GOLD STEALING

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1920, Page 2

GOLD STEALING

two Men charged. . A FINE INFLICTED. RUMOURS IN AH AURA. A case of considerable interest to those concerned in gold mining occupied the attention of Mr T. E. Maunsell, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court, Greyniouth, yesterday, when two men named James Gray and Joseph Stubbs were charged with the theft of three pennyweights of gold, valued at 12s (the property of the Hochstetter Company, between March dlst and June sth. Mr Joyce appSeared for the defendants, and Detective-Sergeant Ward prosecuted on behalf of the police. Lewis Edward Morgan, manager of the Hochstetter Go’dfielcis Company, - Limited, deposed that the two accused were employed at the claim. He told Stubbs that there was a rumour in Ahaura that some gold was being taken away from the company s property. \\ itness accused him of the theft, and he denied having taken any. Witness asked him to admit what he had been doing. Smith said to Stubbs, Admit you took the gold. 1 saw you take' about two and a-half or three pennyweights.” Witness again asked Stubbs whether he had taken any gold and he said, ‘ I have taken it and I have the gold in a bottle and I will give it to you later on.” He did not say where he had put it or when he took it. Witness left him and conferred with Gray. Later in the same day—July 28th—ho saw Gray on the face and, calling him aside, told him there was a rumour in Ahaura that he had been stealing gold,.to the amount of £3o*. Gray said, “That is not right. I have never stolen gold to that amount.” Witness asked, “Have you taken any gold at all?” and the defendant replied, “Yes, probably three pennyweights.” Witness said, “Have you the gold?” and Gray answered “Yes, in my clothes.s” Morgan told him that his services would not be required dny longer. He then sent for the police, and accompanied Constable Fryer and Mr Clayton to Stubbs’ hut. Stubbs admitted having taken some gold, but added tout he did not think he was doing any harm. He went outside and got the missing bottle in which the gold was. Gray, however, could not produce the gold that he had taken. The thefts were committed between the ord and sth June and Eastortnne. The returns then were lEOoz., but in June, when he expected a good return, it was only 116ioz.

Air Joyce (cross-examining): He told yon he got the gold in a race away from Ifie company’s property? Witness: A’es. Ho admitted that he had the gold?—Yes. If a man went prospecting there he might get some gold?—There might' be some left! Aon say you had a poor return. Might that not happen in any case?—The washdirt was poorer than I anticipated. The men arc perfectly respectable?— AYs. What did Stubbs take the gold for?—He said he did not think he was doing any harm. AVhat did Gray say?—He said “I tool: it from the tailrace during the past two or three months.” He said it was after the washing-up. Did Gray ask you if he was going, to start work again?—A'os, and I told him he was not. . , He told you he had the gold in his clothes?—Yes. But lie could not find it?—No. Replying to Detective-Sergeant" Ward, witness stated that when die spoke to the men lie had previously heard that goldstealing was going on. He asked Stubbs if ho knew of anyone who had taken gold. Stubbs replied, “Well, Boss, I don’t care to inform* and I won’t say anything. There is another party in the matter and I cannot give any definite answer.” Gray said later “There is another party, and if he blew the gaff on me I will blow the gaff on him.”

The Magistrate: Are the facilities for gold-stealing fairly substantial? Are they able to steal without being detected? Witness; It is easy to do it if they choose.

Is it difficult to find them doing it?— Yes; it is very easy for a man to do it. We. work three shifts, and the men on fhe night shift could easily do it By turning the water from one face fo another. Constable Henry Frye" of Ahaura, stated that on July 28th he was called to the Hochstetter claim and saw Stubbs with Mr Morgan. Witness said to defendant, “I understand you have some gold belonging to the Company?”—Stubbs said “Yes.” The constable asked him where.it was and he said, “It is in a bottle outside.” He accompanied Stubbs outside, and the latter, in response to a request, got the bottle (produced) from some rushes outside. He could not give any satisfactory explanation as to where ho got it. Stubbs said he had put it out since he had seen Morgan that morning. Witness asked him where he got the gold, and he said, “I got some of it prospecting and some in the old tailrace. In reply to a question as to whether the tailrace was the company’s property the accused said, “Yes.” He also admitted that,the gold was the property of the company. Asked why he took it he said “As a souvenir.” Stubbs did not say anything about anyone else taking gold. Witness saw Gray near the face and said, “I understand you have gold belonging to the company.” Gray admitted taking gold —about a pennyweight at each washing-up. He said he knew something about another man, but he would hot give any further explanation, Gray said he would inquire, and if ho found out that some particular person had “put his pqt on” he would give some information. Mr Joyce: Did Stubbs tell you where this abandoned tailrace was? Witness : Yes ; it would be about ten or

twenty yards away from the present woik It is the company’s property. •*.

