MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1130, 18 May 1911, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Mr. AV; G. Riddoll, S.M.) RECENT CITY BURGLARIES. THIRTEEN CHARGES. YOUNG MAN ADMITS THE CRIMES. The mystery, connected with a. number of recent burglaries in the city, was cleared up yesterday moruiug at the trial of a young man, named Arthur Thomas Reid, alias Arthur Thomas, 32 years of age, and a Canadian by birth. .No iewc-r than thirteen separate charges were preferred ngaiust him, the assessed value oi the goods stolen totalling over .IMU. He following are the dates and nature of the oltences ;— Between February and April, 1011, siolo from the Wellington i'nbi:c Library, 35 books valued at .CO 9s. 3d. On or about .March 12, broke and catered the Technical School, and slule books, instrument?, spectacles, tood, etc., valued at about J.'lti. Ou March 17, broke and entered the dwelling of David Williamson, brant Road, and stole silverware, spoons, coins, etc., valued £10. On March --', broke and entered the d'ttclliii" of William {'.. Cfa=(]uome, and stole cutlery, silverware, valued On ".March % broke and entered the dwelling of Charles .Nathan, Hill Street, and Mole field glasses, money, etc., total value £K of. lid. On April 5, s-tole from Xewtowii Museum, coin-, curio?, etc., valued at £\O. On or about April 13, broke rmd entered the dwelling of l>. C I'. Knight, Bolton Street, and stole, silver watch, valued at 15.'. .. On Vpril 17, broke and entered the dwelline of Nathaniel Jacobs, Tlionidon Quay, and stole clothing valued at £•>. On April 30, broke and entered the dwelling of Mr. Richard I'illing, Adelaide Road, and stole jewellery,, boots, etc., valued at .CSC.". On Mav 3. broke and ciitci-od the dwcllirnj'of Algar Williams, Ilobsun Street, and stole silverwiirc and jewellery, valued at KSO. , On Mnv 11, broke and entered the tiwelling'of A. .1. M'Tavish. Fitzlierbert Terrace, and stole property, valued at JES. „ , , On May 12: Eult-ved Gcnrge Brownlres residence, in Moiuroa Street, with intent to commit n crime. Between April 11 nnd IS, broke and entered Technical School, and committed the crime of mischief. Chief-Detective Broberß prosecuted. Accused was not represented by counsel. Evidence as to the nature of he burglaries, and the description and value of articles stolen, was piven by: Jles«rs. Herbert Baillio. Chief Librarian at the. Wellington Public Library, Francis Shaw Registrar of the Wellington ieclinical School, William C. Gasrnioine, Charles James Nathan. Alex Yuill. Ilr. I'rciulnrB3st. Knight. Alg.ir T. Williams. Nathaniel Jacob?, Richard Pilling, Jane M'Tavish and others

None of these witnesses was able tn idi-niily accused, but they identified different articles which had bci'ii recovered l:v the deleelive* from hN "plant" on Saturday last. (iecrgL' Hiwulce, seiitor clerk in (ho railway*, Ifi Moturoa tftrret, said thai he hud relived tn b'-d at II p.m. im May 1:!, leaving the doors locked, and Iho windows 'closed. The door of his bedroom was open, and, through it, he saw a light. He at ohm took n walking stick, and proceeded to thu dining room, where he saw accused. Tho latter extinguished his light, and made f?.r Iho window, but witness vent ait'T him, and dealt him a I'low on the left arm. afterwards seizing him, anil dragEiirj him into (ho hall. Mrs. Urowuli'c then rang up the police, ami Constables Smart and (.'.inning arrived about !).:)0 p.m. and arre.-ted the nociiMMl, who. in tin- meantimi , , had made no attempt to strike witness, but had merely s!niggled !o get :iwiiy. Constable Smart gave evidence as In the arrest. When searched accused had a stone in his pocket, and also had pieces of rubber nailed on to the sales and heels of his boots. He made an admission lo the efl'ecl that ho had noticed the house in darkness, and had entered by the window la fee what he could get. Detectiv« Lewis slated that, in company with Detective Andrews, he had interviewed accused an May IS. The man then admitted having been connected with several burglaries, and ollered to show the detectives whore he had hidden the properly, hi accordance with this offer he was taken down to Waterloo Quay by witness, and Detectives Andrews and Cameron. He then pointed out where the property was hidden, and assisted in its recovery. He described the articles thin recovered, and al.