A PETONE PARTY

Evening Post, Issue 99, 24 October 1934, Page 12

A PETONE PARTY

WEDDING SEQUEL

YOUTH FOUND IN HOTEL

The morning of October 0 and the early hours of the morning on October 7 were eventful periods in the life of Edward George Sydney roster, a labourer, aged 19. On October 6 he was married, early tho next morning he. was at tho Petone Police Station, having been arrested on a charge of breaking aud entering tho Grand National Hotel, near the Petone railway crossing, and stealing ten bottles of cordial, valued at 15s. Ho stood his trial on this chargo in the Supremo Court yes tcrday afternoon boforo Mr. Justice Ostler and a jury. There was another and alternative charge against him of having stolen the bottles of cordial. Without leaving the court-room the jury found the accused not guilty on both charges. Mr. W. P. Coles appeared for the accused. The evidence for tho prosecution was that roster, after borrowing a torch from two taxi men who were mending a puncture nearby, broke into the hotel. Seeing the light of the torch being flashed in tho hotel, the taxi drivers notified tho licensee, Mr. Walsh, and he came down and found the accused in the. sitting-room. The licensee said that there were six bottles of cordial on the verandah of the hotel and four lying on the couch in the sitting-room, but the two taxi drivers stated that when they first saw the accused bottles were sticking out of his pockets. They added that Foster was under the influence of liquor, and that they had given him tho opportunity of getting away if he loft the bottles in the hotel. Foster, however, declared that tho bottles of cordial had been paid for, and insisted that the licensee be called. POSTER GIVES EVIDENCE. Foster, giving ovidenco, said that ho did not open the window of the hotel, nor did he open tho store-room door. Ho had no intention of stealing anything. . •Evidence was given for tho defence that liquor had run out at the wedding party and that provious visits had been mado to the hotel that night for bottles of liquor, and no difficulty had boen experienced in getting it. On the third and last visit to tho hotel it was alleged that Foster and two others who wont with him became separated. The side door of the hotel was locked, but Foster said the window near it was open, and he entered tho hotel through tho window, thinking on this occasion that that was tho way in. He said he saw bottles wrapped up in a box, and 110 concluded that they had boon paid for by ono of his companions. _ Mr Coles, in his address to tho jury, said that tho bottles contained such cordials as peppermint and raspberry. Ho suggested that it was out ot tho question that the accused would have stolon peppermint nnd raspberry to take back to a party at 1.80 m the morning. It was, ho claimed no more than a drunken frolic, for which Foster had beon punished by having to spend some time in the cells at the police 1 station. JUDGE'S ADVICE. After tho- verdict had been given, his Honour, addressing Foster, said that he agreed with tho verdict. Novcrtheloss, he thought Foster had been fortunate in ono respect. Ho had been in troublo previously, and when ho was in the witness-box, the Crown Prosecutor (Mr. P S. K. Macussay) very generously had refrained from saying anything about ■that His Honour said; he mentioned this because ho wanted to tell Foster tint if ho was wiso ho would leave drink alone. If he did not it would surely load him into a career of crime, and once ho-got into a career of crime he would-havo no happiness in this lite. Foster was discharged.