YOUNG WAITRESS

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2559, 16 April 1930, Page 7

YOUNG WAITRESS

SETS FIRE TO ROOM TO COVER A THEFT CONFESSES TO DETECTIVE (Per Irena Association). Nelson, April 15. Dore hi .Mucka, aged 18 years, a waitress at the Junction hotel, Tabaka, appeared aij the Court in Takuka charged with on April 7, at Takaka, setting lire to certain substances and articles of clothing in tlie Junction hotel, thus rendering the building liable to catch) fire. She was also charged with the theft of £l2 in money and goods to the value of £ll 15s (id, the property of Rona Cross, a. school teacher. Holla Cross gavU evidence of leaving her room at about 8 o’clock in die morning and on returning in the afternoon, she learned ttUat a fire had taken place in her room and that tlie bedclo.lui; were saturated with kerosene. Detective Sinclair said lie interviewed accused and the girl admittdd taking the money and clothing belonging to Miss Cross and also to putting kerosene in die bedroom and setting fh\l to it to culver her tracks. Tlie detective produced tlie iollowing statement liy accused': “On Monday afternoon, I went into Miss Cross’s room, took some of ini' clothing and £5. I was wanting a coat and so took the money. 1 took the nothing from Mis 3 Cross’s room and put it in my case and in tlie evening, I took some of tlie clothing and hid it outside. I threw tl!le purse away and kdjpt the money. I put some kerosene in a drawer and set fire to it.’’ Accused, who pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for silence.