-u articles which had been sold and subsequently recovered. When the detectives read the. charges over, accused said: "I intend to plead guilty lo the lot. I am glad to get it off mv mind." Detective Andrews corroborated portion of the evidence given by the previous witness. On being formally charged, accused pleaded guilty to all charges, and was committed to the Supremo Court for sentence. A BICYCLE THIEF. George Rhodes, alias Henry Mulholland, alias Wilson, was charged (1) with stealing, on May 9, a bicycle valued at .Si 10s.. (he property of Joseph Perry; (2)' with stealing, on May 10. a bicycle valued at £1 10s., the property of Claude Freeman. Accused elected to be dealt with summarily, and pleaded guilty to both charges. One of the bicycles had been taken from outside the Cambridge Hotel, and disposed of to a second-hand dealer for 10s. The other machine had been laken from a passage j u Bethiine's auction room, and conveyed to another auction room, where aeeufsd left it for sale, and obtained an advance of XI on if. Both bicycles had since been recovered. Accused, who had previously been convicted for various offences, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment on each charge, the bicycles to be returned to the owners. STOLEN CASE OF WniSKY. . William Alfred Yarlclt admitted stealing a case of whisky, valued at .C 2 10=.. the property of I'icderick Robt. Cormack. ]t appeared from (he evidence that the whisky had been taken from the store ot the Albion Hotel, and had since been recovered. Accused had once previously been convicted of theft, and ordered to come up for sentence when called on. Speaking on his own behalf, accused stated that he was subject to fits, and, before taking the. case o£ whisky, he had had a fit, and had been given drink. It was in consequence of this that he had lost his head, and had taken tho whisky. His Worship warned accused that he must be more careful in future, as ho had already had one chance. He was fiued -JO-... in default s-even days' imprisonment. SENT TO EOTOROA. i Norman Campbell, who had what the Magistrate described as a "tremendous list of previous convictions" for drunkenness, was convicted again for the same offence, and was ordered to be sent to tho Inebriates' Homo . a,t 'j'Jßotoroa for one year. ! MAINTENANCE. A young man, named William Holdey, when asked £o show cause why he should not be adjudged the father of an unborn illegitimate child, pleaded not guilty.. Sub-Inspector Shcchan applied for a remand until May 21, on account of the illness of a witness. 3lr. P. W. Jackson, on behalf of accused, suggested that, if the remand was granted, accused should bo liberated without bail; as couiiral balievod that complainant did not intend to go on with the charge. Moreover, accused could have been brought up by summons, instead of being arrested. His Worshin declined to dis-iense with bail, but reduced it to and two sureties of J225 each. ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE. Albert Searle was- charged with havins unlawfully absented himself without leave from H.M.S. Cambrian on May IG. He. pleaded guilty, and was ordered to be detained in custody until he could be handed over to the Naval authorities. OTHER CASES. Thomas _ Carney pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness, and, when a charge of using improper language was read to him, hs desired to be tried by a jury. On (he charge of drunkenness he was convicted and discharged, and, on the other charge, he was remanded for a week. Later in the day accuser! again appeared before the Magistrate and stated that he then desired to be dealt with summarily, and pleaded guilty. He was fined £i, in default 21 days' imprisonment. Two_ young women, named Lydia Hansinp Neilson and Eleanor Gilchrist Grame Scott, were charged with stealing goods valued at .£2O, the property of William Owen and .Maria Ha ran. The offence is alleged to have taken place at Pahiatua between May 1 and 16. On the application of Chief Detective-Broberj, both accused were remanded to appear at Pahiatua on May 10. Bail was allowed in the sum of .£2.5, and one surely of £20. Kathleen Stanley, for drunkenness, was fined Ids., in default 4S hours' imprisonment. Two first-oll'endiiig inebriates were fined 55., with the option of 21 hours' imprisonment, and three other firstoffenders were convicted and discharged. CIVIL CASE. COST 01' A DIVIDING FENCE. Charles Plimmer, of Boulcott Street, Wellington, .sued the Hutt County Council to recover the sum of ,£ls alleged to bo due for (he erection of a dividing fence, and for damages. Mr. J. J. M'Grath appared for plaintiff, and Mr. Brandon lor defendant. The dividing fence mentioned in the claim had been erected between part of plaintiff's land at Plimmerton (taken by defendants under the "Public AVorks Act, 101)8") anil the balance of the same land still owned by plaintiff. The damages claim was for shrubs and plants alleged to have been injured and destroyed "bv cattle. After hearing evidence, his Worship reserved decision.