CHARGES OF CARGO PILFERING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1218, 29 August 1911, Page 5

CHARGES OF CARGO PILFERING.

SUPREME COURT TRIAL. CROWN PROSECUTOR'S ADDRESS. TEE EVIDENCE. (By Telegraph,--Press Association.) Auckland, August 28. Tho charges of.' piliering cargo from sheds on tho Qvieen Street Wharf, preferred against J-oseph Ehrman and Alfred Ernest iladdoD, were called on at tho criminal sessions of tho Supreme Court to-day, Tho eases were heard by his Honour .TusUco Chapman and a jury of twelve.

Tho indictment, which was unusually Jong, jointly charged (lie prisoners with having on July :i stolen a caso containing clothing, etc., tho property of Ilalleusteiu Brother.?:, and alternately with having received tho same at Stratford on July 8. Both prisoners pleaded "not guilty." The Ciown Prosecutor, in opening tha case, to the jury, said that .1 June 20 a case marked "CtV intended lor the Auckland brunch of Ilalleusteiu Bros.' business, was packed at Dunedin and shipped aboard the s.s. Jlokoia, which arrived here on July 2. The easo was landed on tho Queen Street Wharf on the following day, and placet ill ■•£" shed. Subsequently the case vns missing, and thero was no doubt Hint it had been stolen, rho prisoner hodden had previously been employed on the wharf as a tally clerk, and .was in *'F* shed looking for work on the day the goods camo to hand. Ha made a suggestion to another tally cleric, •How about getting away witih 0110 of those cases?" Then he took tho casa marked "CJJY* put it on a lorry, and sent it to the railway station, where ho went and received it. Thero was also another cass, anA they were both marked "JE" (which meant Joseph Ehnnan, Stratford), -the goods were sent to Stratford, and latvr on Hadden went, down there to warn human not to touch these cases, but Kiumaii had already opened ont the goods in a gamplo room, and had sold some I of them. Later on the purchasers learned ! that tho goods were stolen, and they were recovered. When Hadden was arrestod, he said ho knew nothing about them, but later on ho nrado a lull statement to tho police. E'hrraan was arrested in Welling, ton, and on his way to Auckland he escaped from custody, but was recaptured. Alfred John Smith, called by Mr. Tole, said ho was a storeman for 'Hallenstoin Bros at Dunedin, and on Juno 26 last ho packed a case marked "C.F." in a diamond, which meant "clothing factory," and the word Auckland stencilled underneath. Tho caso contained clothing and leather bags. It was shipped by tho Ifokoia for Auckland. Ho identified tho caso produced in Court ns tho 0110 ho packed In Dunedin, as he marked it personally- willi the linn's cypher. Jo'.m Carter Burrow said he was tho sec/md olliccr in chargo of Hallenstcin liros.'s Auckland branch. On the arrival 1 of the Mokoia the bill of lading was given to the firm's caller in the usual way, but they did not get delivery of the "C.F." ease. On August .1 witness went to tho detective office and saw a considerable quantity of Hullonstoin's goods. Tho value of the goods in tho "C.F." caso was .£26 6s.

John Henry Humphries, a casual tally clerk for the Union Steam Ship Co. and tho Huddart-Parker Co., staled that on June 3 he was engaged on the Queen Street wharf when the cargo was going from the Jtokoia into "1"' and "G" Shi dg. He had known prisoner Hodden for some years, and between two and three p.m. on that day he saw him in "V" Shed, and Hadden asked witness to recommend' him to Mr. Speakman to get him put on to deliver the Mokoia's cargo if a man named Andrews was too unwell to come to work, and ns ho was one of the oldest hands. Accused (Hadden) seemed to remain about "V" Shed all the time. 'Ho came up to witness and said; "You 500 that case.over there?" pointing to one marked "S.S.E." over circle, nunib:rcd; 734. Witness said "Yes," and naduYu said: "What's wrong with getting it away? It can be done nuite easily, and von can stand in shares. Witness said that lie would not havo anything to do with that sort of game, and nothing would go out of the shod that way if ho knew it. Hadden again said it could bo done easily, if witness stood in with him. Witness said he didn't cave how easy it could bo done, he would not have anything to do with it. Hadden mumbled something at "being a fool", and walked away. Ho remained about there some 10 minutes and then disappeared. On July 5 about 1.15 p.m. witness saw Hadden standing outside tho Britomorl Hotel, and Hadden said to witness, "I believe they suspect me." Witness asked how lie got to know he was suspected, and he said he had been told the night before by some of Sonell's tally clerks, and witness advised him to make a clean breast of it and shield no one. He replied that he hadn't taken anything. Witness said he did not know whether ho had, but if he had he advised prisoner (0 niako a clean breast of it. Hadden asked when ho could see witness again, and was told any time after working hours. At that time both Elirman.nnd Artluir Glover were standing near. They called Hadden away from witness several times, and seemed to bo in a very excited slate. Glover told Hadden when the train left that afternoon and told him (0 lie sure to be I hero, That evening witness .met Hadden by appointment at eight o'clock, and the first words ho said were, "What do you think? A detective stuck mo up this afternoon and offered me £S0 if 1 d tell who look (lie cases from tho wharf, and whero tin. had taken them to. 1 told them I wouldn't split for .£IOOO, and that I didn't know who took the eases, but if I did know I. would not split for ,€1000." Witness again advised kirn to niako a clear breast of it, and he said ho had never taken anything. Witness reminded Hadden of what ho had said during tho al'lernoon, and ho replied, "Oh, I didn't take anything, but someono wanted 1110 to, and when you wouldn't stand in with 1110 they got frightened and gavo it up." Ho nddqd that he knew who had taken (ho cases and whero they wore, and a.sked "Do you want to know who took thorn F" Witness made no reply and Hadden then mentioned (he name of a tally clerk, and said ho was taking cases from all the wharves. Witness did not believe-' this statement.

Mr. Reed: You were no doubt surprised when it was suggested to you (hat you should take a ease away?— Well, noj "not altogether. Why didn't you tell the police?— Well, 1 intended to keep my eyes on him, and see that he didn't take anything. How did you think he meant vou to act in tnkiug (he case?—l thought ho meant I was to give no tally-ticket for it. But you don't seem lo have expressed any natural indignation about it. You pimply went about your work, leaving 'him in (lie shed?—Yos. But 1 kept my eyes open. Leonard Braund, au assistant storekeeper in (he employment of tho Auckland Barbour Board, wiid ho saw prisoner Uaddcn talking lo a carter named Laing, whom he told (o pick up n case which he said had been over-carried by tho steamer Wimmera. Laing said tho ease did not havo their marks on- it, and Hadden said ho need not lake it unless he liked, and also told him to pull cut and wait for Joe Cassou, the company's driver. Witness's duty was to store tho goods in, collect storajo, and to slop pilfering if possible. ■Tames Laing, a driver in the employment of the New Zealand Express Company, said that ifadden gave him a hand to put the case on the (ruck mid take it over to the lorry. Be said (he case was for Goollan and Co., and Ihat he had fixed it up with Jco Casson, Witness was under (he impression that Haddon was on duty for (ho lTuddarl-Parkor Company, and ho seemed lo be quito sober. William Chaplin, another carter, slated that Tlnddcn had asked him to take a ease from "P" shed "just up the slreet for him," nnd offered him 2s. (id., lint ho refused to Lake it, as he had lo c-alch tho K..'jo p.m. boat lo Devrmport. After further cvidenco tho Court adjourned till to-morrow.