CHARGE AGAINST "LA MILO."

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 68, 22 March 1910, Page 4

CHARGE AGAINST "LA MILO."

£8000 JEWEL CASE. MOTOR CARS AND DIAMONDS. iFBOM OUR OWN COERE3PONDENT.J LONDON, 11th February. The music-hall artist known as % 'La Milo," who is also well known in New Zealand, was one of the defendants in a case involving thousands of pound.i worth of jewellery, which came before Mr. Marsham at Bow-Mreet this week. Ferdinand Eggena, aged 28, alias Barr, described as of independent means, staying at the Russell Hotel, ltupsell-bquare, was charged with having, with Pansy Montague, alias Eggena, alias Barr, conspired with Percy Holland Eastoii to obtain from Mr. William Edward Wood, jeweller, of Brook-street, Hanover- | square, large quantities of jewellery be- ! fcween Ist November, 1909, and sth February, 1910. Percy Holland Easton, of the Motor House, Euston-road, appeared to a summons charging him with a similar offence. The proceedings began in the morning, before the woman defendant was charged. Mr. R. D. Muir prosecuted. Mr. ! Sims defended Eggena. ! Mr. Muir said the charge was in respect of upwards of £7000 worth of jewels, but Mr. Wood had parted with over £8000 worth. Eggena represented that he was the absolute owner of some twenty-five motor-cars, stored at the Motor House, Eueton-road, which was controlled by Easton. He said that the cars were listed at £20,000, but their selling value was even higher. The cars were, in fact, valued at mucji more than £9000, the prico of the jewels which it was proposed to deliver. Eggena gave an order on the Motor Houpe — that was to say, Easton — for the delivery of the cars to Mr. Wood, and Eastoii .signed a receipt acknowledging that he had received twenty -five- cars; that he would hold them at Mr. Wood's dia posal, and would hand them over if the jewela were not paid for by 10th January. HOTEL MYSTERY. When the time arrived for payment of the money, Mr. Wood and his assistant made repeated applications to Ergena, and a third person, a woman who had the jewels. Those applications were made almost daily until Friday, when the woman disanpeaied from her hotel. Eggena also failed to appear at his hotel on Friday, ] and on the following morning application I was made for the warrant. At present I somebody, uo the instigation of the de- I fendant, was in possession of £8000 or £9000 worth of jewels, and the prosecution had no knowledge as to wheie they were. Detective Sergeant Williams gave evidence as to nerving the summons on kaston, who «dd that in regard to the motor transaction he was given a cheque drawn by Montague— "You know, La Milo." In the afternoon Pansy Eggena was placed in the dotk with the other defendants. She wore, a perfect-iHtinjf blue costume, with an ermine necklet, and carried a huge muff of the came fur On the charge sheet ohe was described as a married woman, aged 24, of Haiii, Crescent Hotel, Chelsea; Detective Fowler stated that at 2 35 that afternoon he saw the female defendant in the court with her solicitor, Mr aims. He read the warrant to her and in reply »he said, "Yes, sir." In cross-examination witness said that tho female defendant appeared to be much disused. He understood that she had come to the court for the express purpose of surrendering herself Mr. Percy Wall Beale, manager to -Messrs. Bravington, pawnbrokers, Kinir'i Cros*, btated that on 24th December last the prisoner Eggena pledged with him a diamond necklace for £450 He gavo tho name of H. Barr, and said that I the necklace belonged to Mrs. F.ggena Counsel: Did he tell you who Mrs Eggena was?— Well, I inferred from what be> said that she wh* Ln Milo Did he say want his relation to Ln Milo was?— No; lie led me to believe that he was pledging tho necklace for her. Witness went on to say that before the necklace was pledged Kggena brought to the shop an expensive pearl necklace which wan said to be worth £30.000 Witness offered to advance £8000 on it, but the prisoner refused the offer. On 12th January, said witness, E^ena brought to the shop a diamond brooch, a diamond heart, a half-hoop diamond ring, two diamond crow-over linics, and another ring, and asked for a loan of £1500 on them. Witness decided to ddvanco £1200 on them, nnd at the Hotel Ru.«sell a mesengcr ohtnined La Milo'.s s--i<»-iiature to the receipt. " In reply to the Magistrate Mr. Muir said that the jewels had not all been recovered. Mr. Ruby Telfer. the prosecutor's manager, said that three articles were missing to the value of £2500. Mr. Fatch (for the Eggenus) : We have those articles here, and *hall be pleaded to hand them over. The Magistrate then granted a jemand and fixed the bail at two uni-liej in £1000 each for Eggena. two in £500 or one in £1000 for Easton, and two in £250 for Mrs. Eggcnn. [A cable menage received on the 18th instant stated that Eggena and "La Milo" had been committed for trial. It hthought the defence will be that the jewels were obtained by the pribonerh for the purpose of selling them to tho King of Portugal's t>uite during the Royal visit to London. J

Groper ar* very numerous off the coa.it line of the South Island at present, and Timaiu deep-sea fishermen enjoyed unuAual runs of luck all last week, says the local Heiald. On Wednesday the whole fWt secured n record catch, biiii? to total several hundreds. About 300 rWi weie .sent tv the cool store* ;ind tlic rest (about 35 barrels) went up t«> Chri-tchmrh by the second «xrnov.. It if. ,s;t id thdt tltf.,e Dili at ChiisUlmicii bring M to lOd «>a< h. whilst the lowest juice .t proper win Im bought at the whait by h Timaiu ie*ident is 2». If thii U trot, tbt foreign euniumtr !• get' ting th« cheapest rUa.