ALLEGED THEFT OF JEWELLERY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1266, 23 October 1911, Page 3

ALLEGED THEFT OF JEWELLERY.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. (By TelcffraDh.—Press Association.) Auckland, October 20. The prisoners, William and Maud Rogers, who were brought by Detectivo Scott from Sail Francisco to • answer a charge of having broken and entered the jewellery shop of Adolph Kolm on March 1!) last and stolen therefrom goods to the value of .E839 135., appeared again at tho Police Court to-day, before Mr. I!. C. Cutten, S.M. Chief-Detective Marsack' conducted the prosecution, and Mr. C. E. Matthews (instructed by Mr. J. li. Lnndon) appeared for the accused, and intimated that they would plead not guilty ' and that ho would call no evidence nor cross-examino any of the Crown witnesses at this stage of the proceedings. Detectivo Edward William Scott said that early in Juno he proceeded to San Francisco, arriving there on Juno 23. On Juno 20 he had a conversation with tho male accused in the county gaol. After telling him who ho was, he asked whero lie had lived. He told him some fingerprints had been found in Kohn's premises, and had been identified as his. lie said, "Go on! Did tliey find fingerprints ?" Witness said, "Yes." He replied, "I was n fool anyway. I conld have tho lot of the stuff over there, but [ thought I'd g;t more for it here, and j Fvo fallen in." He said he "done the " job on his own, and that while in tho ; shop ho saw a pßlice'man arid another ; I mail look_ in tho window, but they could ; not see him, and had no chance of doing 1 so." He went on t» say that j no catno over to San Francisco , in tho s.s. Manuka with his wife J (ths female accused) ,pnd that he had J brought the jewellery (the proceeds of ' Kohn's robbery) aAoro in a chesterficld * and. concealed about his person. Witness asked what had become of a number of watches that were missing, and lie replied that some of them were rolled gold, and as thfy were not much good lie "dumpad them" in New Zealand. Witness saw the female ac- ] cusc-d, who was a-lso in custody, and she. j said sho had not pledged or sold any ( jewellery, and. know nothing about the ] robbery or the pledging or sale of any 'J jewellery. I Detectivo Scott said that in consc- 1 qucnceof a communication ho received from Wm. Rogers lie again visited him in , Alam«la County Gaol, ivhc-ro ho saw _ both the accused' together. Win, Rogers then wrote out a joint confession, do- r ciaring that they had only X 9 in money wlKn they arrived in San Francisco, 'and tho sum of -100 dollars found in their possession when taken to prison in San Francisco was the sum of money received by the accused from different pawnbrokers for jewellery pawned or sold. They in 'this statement waived all fur- , ther proceedings in tho matter, and di- , rected their attorneys to take no further steps, in their behalf in any Court F 1 or Courts, and further voluntarily agreed to return to New Zealand with Detective Scott under the warrant from New Zealand held by him. This statement \vas written voluntarily by Win. Rogers, l r : and signed by him and by his wife. Edmund Walter Dinnie, finger-print ex- ' pert, said he had received n fanlight, ?. and on it he found two really distinct y finger marks. He had no doubt what- .. ever that tho marks on the sash were U made by prisoner's hand. This was'all * the evidence. il The prisoners pleaded, "not guilty," and reserved their defence. They were then formally committed for trial at the criminal sittings of the Supremo Court G at Auckland, which are to commence on November 21. V f,