived, gave to another £ll to keep for him. It was alleged by the Austrians, on circumstantial grounds, tliat accused took this money, and other witnesses were called to show that he 1 went- to Auckland and / "cut a dash" 1 there. Before he went to Auckland, however, the accused was searched by the police but no money was found on ' t him, but in Auckland die was alleged ' to have cashed bank notes corresponding ' in value to those lost. When finally 1 arrested on the Stratford station after ' the second sum (£4") 2s) had been lost ' by the Austrians, he bad a ticket for ' Auckland and £'2s. Captain Francis Norbury, of the s.s. '' Rarawa, deposed that on November 17 • accused joined the ship as an A.8., and ' worked till December 31. When he join- . Ed the ship he said he was anxious to get work, as he wanted money badly. When he left on December 31 he luid ' £l*. Witness did not see accused again until Jana.irv. when he asked for a passage from Ouchiingn to New Ply- - mouth, sa> iiiff that he had work to go ■ to in New Plvmoiilb. and hud no nion •> to pay his pas.-age.. ih- gave accused the passage, iind did not see him again until later on, when he went back again | as a passenger. On February l!) acc.is- » cd came to witness again at Onehungit 1 and asked for a passage to New Plymouth, as he had only a little money. Witness refused, and accused then agreed to pay a steerage fare. To accused: You said distinctly that you were hard up. Wintcncy Drewnowski, a Galician Austrian, an oil-driller in the employ of ™°n,V nited 0U Coni l" l ny on their Lore at Tikorangi, deposed that on Saturday, , January 31, ho went to Moturo,. and i stayed with his countrymen ther». H« f lad then three ten-pound notes, three 1 fives and six singles in a tobacco-pouch. :, which he gave to one Roiek to take t care of. Roiek told him tluit he nut , it in a drawer. Accused was also ja , the house. Some of them went for a . walk on Sundav afternoon. He Jirsi . found that the money was gone on the same evening He gave ~„ one autho- - my to take jt. i To accused: He could not remember : . "'d was present when witness • gave the money to Roiek. He mickt • have had another opportunity of seeing ; the money ,f be went into Roiek's room Re-examined:! On the day ,],c gave I a '"file " lom 'y ho ken drinking France Roiek corroborated the story ; id the Pr 2°" S WitnMS ' CXCe " t ""* "» »id the money given to him was three £lO notes, two £5 notes, and m single room. Witness took the purse in Jus hand and counted the money in the pro sonee of Fru-iynski, pllt drawer, and went to sleep. At 8 on when he and the others went for a walk accused was in a lield close to the house! f ! t S l,o, WM * l *« door id the house O n returning from „ visit to the harbor, witness went i„J ,* - fttely to the drawer, found the mom t gone and told Drewnowski, who wa* Z of the room, talking \ 9 Referring to the second loss, witnes, "id that money had been bin Ir , n . his portmanteau. T ' '" ' To accused: He said that, lie bad not seen h.m at all on the day of the 8 V ond loss or tlie day precede it <»f Auckland, that on February 11 / B f tpr his car at Onehunga. drove to Auekaml, spent « i„ ~,. ;°efsb v T ,th » I,im ' And »*«» *'» had M 0 marks wnt him b T his father. .taWw" Lynn ' A*kta»dhad boarded at her house. He arrived there ,„ February, driven in a ear bv the last witness. She asked accused to give her some of his money to tak. •are of, >u be was the worse for drink. He gave her £20., two £3 notes, and ons tjK \ y wh Bhft wt.«n>eil next dar. Michael Kownlski crave similar eiicuiiistantial evidence. i ,„7!!" mft9 , Kirkwood y&A Frederick Whittle, of Stratford, also p STI evidence as to accused visitinc hotels there. Detective-Sere-eanf. Boddam ff tvo PT j. dence as to the arrest and searchinir of accused. Thomas Mathegon. of New Plymouth, chauffeur, deposed that he drove accused to Stratford, where he asked for the change of a £lO note. Cecil Prank Putt, clerk to thf BieiS>;m Oil CV-nnnv. deposed to liavine paid aecused £7 16s on February S or 4. Accused was paid off on Fehrurv 10. The Austrian witnesses were paid i» notes, and had had many £lO «otes. At 8.15 p.m. the Court adjourned till It a.m. to-day.