INCIDENT AT ELTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1922, Page 7

INCIDENT AT ELTHAM.

ALLEGED MIDNIGHT BURGLARY. TWO BROTHERS CHARGED. CASE IN SUPREME COURT. Two brothere, of the respective ages O twenty one and eighteen years, Bernard and Arthur Coulter, of Eltham, came before the Supreme Court at New Plymouth yesterday, to stand trial on the charge of breaking and entering the premises of A. E. Waugh, at Eltham. on the night of November 30. The elder brother was also charged with assaulting Adam Rae, a nightwatchman, and liis housekeeper, Bessie B. Scott, who, it is alleged, detected Coulter in his act. Bernard Coulter was also charged with liaving in his possession, instruments of house-breaking, namely, skeleton keys. Pleas of not guilty were entered on all counts, accused being defended by Mr. P. O’Dea. Mi. C. H. Weston appeared for the Crown. The following jury was empanelled: Messrs. R. C. Cobb, R. Herdman, W. H. Holmes, A. Cathro, J. Blewman, E. Douch, F. J. Lobb, W. B. Kivell, H. C. Collier, L. E. Autridge, H. Jenkins, F. Jones, jnr. Mr. Douch was chosen foreman. The explanation of the case to the jury by the Crown Prosecutor was that Waugh was the owner of the Bon Marche drapery store hnd on November 30 had just commenced a sale. The back door of his shop in Eltham was bolted from the inside. There was also a Yale lock on the door, but the curious part of this was that the key of the lock was attached on a nail outside the door, so that unless it was bolted anyone could use the key to get in. The idea of leaving the key outside was evidently in case the door slammed while someone was out in the yard. At the back was a room which was partly used for luncheon purposes by the staff, and it had a window opening out into the back yard.

WATCHMAN’S DISCOVERY. On November 30 one of the employees locked up the shop at ten minutes to six. There was no evidence as to what cash was taken at the sale, but the presumption would be that there would be a certain«amount of money on the premises. The nightwatchman at Eltfiam, a Mr. Rea, who was on duty from 10 p.m. till 4 a.m., usually made a round of the business premises. Apparently to keep him company his housekeeper, Mrs. Scott, used to go with him on occasions, and on the night of November 30 she was with Rae when he went round to the back of the Bon Marche about 12.30 a.m. on an inspection. To his surprise wiren he put the key in the back door he found it was unbolted. Both he and Mrs. Scott -went in and bolted the door intending to go out the front way. Mrs. Scott was in front and before passing on Rae pulled aside a curtain at the entrance to the luncheon room and flashed his electric torch. He was surprised to see a man standing behind the curtain and by the light on the man's face he recognised Bernard Coulter, one of the accused in the present case. He had previously known him by sight under the name of Coulter.

A bit of a scuffle ensued inside the shop. Coulter, when asked what he was doing there said that was his business and asked Rae to turn the torch off. Rae would not do so and accused seized the torch. In the meantime Mrs. Scott had come back from the front of the shop and she turned her light on the man. He wanted her torch and she would not give it. He then endeavored to take it from her, but Rae intervened. Coulter made for the back door and Rea thereupon drew a revolver (which was not loaded), and managed to get to the door before accused. When another scuffle ensued, however, Rae, who was a returned soldier, and badly knocked about, could not stand up to Coulter, who took Hie revolver from him and made off. AT HOME IN BED. So far only one accused was concerned in the case, namely Bernard Coulter, but while Mrs. Scott was standing during the words with Coulter she heard a noise which suggested, to her that there was another person about. She saw no one, however. While Rae guarded the shop Mrs. Scott went to arouse Constable Townsend, who immediately proceeded Io the shop. After hearing Rae’s story he went straight away with the nightwatchman to call up the Coulters. Mrs. Coulter, mother of the boys, answered the door, and at the constable s request they went upstairs to the boys’ bedroom. There were three beds in the room, two single and one double. Bernard and Arthur each occupied a single bed and the double bed was occupied bv two other brothers. Bernard and Arthur, according to the witnesses, appeared to be fully awake, while of the two others, one appeared to be just awake, and one was still asleep. Of course, what significance could be attached to this would have to be weighed by the jury. The constable questioned the boys and asked them to tell him what they had c!ou-> that night. They said thev had gone out at about quarter to nine proceeding to a billiard saloon and that they returned home and went io bed about 10.30. With the aid of the torches Mrs. Scott and Rae had been able to see what Bernard Coulter was wearing, and noticed particularly his hat, which was of a light color, with a broad brim, turned up in a peculiar way. When at the house therefore Constable Townsend asked Coulter to produce the clothes, he was wearing that night. Bernard said he was wearing a brown suit with a felt hat. There was a hat on the waiarobe, but in reply to th \f°‘ istab .had ter said that was not the one he -«ad been wearing. He asked his mother to get his hat out of the hall, but she returned saying it was not there. He told her to look again and she came Back with a hat saying had found it the scullery. t SKELETON Kt.Y».

The constable searched Bernard Coulter and found on his possession five keys two of which were skeleton keys. He said he had got these keys from hi brother and filed them down to fit a the locks in the house, except that on the front door. The constable also seareiied Arthur and here came what was considered one’ of the extraordinary pieces'of evidence. Arthur had

house and also identified Bernard, who was arrested the next day. A thorough investigation of Waugh’s premises was made Dy (. onstable Townsend. He found that the window at the hack had been lifted up and had been kept in that position by a piece of board. On the ground outside the window there were marks of round rubber heels corresponding to the heels on the boots worn by both accused. The extraordinary feature about the finding of the iron did not come to light till the following day. On the top of a table inside Waugh’s window another piece of hoop iron was found, standing on top of a lunch basket which had been feft there the previous dav. The piece found in Arthur Coulter's pocket and the piece found in the shop fitted together and the whole piece was traced to a packing case in the back of the Bon Marche premises. There were marks of iron on the window. The other brother was subsequently arrested also. CROWN’S CASE FINISHED. The proprietor of the Bon Marche, A. E. Waugh, ancTH. F. Williams, the. employee whose duty it was to Jock up the shop, gave evidence. Williams said he found nothing unusual when he went down to the shop on the morning of December 1.

The nightwatchman detailed events as related by the Crown Prosecutor. Crossexamined by Mr. O’Dea he said this was not the “first real burglar” he had had and he was not excited. He had got one before. He did not see Arthur Coulter there at all that night. Bessie B. Scott, Rae’s housekeeper, who accompanied him on the rounds, and Constable Townsend, also gave evidence in support of the case for the Crown. The constable, cross-examined by Mr. O’Dea, said he believed his visit to the home or accused was a surprise to their mother, Mrs. Coulter, but he did not know that it was unexpected as far as the boys were concerned. One of the skeleton keys would not open any of the doors in the Coulter’s house, “but it. would open a lot of other doors in Eltham.” There were no marks of finger prints which he considered would be of anv use to the police. A. J. Mancer, butcher’s assistant, Eltham, said he saw the two accused in King’s saloon at 9.30 on the night of November 30. Bernard was wearing a light brown suit and a grey hat turned up all round. To Mr. O’Dea: He knew the hat, because it seemed too small for Coulter. Carlson and Scoon were there too, hut he could not recollect what hat the former was wearing. H. F. Vosseler, engineer, Eltham, who had made an examination of the pieces of hoop iron at the request of the police, said they could be joined together. It was really light steel and was fairly t< ’ln h replv to Mr. O’Dea. witness said Arthur Coulter’had been in Ins employ «ince 1919 and he had always found him an honest worker and of good character. This concluded the ease for tin f rown, and the Court adjourned till this morniiw-