BURGLARY AT WAITARA.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1917, Page 7

BURGLARY AT WAITARA.

THEFT OF VVHISKST, TWO RESIDENTS ACCUSED ONE'MAX PLEADS GUILTY. The theft of 2.'! cases of whisky, valued at £7!) l'2s !)d, from the ntore of Ilatrick and Co.. Ltd., on Decunber 11 last, and the subsequent urrest of two men well-known in the distri.it in connection with the bus e.iused considerable interest. When the cases were proceeded with before Messrs C. E. Bellringer and A, S. Drooker, J.'s?. in the -Magistrate's Court yesterday, tlure was a large attendance in Court.

Two men. named Diedrik Wohlert, fisherman, of Waitara, and Frank Battenbury, settler, of Mokau, were charged with breaking and .mtering tile store and with, stealing the whisky. The ease cigainst Wohlert, who *vis not represented by counsel, was taken first Senior Sergeant Bowdan prosecuted, and Inspector Wilson, of Wanganui, aUo watched the proeeilings.

ENTRANCE THROUGH ri!.\P DOOR Walter Henry Flitter, head ftorcman lor A'. Hatrick and Co., Ltd . Waitara, slated that the store was alongside the wliarf on the bank of the Waitara river. Part of 'the building stood 011 piles and overhung the river. A small pulling bont could be rowed iindcr the building, and communication with the ii'uilding could be made through a trap-door in the lloor. The trap-door, which was fastened on the upper side with an iron roil, was usually used tor the purpose of disposing of rubbish. Witness was in the store on December 11 last, and when he left the store at .1.5 p.m. everything was in order. There was a large quantity of goods in the store, deluding 2f) cases of White Horse Whisky nnd a number of eases of wine Twenty-three cases of whisky were stacked, and two cases were standing separately 011 the flcoi. Some of the eases were marked "Ellis." Witness tonld not =iy if any of the eases were marked with Hatriik and Co.'s private brand. When witness returned to the store 0:1 the morning of the 12th, he had his attention drawn to the fact that the trap-door in the floor was open. He then found Hint 23 cases ot whisky, which comnrised the stack referred to, were missing He found that the I rap-door had been opened by cutting out pieces of the lloor. which were produced, and by the bolt being withdrawn from inside.

STATEMENT BY ACCUSED. Constable La '.Pouplo, of Wa-tara.gave evidence as to the appearance of the store after the burglary. He knew accused, who was known as "Koodles." As the result of information received, witness interviewed accused on December 27, and received from him a statement, in which accused said on the evening of December !I. he met Frank Rattenbury and went with him to -.the boat landing near Topliss' blacksmith shop. Rattenbury asked accused to help him to get some whisky, and accused consented. Rattenbury and the accused went down the river in Charles Stone's flat-bottomed punt, and pulled op under Watrick's store. The statement proceeded that Rattenbury got a. ladder from a dredge nearby, and commenced to rig a stage under the trap-door. With the assistance of a bracing-hit and a chisel Rattenbury cut a piece cut of the floor, inserted his hand through tlnf hole and drew the bolt which held the trap. On the removal of the trap-dooi, the statement continued, Ttattenbury climbed bare footed 'hrougli the trapdoor. The accused stood on staging and Rattenbury passed lf.in the whisky, 23 cases of which were removed and stacked in the boat. Rattenbury then rowed the boat to the cattle wharf on the opposite side of the river, where Rattenburys' launch, (lie Heather, was tied up. The whisky was transferred to the Heather, accused handing the cases up to Rattcnbnrv and the latter stacking them. When the small boat was emptied, proceeded the statement, Rattenbury wanted (o return to the store for more liquor, hut accused objected, and siiid that - uough had been obtained. It was after midnijht when accused and his companion finished with the business. Accused then wont home tp his lodgings. Refore leaving him, Rattenbury explained that another man had undertaken to assist him but this man had lost his courage and had told his wife. That was why he had asked accused to help him. Rattenbury gave accused lis lid, and promised .to send him .£•' before Christmas., This money had not been received. Accused sent a message to Rattenbury,'saving, "Everything quite In Waitara. No !ish. Can you lend me £2." Accused did not know whether the message was delivered or not, and he had not seen Rattenbury since the night of the robbery The statement, read the constable was made of accused's free will, and without threats or inducements being held out to him.

The accused: No questions. Plain clothes Constable j'"it:'.gibbon gave evidence that he arrested the accused on the present charge on Saturday, January 13, in New Plymouth. Accused made no reply when charged. Later he said he had made a statement about the roberv, and would stick to it. Sergeant Bowden submitted that he hart shown accused on his own admission was an accomplice in the robboy.

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE When asked if lie had anything to sav, accused said in broken English that he"'had been charged with thc-ft and would plead guilty. Accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on February 0-1 CASE ACIAIMST RATTENBURY. The case, against Frank I'atteubury for whom Mr." J. H. Quilliam appeared, was then proceeded with. William Henry Futter, stoveman, repeated the evidence given in the first case. On the afternoon of December 11 witness saw the accused in the store. The case produced was similar to those which contained the whisky ivhich was stolen. The nails and clips produced were' the same as those ined" in the construction of a White Horse Whisky case. Cross-examined by Mr. Quilliam, witness said he knew that some arrangements had been made by accused to the assistant storemnn fulling with him during the Christmas holidays. Witness could not say whether the other members of the staff were going with him.

