"DOUBLE-HEADERS."

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 263, 6 November 1929, Page 11

"DOUBLE-HEADERS."

ACCUSED MAN'S ADMISSION. "TOOLS NOT SUITABLE." COMMENTS BY THE JUDGE. r (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NAPIER, Tuesday. A charge of having in his possession an instrument adapted for and intended for counterfeiting copper coins was preferred against Philip Phelan Darragh in ihe Supreme Court to-day. A detective stated in evidence that he had occasion to interview Darragh in Hastings, and in the course of an interview Darragh produced a set of soldering tools, stating that they were for making double-headed pennies, which, he said, were worth 5/ each. Questioned by Mr. Justice Ostler, the detective said the set was complete with the exception of certain solder. There •was some very fine wire- solder found in Darragh's 'bag, but this was not produced in the lower Court. Accused at this stage pointed out that the split pennies found in his possession had rings upon them, pointing to the fact that they had been turned on a lathe. He asked his Honor to examine the pennies. His Honor did so, remarking that three certainly bore the mark of having .been turned on a lathe, hut the fourth looked to him to have been cut by a hacksaw. Detective "Not a Plumber." Accused (to witness): How could you make a job of soldering two split pennies together?—l am not a plumber; neither am I versed in counterfeiting. His Honor, after an examination of the hacksaw, said it appeared the blade ■was too thick for sawing down the centre of pennies. It certainly appeared to him as though it was more adapted for woodwork. Accused in evidence stated that on the day in question he was arrested and took his bag round to the police station. He showed the police his outfit and said he was going to experiment with these pennies to try to join them together. The tails were ground off on a lathe in an engineering shop. The Crown Prosecutor: Where were they ground down?—l will not divulge that.. .. ... Counsel: What were you going to do? I was going to make double-headed ■penniesr but I had not made any at that time. Counsel: What was the 'blow lamp for ? —lt was part-of the soldering outfit. J . ,

"There is a Way of Making Them." Accused went back into the dock and addressed the jury, pointing out that the tools he had were totally unsuitable for making -Jouble-headers." "There is a way of making them, and I could demonstrate it there," he said, pointing to the solicitor's table, "but it is not that way." \ Summing up, his Honor said the case was:.a simple one. First of all prisoner said he was intending to make doubleheaded pennies, and then said the tools that he had were not suitable. It looked to him as .though accused was right, and the savC'was merely a fret saw for cutting wood. ■-;,• . That, however, did. not finish tne matter, for accused had in his possession a complete soldering outfit, "With solder, and he had told them he intended •to attempt to make double-headed pennies. There was, then, the question as to whether the making of double-headed pennies constituted counterfeit, and a Court of three judges in New South Wales had decided that it did. The whole question for the jury to decide was whether or not the instruments, found in accused's possession were suitable for the work for which it was alleged they were intended. The jurv returned a verdict of not guiltv, and the prisoner was discharged.