SLY GROG SHOP.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 39, 16 February 1928, Page 8

SLY GROG SHOP.

IN VICTORIA STREET. RAIDED BY POLICE. DALMATIAN WOMAN FINED [£25. Much was heard about beer and boarders at the Police Court this morning, when a Dalmatian woman, Mrs. Patricia Anich, of 61, Victoria Street, pleaded not guilty to a charge of selling intoxicating liquor on January 4, not having a license to sell. Sir. Webb appeared lor accused, who appeared on summons. Senior Sergeant Cummings conducted the case for the prosecution. A Thirsty Constable.

The first witness was Constable George Haines, a recent addition to the force at Auckland. For some time past he had kept Mrs. Anich's small shop and lodginghouse in Victoria Street under observation. On January 4he was standing in Victoria Street when a stranger spoke to him. As a result of what the stranger said, witness went with the man to accused's shop. The stranger entered first. Mrs. Anich was behind the counter. The stranger told her that "it was all right, he's a friend of mine." He asked for a drink, and Mrs. Anich produced two bottles of ale from beneath the counter. Witness and the man consumed a bottle each. No glasses were provided. Witness paid Mrs. Anich 1/ for each bottle. He noticed a young woman in the shop. Thomas Ross, of the Colonial Wine and Spirit Company, said that on December 30 he supplied Mrs. Anich with three dozen bottles of beer, 15 dozen beer and stout on January 4, and 15 dozen beer and stout on January 7. Mr. Webb: You were told that the first order was for a wedding party!— Yes. Evidence that on Mondays he collected empty bottles from Mis. Anich at 61, Victoria Street was then given by John James Regan. The number of bottles collected each week varied from 15 to 25 dozen. He paid Mrs. Anich for the bottles.

Police Said the Stop. Sergeant Turner also had the shop under observation as the result of complaints that there were assaults among 6eamen late at night. Usually there were three women about the place. On the night of January 16 about 9 o'clock witness and four constables executed a search warrant at the shop. When they entered there was an old lady on guard outside the front door. She had been there 15 minutes before they raided tbe place. This old lady called out in Dalmatian to others inside the shop. Mr. Anich told witness to "search away." And away they searched. Thirty-three full bottles of ale, an empty whisky bottle, and an empty schnapps bottle were found beneath the counter; 12 full bottles of beer in an ice chest; while 23 empty beer bottles were discovered in a bath outside a window. There were a dozen persons on the premises. Six said they) were lodgers. Several men were under j the influence of liquor. These were Englishmen. The Dalmatians were quite sober. There were only two bedrooms in the premises. Witness added that very often he had seen men under the influence of liquor entering and leaving the premises. To Mr. Webb, Sergeant Turner admitted that numbers of men went into the house for meals.

Alibi as Defence. "For the defence I will set up an alibi," said Mr. Webb. "Mrs. Anieh, 1 will show, was not in the shop when the constable called. On January 4 she left early in the morning to visit a friend's place at Penrose, and never returned until 10.30 the same night. I think I will be able to show that my evidence will be fairly watertight." Mrs. Anich, a tall, stout woman, told the magistrate that sho visited Mrs. Bercich on January 4, being at her'place from 10.30 until 10.30 She remembered the day because there were races on, while she further recollected it was a Wednesday/ as she had fish that day. She explained that Dalmatians had fish on both Wednesdays and Fridays. Her] nephew and two other countrymen met her when she alighted from the bus at 10.30 that night in Customs Street and escorted her home. She denied ever seeing Constable Haines before, and that there was so much liquor in the house. She also denied ordering the liquor or having paid Regan for the empty bottles taken away. The liquor that was in the house belonged to boarders.

Stiv Bercich said he took Mrs. Anich to his house on January 4 to see his wife. Ho remembered the day because it was the day he commenced work at 1 p.m. and finished at 9 p.m. He also had fish that day, being a Wednesday. He saw Mrs. Anich on a bus at Penrose after 10 p.m. that day. Tho Magistrate: What did you have to eat yesterday for dinner!—l had beef and pudding. Mr. Hunt: Yesterday was Wednesday. I thought you only had fish on a Wednesday. A number of other Dalmatians gave lengthy evidence in support of Mra. Anich, one admitting that two men called one day and were given beer by a man named Gugich. "As for your evidence being of the watertight variety, Mr. Webb, I think it is leaking all over the place," said MrJ Hunt, in deciding to convict Mrs. Anich, "I'm satisfied that this place has been run for some time as a sly grog shop, and that these witnesses have put their heads together. She will be fined £25, and I order that the liquor seized by the shall be forfeited." Senior Sergeant Cummings said that most of the witnesses for the defence fixed January 4 as the day Mrs. Anfrb was absent from the shop because it was a race day. As it happened, there were no races on that day.