SUPREME COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 205, 2 September 1897, Page 2

SUPREME COURT.

YESTERDAY.

CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

(Before His Honor, Mr Justice Conolly.) Country Burglaries.—After we went to press yesterday afternoon, bhe Court proceeded with the hearing of a charge of breaking end entering and stealing at Rotorua againsb John Armstrong and vValbar White, two young _.>.en. The evidence showed that the railway stationhouse ab Rotorua had been entered and eeveral keys had been stolen, which wero afterwards found in the tent of the accused noar Tauranga, altered so as to form skeleton keys. An attempt had been made to open the safe in the sbation-house, but it was nob successful.—The jury returned a verdict of guilty againsb both prisoners.— The accused had already pleaded guilty to two other charges, those of breaking and entering and stealing from tha shops of T. E. Waite. jeweller, and G. D. Bonner, bootmaker, of Tauranga.—Detective Grace deposed thab Armstrong had previously been convicted of breaking and entering in Auckland.. Of the other two he knew nothing.—His Honor said thab Armstrong and White were two of the dangerous class of society who lived on what plunder they could steal. Tho greab number of house breaking and burglaries which had gone undebecbed of la'« 3no doubt made such men as the prisoners feel secure, and severe measures were needed to pub an end to such crimes. The prisoners had evidently attempted to rifle the safe in the Rotorua railway station and failing in that had secured keys, which they had manufactured into skeleton keys, without doubt for a dishonest purpose, and had aubatjquentiy committed burglaries at Tauranga. He felt it was necessary to pass a heavy seubence on each of them. The sentences ou Armstrong and White would be that they would be imprisoned on each of two charges in the Mount Eden Gaol for four years, with hard labour, the sentences to run concurrently. With regard to Horbert Good, convicted of receiving stolen geods, His Honor said he felt that he was a sort of tool in the hands of tho othor two prisoners, and would therefore deserve moro consideration. He sentenced him to twelve months' imprisonment in the Auckland prison with hard labour.