AN EXPENSIVE STAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 May 1916, Page 3

AN EXPENSIVE STAMP.

SOME CONFLICTING EVIDENCE. MAGISTRATE'S STRONG COMMENT. An unusual case was heard by Mr. A. Crooke, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, when Johanna Raill, who resides at Koru, was charged with fraudulently placing on a letter a penny stamp which bad already been used on a postal packet. Sub-Inspector Fouhy prosecuted, and Mr. A. H. Johnstone appeared for the defendant, who pleaded not guilty. , The evidence for the prosecution was that a mail official at the New iPlymouth post office discovered a, letter in the outward mail for Auckland bearing a penny stamp which was defaced by three black bars. The writer of the letter was ascertained to be Johanna Raill, of Koru, and when she was approached on the matter she wrote to the postmaster stating that her daughter had purchased the stamp nt the New Plymouth post office on Saturday afternoon, March.ll. She added that her daughter had noticed the mark when she bought the stamp, and on drawing the seller's attention to it the seller said it was a perfectly good one. She showed the stamp to Tier son, who said, "It must be right if you got it at the post office." Miss McGrath and Miss Woodman, who vere on duty at the public counter at- the New Plymouth post office on March 11, both denied that they had sold any defaced stamp, and they also had no recollection of any purchaser referring a stamp back to them. Mr. Johnstone contended that it had not been proved that the stamp had been removed from another postal packet, and therefore the case must fail. The Magistrate refused to uphold this contention. The defendant's daughter stated she bought the stamp from Miss McGrath, who took it from a sheet of stamps, and noticing that the stamp was /marked, witness asked, "Is this stamp good?" Miss McGrath answered, "Yes, perfectly good." Witness took the stamp home and gave it to her mother. The defendant gave evidence on the lines of her letter to the postmaster. "I must come to the conclusion that this girl (Miss Raill) is not telling the truth," said the Magistrate. "It is impossible to believe her story that she •bought this stamp from the girl at the (post office. It is an utterly impossible ■story." His Worship fined the defendant £2 and costs 9s.