To Sergeant Bowden: The fiihing excursion did not take place. James Patrick McDavitt. a corporal in the Expeditionary Force, said he was

acting as manager for J-latrkk and Co. on December 11. He missed 23 rases of whisky from the store 011 December 12. Witness did not know accused. He saw tlie launch Heather come up t ! ie rivei on December 11, and saw it triod up at the cattle wharf. Tlie launch was not there next day.

A FRUITLESS SEAKOH. Constable Nolan, of New Plymouth, sai,d lie .vas 011 relieving duty at" Mokau' 011 December 12, and on information lie received lie went 011 hoard tlie launch Heather, which was anchored in the Mokau river. He found the accused on board asleep. A bottle of CWs whisk; ■was standing on a | )ox along.iide the bed. Witness informed that a large quantity of whisky had Seen sto.'en at Waitara. Accused sn',,l he had arrived from Waitara that morning Witness thoroughly searched lb.* launch, but found 110 whisky, with the execp-' tion of the bottle referred to. Norman Clifton, ferryman at Mokau. said ne remembered seeing Constable Nolan go aboard the Heathc- on the morning the launch arrived at Mokau. 011 the arrival of the launch in the early morning, witness released the ferry rope ■in order to let the Heathei pass o've, if. The launch then proceeded up the river, and was anchored at a point .100 yards up, Witness noticed smoke rising' at u spot in the direction in which the launch wont. Witness saw accused twice again that day, and several days later lie ferried him across the river. The accused had often taken his launch above the ferrv.

Cross-e.vamined: When accused called to witness to lower the ferrv rope, the launch was drifting When witness returned from breakfast tii». I-rinch was still anchored at a point .TOO yards up the river. He did not see accused leave the launch before Constable Nolan went on l.ioard. He had seen accused working at the launch. Witness had not thought about the smoke until his memory was refreshed by questions put to him by Constnble McCircgor. Sergeant Bowden: The witness said d'Stinctly that he had seen smoke in the .direction in which accused had gone Don't shake him on that.

Counsel: Certainly I Avill, He is your witness. You can depend upon it l'ivi]! shake him all I possibly can. Skipper Tata, ii Maori bushman, of Mokau, said he saw accused about a week before Christms. He got a bottl-2 of whisky from him. Sergeant Bowden: Are you sure you did not gr-t more than one bottle' of wbiskv? Witness replied I hat he an.l a mate bought two bottles of whisky from accused and paid 2.")s !or tlie.n. They were black bottles without labels. When Rattenbury handed them to witness and his friend he asked them to throw the corks away. Cornelius William O'Sullivan,' station hand, Mohakatino, deposed to finding in a paddocl; on the station a bag containing about ten bottle? of liquor, at a point near the main road. The bottles were wrapped in straw envelopes and had neither labels nor capsules. On looking at the cork of one bottle it was seen to bear the White l-Tar-m brand. The whole of the liquor was'consumed by witness atod his friends.

Constable McGregor, of Mokau, _ deposed that on December 27 he was handed two bottles of whi«ky by a man named Jensen. He drew the corks and found them stamped, : Maekie'! White Horse Cellars." Witney saw accused and accompanied iiim to a whare near the spot where O'Sullivan found the liqiior. The 'accused refused to enter the whare, which iie said was not his. The house belonged to a Maori named Wctene, and the latter'? daughter was accused's wife. Witness searched tlie house but found nothimr. In some grass by the wood-heap a few yards from the house, he found two bottlcH of whisky, one yf which had pieces of a label similar tp :'ie White Horse label on it. Witness also found an omph bottle with p.irt o f ?. White Horse capsule on it. .V-eu : i"l' denied any knowledge, of the liquor. On going up the river witness found tr:.ces at two different spots of recent lircs, with nails and chipa similar to those used in the construction of White:- Horse whisky cases Witness arrested aeeitH-il. Witno'ss added I hat he had =een the accused in the vicinity of the spot where O'Sullivan found the liquor. Cieorge Christian Landt Jensen, bush contractor, of Mokau, said he received two bottles of whisky on January 3 and handed tfiem to Constable Mcfirogor. Constable Parkinson, of New Plymouth, said tha t as the r«si U oi' a search on the Motutawa Island ho found a benzine case containi.ig a number of White Horse whisky wrappers and straw envelopes. A few minuter later he found a kerosene cai* Containing 1!) bottles of White HorffO whiskv, with their contents, capsules, label's, and wrapper, intact. Diednk Wohlert, the accused in the previous case, gave evidence substantiating the statement he had made to the police, which was read by ConHahle La Ponple when giving evident*. To Mr Quilliam: He deni;i! that at half-past eight he was taken nome in a state of drunkenness Counsel: Were you warned by ths police a short time age to leave the town nndei penally oi being arrested for vagrancy': —That was about two years ago. Witness saiu Constable La Pouplc iuteniewed him at the Waitnn police station. Before going to the station he had had three pints of beer. He had a couple of .pints in the forenoon and less in the afternoon. Witness admitted that he gave-Rattenbury a hand. i Ihe accused reserved his defence and j was committed to the Supreme Court lor trial at the ne:. t sitting on '/oiiniarv r> AiUr some argument bail was" allowed in accused's own recognisance for j :CKIU, and two sureties of ,t:JOO each