VALUABLE PEARLS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 January 1939, Page 7

VALUABLE PEARLS

GIRL CHARGED WITH THEFT , IN AUCKLAND. ’ JEWELS SAID TO HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO FIRE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 23. A 19-year-old girl appeared in the Magistrates’ Court today charged with the theft of a pearl necklace, valued at £265, the property of Lady Mary Isabel Hay Allen, wife of Sir Stephen Allen, Remuera Road. The \girl, who pleaded not guilty through Mr Trevor Henry, was committeed to the Supreme Court for trial, and her name was ordered to be suppressed in the meantime. Detective-Sergeant Nalder conducted the case for the police.

In her evidence Lady Allen said she entered a private hospital in Auckland as a patient on July 23, and on this occasion she was wearing a string of cultured pearls and a string of genuine pearls. She was the only occupant of the room, and, on entering the hospital, she took both strings of pearls off and put them in the drawer of her dressingtable. She became seriously ill and was at the hospital till September 27, and during that time she did not look at the pearls. When she left she had the cultured pearls, but the genuine ones could not be found. They were insured for £265 and the string contained 193 pearls, with a platinum and diamond clasp. Lady Allen said she recognised accused as a girl who had been employed at the hospital and who. on occasions, had access to witness s room. A nursing sister at the hospital, in charge of the floor on which Lady Al-, len’s room had been situated, said that as a result of information she had searched Lady Allen’s room for the string of peai-ls which could not be found. Accused was employed as a probationary nurse at the hospital for about two months.

Evidence was also given by a tram conductor, Albert Laurence Bailey, who said he first met accused on a tram in August. He remembered a visit paid to his home by accused about the beginning of September. His mother and sister were living with him at the time. He noticed accused was wearing a string of pearls round her neck. During the evening she removed the pearls and handed them to his mother, and said she thought they were valuable. While accused was handling the pearls the string broke. She became a little annoyed and threw them in the fire. Detective-Sergeant Nalder: “Did they all go in the fire?” Witness: "No, I picked up a few and put them on the mantlepiece." “Do you know what happened to them after that?" —"No."

Detective Quinn told of a search he had made for the pearls. He had visited the home of Bailey and had examined the fire place, which had been swept out, and also ashes thrown out on to a garden at the back of the house. Detective Finlay, who is stationed in Whangarei, said ha saw accused in a hotel in Kaihu and told her that he was making inquiries about a pearl necklace lost or stolen from a hospital in Auckland. She said she knew nothing about it. She said she somtimes attended to the flowers in Lady Allen’s room and was sometimes there when there was no third person present. Accused broke down when being further questioned, witness continued, and. upon composing herself, said she would make an explanation. In the course of a statement, said to have been made by accused and read by witness, accused said one afternoon she saw a string of pearls on the dressing-table while Lady Allen was out on the balcony. Accused was going to a dance that night and wore the pearls. She did not know their value. When visiting Bailey's house one evening she broke the string, and. becoming annoyed about something Bailey had said, she threw some of the pearls on the fire. She did not keep any. and thought they were artificial pearl beads. Later, accused said, she had thrown the diamond clasp on the fire with the pearls, witness said. Accused was committee to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail of £25. with one surely of £25. was allowed.