It is pot the present fqcc?—Yes. Stubbs produced the bottle and gave you the gold?—Yes. Do you remember him saying he got it out of the cracks?—He said he got it after the washing-up.

Did you make a search of the hut? — No.

Mr Joyce said it was apparent that there could be no case at all against the a"cnsed. Stubbs had been working at the claim for live or six months and the other man for seven 1 months. Both men were now to the gold-mining business and had a good record. It was almost an impossibility to steal gold, and a person had to have a gold dealer’s license before he could Imy it. He admitted that they were guilty of theft, but he considered that a fine would meet the case. , The defendant Stubbs, in the box, stated that lie was a miner and was recently employed by the Hochstefler Company, in whose *ev vice he had been for five or six mouths. It was his first experience of gold-miir'ng. Ho got some of the gold given by him to the constable in an old tailrare and some prospecting “on his own.” The old tailrace was 40 or 50 yards from the place where the Company was working at present. He told Morgan that he got a hit there and would give it to him at any time he wanted it. He intended to mix it and make it into a souvenir? He had never taken or stolen gold from the

Company. Detective-Sergeant Ward (cross-examin-ing); Yon deny saying yon had any gold?

Defendant: I did not know what he was “getting at.” I did deny it.

Did a man named Smith say he had seen yon take it?—Yes, but I said I never did, though t had some gold. Did you tell him then about other men taking ( go]d?—l said I could not swear to anyone. I never professed to know of anyone taking gold. Why did you put the gold you had in the medicine bottle outside the hut?—lt was no good to me and I threw it out with some other bottles. Did you put it out after Mr Morgan spoke to yon?—Yes. Why did you do that?—l just put it there. Why?—l cannot toll yon. Why did you give it to the constable if it was yours?—Because some belonged to me and some to the Company. James Gray, the other defendant, stated that ho had been employed by the Hochstetter Company for about eleven months. It was his first experience of gold-mining. He was asked by Mr Morgan about some gold on the 28th July, and he told him that he had two or three pieces. Morgan was quite satisfied and went away. He did not ask accused for the pieces. The constable then came along and accused informed him that he had the pieces in his pocket. got them'’ out of a crack in the boxes in the tailrace after the washing up. The tailrace had been cleaned up. That was all ho took out. He felt in his pockets, but could not find the gold. He had never stolen gold. Detective-Sergeant Ward (cross-examin-ing) : If each man working in the face took a little gold as a souvenir the Company would not have much left, would they?— I den’t know.

Did you say you knew something about someone else?—l said I knew something about a fellow. You professed to know something about some gold taken from the Company ? —No I said I knew something. * And you were going to inquire in Ahaura, and if a certain man had “put your pot on” yon were going to put his °u I—l1 —I said that it a fellow in Ahaura had said that I stole £3Q worth of gold I would say something about him. do Mr Joyce: Witness said that before he was accused of the theft he heard that it had been said that he took gold. ' Detective-Sergeant Ward said that the prosecution was the first of its kind that had taken place in the district for some years.

The Magistrate; Do you agree with the suggestion that gold is hard to dispose of. Detective-Sergeant Ward: No. Mr Joyce: Everyone has to have a license.

Detective-Sergeant Ward : Quite a number of people get rid of it without being licensed to do so.

The Magistrate : I cannot accede to the suggestion of a souvenir. Stubbs denied taking gold, but on being taxed by the man Smith, who charged him with doing so he admitted it. If he took it as a souvenir it is impossible to find an explanation for hiding it in the rushes. I am satisfied that the gold was stolen from the Company for the purpose of converting it. I have difficulty in considering how. to deal with them. I am quite satisfied that there is a great temptation to men to steal gold. Seeing that there has not been a prosecution for a considerable time, I do not want to deal with the case with severity. It must be understood, however, that though I fix a fine, it is by no means to be taken as granted that .there will be a fine instead of imprisonment in future. A fine of £5 was imposed in each case, and the defendants were ordered to pay witnesses’ expenses.