THEFT FROM THE PERSON

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10716, 23 September 1912, Page 6

THEFT FROM THE PERSON

SMYTH BEFORE THE COCII7. A PLEA 05:' GUILTY. In tho Magistrate's Court at Masterton nil Saturday, before Messrs El.Smith and .John Cross, J.'sP., Alf roil Smvfch,alias (leorgo. Aslrton, was charged that on September 19th, at Masterton, ho did steal from tho person of Sydney Gambling tho sum of £l4. Sergeant Miller conducted the prosecution. Accused was not represented by counsel. Sydn-'.v (■ambling •said that he had boon a camp cook at Waterfalls Station for some months. About three ' weeks ago accused came ito the camp ' and obtained employment. Witness and accused becamo "chummy. Ihcy i left the camp together on Wednesday, and arrived in Masterton on '.lhursdny. Thoy stayed at the Coronation Boardinghouse. Complainant and accused obtained a trap and went to the freezing works, and subsequently to the Ta rata hi Hotel. Witness had a cheque for ;815. Accused saici.it would be. better to got the cheque cashed, and said he would do this. Accused cashed the cheque and handed him the change. They had tea together and a-drink afterwards. They then returned t:> the Coronation Boavdinghouse at Masterton. Witness and accused occupied tho same room. Witness put his money in a leather purse, and on retiring placed his trousers containing the money under (his pillow. 'Witness went to .sleep for a brief period, and woke up to find accused leaning over his bed. In reply to witness accused said ho wanted to get a match out of witness's trousers pocket, as he desired to go across the passage. Accused left tho room, and then witness felt for his money and found it gone. Witness then went downstairs in order to find accused. He was unsuccessful. He saw Mr Heed, who informed him that accused had gone out. Witness next sa.w his purse- at the Police Station on rida.v.

James Reed, proprietor or the Coronation Coffee Palace, stated iu the course of liis evidence that complainant/ and accused staved at his place on Thursday.. Shortly after 9 p.m. accused came down stairs, fully drer- --' •d, and went outside. A few minutes later complainant came to him and asked if witness had. seen his mate Witness told him that accused had gone out. Complainant s:rd that Smyth had taken his money. Herman Crass, manager ol the Club Hotel, Masterton, said that accused oamo to the hotel about 9.50 p.m., and asked where a motor car could he obtained. Accused seemed agitated and said he wanted to go to Carterton, us his father was dying of pleurisy. Accused asked witness to ring up 'for a. motor car, which ho did. Mr Eastwood subsequently arrived with the .'•ai' and aceusi-d left in it. Before g>i ing accused said that he war, just rc-

tiring to bed when he received news that his father would only live t:'l 1 •qVrlock in tho morning.

Ernest James Eastwood, motor car proprietor, said that in respor.se to a telephone message he drove, to the Club Hotel. There he saw Cr Crass and another man —lie would not swear it was accused —aud Mr Crass told him to hurry up as the, man's father was dying. On tho journey down witness's fare told him that his father was dying from pleurisy. The man paid him with a 'sovereign. Witness left him at the Royal Oak Hotel. In reply to tho bench witness <-aki that the man sat next to him in the car, but he -would not- swear aceus-"' wars the. norion . Constable Brown stated that oii Kr:. day he went with Constable Dunphv to Carterton. They arrived there at 0 a.m. From what he was told he ascertained that a man answering the description of the accused had stayed: at the Iloyal Oak H-otel on the previous night. Con stable Dunphy and he then went on to Grey town and -ibon' two miles on tho Carterton side of Greyt-own they saw accused walking towards the latter place. Accused repeatedly looked back, and when tliev got within a few hundred wards of ln'ni accused left tho road, jumped tho fence, and ran through some paddocks • They followed him for some distance and lost sight of him among the trees Witness called out to accused to s'ron but he did not do so. Later on, witness and Constable Dunphv saw accused. with some Maoris at Par.awai. He was without a coat: Immediately

they went up to hi''-, accused said: j "I deserve it all, ior 1 stole tho money. ; i am very .sorry; I" 1 was a- good little l mate. I was <lnr>!-: the night before, j in fact iiv were i:«jih drunk. J was going to come back when you sang out to me, but i thought 1 would be locked up." Accused repeatedly said lie was sorry for what, -he had done. A"cused further said, "I have got all the money in my coat pocket in « shed close bv." Witness then searched the shed and found tho money in the coat pocket. There was £ll in it. Accused had £l. 19s (3d in his trousers packet. Accused said tho money in. tho purse belonged to Gambling. ■ They then took accused to the Greytown police station, charged hun v>itn the offence, and .subsequent;;,- brought him to Masterton. By the bench: The Maori;: had been previously warned about :jccu:-ed. Sergeant Miller said that C-onstabU-Dunphy could corroborate the evidence of Constable Brown, but the bench did not consider it necessary to "all Constable Dunphv. Accused then pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.