TWEEDS AND SERGES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 110, 10 May 1923, Page 8

TWEEDS AND SERGES

TAILOR CHARGED WITH RECEIVING S

The disposal of a quantity pi cloth by four young men, who were recently sentenced on charges of breaking and entering, was the subject of inquiry by the Chief Justice' (Sir Robert Stout) and a jury of twelve at the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon and to-day. Peter M'Pherson, for whom Mr. H. L. O'Leary appeared, was charged with receiving quantities of tweeds and serges of a total value of £11? 19s 6d. He pleaded not guilty. Mr. P. S. K. Macassey appeared for the Crown, and the foreman, of the jury was Mr. Andrew Hunter. Briefly, the case, for the Crown was that two young men named Ryan and B*ry had sold the cloth to the prisoner. Mr. Macasse'y, in opening, said'that the jury had to determine whether M'Pher- j son knew that the goods had been stolen, I and the only way they could do that was to study his actions. If the prisoner had been innocent, he would have made a free statement as to his possession of this goods, but this he had not done. It had occasioned him no surprise when two young men, one 18 years of age and the other 22£ years of age, had sold him over £100 worth of cloths. Mr. O'Leary, for the defence, said that during the whole time M'Pherson had been in business he had dealt withrespectable business houses. During the past twelve months the prisoner had paid about £1200 in cash for material he had purchased from warehouses. Dealing with his association with Barry and' Ryan, Mr. O'Leary said that Barry had been in the habit of having material made up into suits by accused. M'Pherson had been in the habit of questioning people as to where they procured the cloth, but as some of his customers had resented any implication that they had come by the goods dishonestly he ceased the practice. The jury retired at 2.45 o'clock to consider its verdict.