COMBING AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 185, 7 August 1925, Page 5

COMBING AUCKLAND.

PRELUDE TO FLEET'S VISIT. TrNTJESIRABI.ES BEFORE POLICE COURT. ALL SENT TO GAOL. Always just prior to big happenings in Auckland the police comb the city for undesirables whom they consider would: be better employed in Mount Eden than! being at large among the crowds. ' This last few days, just as a pre- j lude, as it were, to the American Battle Fleet's visit to Auckland, detectives have been busy around the city j hotels and back streets rounding up | those of doubtful character. Three men i who appeared at the Police Court this! morning will be disappointed at not see- j ing the entry of the fleet, for they j were all consigned i:p to the "old stone building" for a few weeks. A Professional Impostor. Daniel Patrick Mahoney (5.3) pleaded! not guilty to a charge of being an idle ! and disorderly person, with insufficient lawful visible means of support. Detective Knight said that accused had been about Auckland for some time, and had been allegedly canvassing as a I repairer of tools and a sharpener of i lawnmowers. etc. Pome of the tools I which accused had in his possession, said : the detective, would not sharpen a lawn-1 mower. Mahoney stayed in a boarding- j house and earned his keep by doing odd jobs about the house. People from the country would be staying at the house during Fleet Week. He did no work to witness" knowledge, and had no money i on him when arrested yesterday. | Detective O'Sullivan corroborated j Detective Knight's evidence. i The lady who keeps the boardinghouse, who said that she was just 80 years of age, made a plea for accused. She said that he was an honest and hard worker at her house, and if she was deprived of his services she would not be able to carry on and earn her living. Chief Detective Cmnminjrs. in handing up accused's list to the Bench, said that Mahoney was a professional impostor, who was living on the old lady. He had told plausible tales- and did not want to . leave her. After scanning his list MY. Poynton. S.M., sent Mahoney along to Mount i Eden for two months. I Going Down Hill Fast. The next to. parade was James Hun- ! ter. who denied the charges that he was an idle and disorderly person and that he habitually consorted with reputed thieves and undesirables. Detective Moon stated that he had accused under observation for some time. Hunter had done some work, but very little. He was a real pest to the hotelkeepers, and had been put out of nearly ; every hotel in Auckland. "Witness, looking at his notebook, gave the names and the dates on which lie had seen accused in the company of reputed and convicted thieves and undesirables. Hunter was a big, strong, able-bodied man. and had only recently been before the Court, when he was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, one of the restrictions imposed being- that lie was not to frequent hotels or take liquor. Hunter: I did not know these men and women at all. although I might have mixed with them. i Mr. Poynton: Well, you must be a; wonderful magnet to them; you have { been seen with about a dozen of tliem ! during the last few weeks. j Detective Meiklejohn said that on one j occasion when Detective Moon arrested a man outside Hannah's boot shop for stealing , a pair of boots accused and another man acted as a cover for the thief. Witness had warned accused on one occasion after seeing him fumbling drunken men in hotels. Accused denied this, and stated that he had been working up to a fortnight ago. Chief Detective Cumniings said that accused had been going down the hill fast lately. ' He had a number of convictions, and started off his career of crime in 1005, when he was sentenced to IS months' imprisonment for theft. On coming out of gaol a builder took an interest in him and gave him work, but again in 100S Hunter was given two years for breaking and entering. Once aagin the builder came to his rescue and helped him. but accused afterwards got into trouble, and had convictions during the years 1913, 1914 and 1015, while he was before the Court only recently. This last few months he had been associating with an undesirable. Hunter's sentence was one of three months' imprisonment. Lived on Counter Lunches. A plea of not guilty when charged with being an idle and disorderly person who consorted with reputed thieves was also entered by William John Parker. Evidence was given by Detective Moon that since May 14 he had had accused tinder his observation. He had been continually drinking in hotels and had been in the company of reputed and convicted thieve?, whose names witness gave. Parker had been in hospital for a month, but prior to entering this institution he had associated with those of doubtful character. Accused had no means and had not been- working. Detective Meiklejohn described accused as a man who lived principally on counter lunches in hotels. It was impossible to drive him out of town. Accused: 'I've never been warned to get out of town. Chief Detective Cummings: This man started off in • 100-2. when ho was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for attempted , murder. Since then he has been often before the Courts, and in 1010 and again in 1013. he was declared an habitualcriminal. He is a dangerous man to be about the town, your Worship. nix Accused: I've suffered for all that, sir I'm not a dangerous man. Mr. Poynton: Three months imprisonment. __ m