STOLEN CHOPSTICKS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 50, 22 November 1932, Page 10

STOLEN CHOPSTICKS

Bland Chinese Witness THEFT BY EUROPEAN I A round-faced, genial old Chinese, whose good nature exceeded his knowledge of the English tongue, occupied the witness-box for about five minutes in the Police Court yesterday and struggled with the intricacies of an upstart language some centuries younger than his own. A bundle of 18 thin, black chopsticks had been taken from his Haining Street house by a European who was there on Saturday, and as the European was charged yesterday with theft, the Chinese, Joe Guy, was the first witness for the police. To almost every question put to him by Sub-Inspector H. Martin, Joe Guy began his reply earnestly, and then broke down in a completely disarming way. “No savee, no,” he said, shaking his head with a broad, half-apologetic smile which delighted those who were in court. He was anxious to help, but it was a case of East just failing to meet West.

The police case was that the European, Michael Gordon Oscar Me Arley, had been to some extent under tbe influence of liquor between 5.30 and 6 p.m., and had kicked in a panel of Joe Guy’s back door and stolen tbe chopsticks. Joe Guy and some other Chinese had become excited and McArley had escaped into a timber pile on an adjoining section. A constable arrived soon afterward and when MeArley came out of the timber pile the chopsticks were poking out of his Coat pocket. He was charged accordingly with stealing the chopsticks, valued at 2/-, and with damaging the door, which belonged to the lessors, the Barr Brown Construction Company. McArley’s Story. The case for the defence was that McArley had become involved in a sordid episode which he regretted. He had l>een invited by a woman to go to the house in Haining Street, where he had never been before. When he got there she pushed him out the back door and he fell down, skinning his hand. He bad been “toying with” the bundle of chopsticks and found that he still had them when lie picked himself up. So he tried to get in to replace them and accidentally broke a panel in the door. There was immediately a good deal of excitement. McArley gave evidence himself in support of this version of the incident. The magistrate, Mr. W. 11. Woodward, S.M.. said that it was “not a serious matter.” He fined MeArley £1 for taking the chopsticks, and dismissed the charge of mischief. Remands Granted Three young men who. according to Detective-Sergeant Revell, are now on probation, appeared ou charges of converting a motor-car to their own use and of breaking and entering a shop at Miramar and stealing goods valued at £l/14/3 Their names were Louis Edward Rohloff, labourer, aged 19 (Mr. G. R. Bowles), Thomas Henry Hale, labourer and butcher, aged 20 (Mr. R. Hardie-Boys), and William Walter Hassett, painter, aged 19. They were remanded until to-morrow.

Norman Theodore Kater, shipping clerk, aged 29 (Mr. A. J. Mazengarb). was remanded until to-morrow on a charge of indecently assaulting a male.