TO-DAY'S COURT. CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 119, 16 November 1909, Page 7

TO-DAY'S COURT. CRIMINAL SESSIONS.

The Criminal sessions of the Supreme Court were resumed before Mr. Justice Chapman to-daj'. A BAD START. • Ronald Seaforth Jones, the industrial school lad, who was yesterday remanded for sentence on two charges, of breaking and entering, to which he had pleaded guilty, came up before his Honour again It was stated that Jones was still under the guardianship of the master of the Weraroa Training School, and would remain in that relation until he was 21 years of age. Under the Education Act there was power to transfer the boy to Burnham Industrial School or some other disciplinary institution. His Honour adopted the suggestion of Mr. Myers, Crown Prosecutor, and ordered the boy to come up for sentence when called upon. ALLEGED BREAKING AND ENTERING. Two stury young men, Alfred Langley and Roland John Ranger, were indicted on a charge of breaking and entering by night into the shop of Alexander White, Masterton, and stealing a quantity or' tobacco pouches, pipes, tobacco, and other articles, '''he date was the 20th September. Both prisoners pleaded not guilty. Langley was defended by Mr. A, L. Herdman. Mr. Percy Hudson was foreman . of the jury. I Alexander White, tobacconist, Queeni street, Masterton, lleposed to leaving his \ premises at 8 o'clock on the night in question. At one o'clock he was called up at his house by a man, named Bent- 1 ley, who told him that same articles had been, taken from the shop. Witness I w«nb to the shop and found a quantity of goods missing. Langley he knqw as an old customer. To Mr. Herdman : He always considered Langley an honest, decent, respectable young man. A right of way past the shop led to the billiard room at the back. He had often seen | Langley passing through the right of way, which also formed a short cut to Chapel-street. Violet Mary Bain, restaurant keeper, Queen-street, Masterton, said that 'both accused and a man, named Herbert Jones, were in the restaurant on the night in question. They left at 12 o'clock. They were very drunk. William Elder,, bricklayer, said that he was with the" 'accused Langley in his whare with another man named Herbert Jones on the night, when they had a demijhon of beer in the place. They picked up Ranger later, and had supper in Mrs Bain's restaurant, leaving about midnight. The last he saw of the two accused was at Cragg's Corner, when Langley ?aid ho was going for a long walk to square himself up before goinghome. Witness left Jones at the Post Office, when they were going home. v To Mr. Herdman : He had always known Langley for a decent man. There had been no suggestion of entering White's shop. John Bentley, labourer and fire policeman, Masterton, said he met Langley, Jones and two other men coming from Mrs. Bain's on the night in question. Langley was wearing a cap, Jones had a hard hat on. The witness was with the nightwatchman. He saw Jones and another man go away past the Post Office. From a ledge on the front of Mackay's bookshop, he and the nightwatchman saw two men coming out of White's shop — from the recess. He could not identify either of the two men. One of them had on a hard bat. They went down the right-of-way. Witness and the nightwatchman went down the right-of-way, struck matches, and found pouches, tobacco, other articles and a hard hat. Witness saw Langley again a few minutes later, when Constable Brown arrested the accused. To his Honour : Men sometimes sat in the recess in front of White's chop door. He heard no sound as the men came out of the recess. Constable Brown said he was standing in front of the right-of-way when he heard talking up the right of .way. He went up there, and discovered the talking was inside the shop. There was a light burning in the window which opened from the hairdresser's shop. The witness stood still. He heard "footsteps in the shop, and then Langley, followed by another man, came up the right-of-way calling out, "Come, here, Herbert." Witness said "Hello !" but the two men said nothing but commenced to run. Witness noticed something under Langley's mate's" coat. - By the billiard-room \ witness heard the noise of something dropped. He struck matches and found the hat and box of pouches (produced). He .then went into Queen street, found Bentley and the nightwatchman, and, on examining the door of the shoD, found I it, open. He saw the accused* Langley coming round the corner of Perry street into Queen street. Witness arresjted Langley, and charged him with breaking and entering into White's shop. Langley said he knew nothing about it. At the police station he said he had been to a birthday party-, and had no male. The sergeant asked him where the birthday party was. Langley replied, "You go and take a roll." The witness and the sergeant searched behind the bil-liard-room and along the right-of-way, and found several other articles, such as pipe-stems, cigarettes and cigars, also three race cards — one bearing the name Langley — and a post card. (Left Sitting).

Almost every orchardist in the Hastings district reports exceptionally heavy crops of apricots and plums. The operation of thinning will involve a considerable amount of labour.