ALLEGED THEFT.

... At the Police Court this morning Ed ward Henry Dennett, alias -Topping, anc Charles Yates, were charged .with tlit theft of £3, the property of Florence WatsoilV, Air Stock appeared for Dennett anc Mr T. Alston Coleman for Yates, botl accused pleaded not guilty. Detective Maddern conducted the prosecution, anc ■ called . ■',■...■-. .... '_ Elizabeth Susan Hyde, -'a -'.married, wo man, who stated that on Friday, lsl inst, she went to accused Yates' house t < get some" curtains. She was accompanie. by Florence Watson, who went m to the front room to take down the curtains, Witness -remained m the kitchen, where the two accused were. Yates said to her "You give me my silk, arid I will give you. your curtains." Witness replied sin hadn't any of his 'silk. Witness hue about a fortnight .previously,-' been keep ing house for Yates, whose wif e was n the hospital. When she replied she ha* no silk of his,' Yates ordered her out saying tliat Detective Maddern was ii the bedroom looking for it, and callec out "Come out, Detective Maddern," anc accused Dennett walked oiit, whom sin did not then know. Florence Watson als< came into -the -kitchen, and Yates aske. her what about the silk and two or thi ci other things that were missing. Denriet took out a note book and said he wdulc jot it down. Witness' made no reply but aftewards told him the silk was ii the drawer. Yates told her to go into tin bedroom, and Florrie followed her. -."She went out into the kitchen and put hei : purse on the cupboard, and went back t< the bedroom. On returning to the kit chen five minutes afterwards she fouiK it was missing. It contained three sin gle £1 note.... Yates was standing againsi the. cupboard j' 'and the other accused wa: sitting on the couch immediately behhu himV She asked Yates where her purs, was, and ho replied, "There's your — - . purse." She. then. saw it was. on .tlie cup board, but the money Ayas. gone. Sh called out to her companion that the £'x was gono. Witness 6aid to Yutes he ha< lier money, and he denied it. Miss Wat son declared that either bf the two mci had her money. Yates remarked, "Den nett has got it," and the latter replied "You've got it, Charlie; you know yoi ■ have. Give up to tlie gh-1." Deimet ! then got up and walked out of the room . and went down to the - Turanganui hotel followed by Florence Watson, and thei returned to the house together ten minutei i after. Miss Watson said to the two ac ■ cused, "I will give you^a cliance to givi v it up; if not, I will send for the police.' ; Both accused declared they had not go '.' the money.* Dennett pulled out a £'. I note- from his pocket, and said, "I wil '■ give you this, Florrie," and remarked t< Yates, "How much have you got, Char lie?" Yates replied, "I've got a quid.' Dennett told Yates to give Miss Watsol the £2, and would give her the other £'. if she came back that night, us he .vas go ing to be paid. Miss Watson said sin wanted hei* own £2, and- declined to tak< the £1 which -the two' accused, offered her Yates remarked that when the police came she was to say she picked, it up 01l .• the floor. She was positive the £3 was m the purse} when she put it down.— By Mr Stock : She was separated from hei husband because they could not get oil together. The purse and money belonged to Florence, and she was carrying* it fot her. She looked into the purse half an hour before to see how much silver they had. Theyi had th© one purse, and the money m common. The three pounds was given to them by a friend.— By Mr Coloman : They first went to the house at 12.30. "Yates did not show her a £1 note before she put the purse down, offering it to pay her wages. ' Florence Watson, domestic servant, gave somewhat similar evidence to tho previous witness. Constable O'Hara deposed that at 2.30 p.m. on Friday last he went "to Yates' house m company with Constable Irwin. Miss Watson said the two accused had stolen £3 out of the purse. Yates-point-ed to Dennett and said he was the one tliait had stolen the money. Dennett said he had a look m the purse but there was nothing- ia it. Miss Walison then .declared that they -offered her £1 apiece to say nothing about it, and to tell the police they found their money on the floor. At the station Yates made a statement, detailing the circumstances, m which Yates declared he charged . Dennett at the house with taking the money, to which the latter replied Yates was to get his wliack. — Cbnstable Irwin gave similar evidence regarding the arrest. Mrv Stock- intimated that he did not intend to call evidence, but proceeded to point out the discrepancies m tlio evidence of the two women, and submitted that a reasonable doubt must arise through the contradictory evidence given. Mr Coleman contended there was a considerable doubt as to whether there was any money m the puj'se when it was put down. His -Worship said that there was no doubt jthcre were discrepancies between the evidence of the two women, but he was perfectly satisfied that the money was m the purse when, placed on the cupboard, and that it was stolen by the two accused, and that both paiticipated m the theft. .He had no doubt that they were both guilty.— The- police" reported that Donnett had been convicted m 1902 at Napier for assault' and robbery, and two other convictions for theft had sinc c been recorded against him. Yates was fined £3 m 1904 for theft, and last year for receiving stolen property.— The Magistrate sentenced Dennett to six months' imprisonment with hard labor m Napier gaol, and Yates to three months. The police applied that the sum of £2 5s found on the two prisoners be handed to the informants. Counsel protested .■gainst tliis, and liis 'Worship reserved the point. .