LOSS OF £l4.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4813, 9 March 1918, Page 3

LOSS OF £l4.

BED-MATE: SUSPECTED. SENT TO TRIAL AT THE SUPREME COURT. When'John Wynn was placed in the dock of the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning charged with the theft of £l4 in money, the property of Christian Christensen, Jie' preferred to be dealt with by the Supreme Court. The Magisterial trial was conducted by Mr \V. A. Barton, S.M., while Detective McLeod represented the police. Christian Christensen, laborer, Gisborne, said that- on March 4, the accused and he occupied the same room and same bed at the Albion Hotel. During the afternoon of March 4. fciso | accused borrowed 10s from witness to | bu v a pair of pants. About 9.80 p.m. i accused and he went to bed. Wit- ! ness left his trousers which contain- , ed a purse containing £l4 in the 1 room. Witness was awakened ; about 10.30 or 10 o’clock, by hearing | a noise and on looking up he saw ! the accused fumbling about his (witness’s) vest pocket. The accused had taken his watch and chain out of j this pocket. Witness asked: “Have | you been searching my pockets?’ The accused made no reply. V* itj ness got up. put on his trousers, and : found that liis purse'and money were gone. Witness declared the accused ■ had been through bis pockets, but accused denied this, Witness asked j “Where is niy money gone to?” Accused replied ; “There was a man in the room.” Witness asked “Why did you not call me?” The accused was . not dressed when witness saw him. j To his Worship : Witness was sober ■ when lie went to bed, but the accused was not quite sober. Witness shut the door when he retired, and noticed .when lie awoke that it. was a little • open. j To Dectectivo McLeod: The purse ■ produced belonged to him and had contained his money. i Frederick George Jones, head bar- ; man at the Albion Hotel, said he 1 saw the accused going upstairs hcj tween 9 and 9.30', and did not see him come down again that night. , i ness was about till about 10 o’clock. | William Charles Dickinson, porter at the Albion Hotel, said he was on duty" at 2.30 a.m. on the sth. "Witness found a purse* in one of the corI riilors of the top story of the hob*^ ; The parse (produced) was the • one- ; He found it under one of the car- ; pet runners. The corridor was on the , same floor as was situated the room ' occupied by the accused and Christ- ! ensen, and about" a chain and a-half ; from their door. j Constable Gartley said that he I went to the Albion Hotel at 10.00 i p.m. on the 4th inst. He went to j the room occupied by Christensen I and the accused. Christensen inj formed witness of his loss, £ls, and i charged the accused with taking it. - The accused declared he knew noth- ! ing of the money. Witness asked , him why he had been handling Christ- | ensen’s clothing and he replied he j had seen a niaii in the room, and knowing Christensen had a watch J and chain in his pocket he was getting it to put under the pillow for ’ safe keeping. Witness searched the . accused, the bedroom and corridor, ■ but found no trace of the money. The accused had been drinking, but ; was then sober enough to know what jhe was doing. Shortly after witness ! left the hotel the accused was put out. About midnight witness was accosted by accused, and as the. re- ' suit of his manner witness locked him ,up for drunkenness. In the cell that I morning, accused told witness he had j not been in bed at all previous to the ! complaint. He said he had been : about down-stairs, went up to go to , j bed. and met a strange man leaving the room. When he got- into the room Christensen was asleep, and knowing he had a watch and chain m his keeping, went to get it and put it under the pillow for safe keepingWitness stated that when he got to the room about eleven o’clock, the accused was in bed and there was every indication of his having been there some time. , , . Detective McLeod stated that he interviewed the accused regarding the alleged theft. He stated he knew nothing whatever about it. but when he was going to bed about 9.30, lie saw a man, whom he did not know, leaving Christensen’s room. As Christensen was asleep accused saul ho went to Christensen's clothes to put his watch and chain safe,. and while doing so Christensen awoke. Accused denied that lie was in bed with i Christensen, at 9.30 and also that he was not dressed when Christensen awoke. Later on in the day, witness arrested the accused on the present charge. No trace of the stolen ' money had been found. When ar- ’ rested the accused had 2s' in Ins pos--1 session. ... His 'Worship was- of the opinion 1 that a prima facia case had been made out, and committed the ac- ! cused to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail w r as allowed, self £IOO and one •surety of £IOO or two of £SO. “Don’t want bail,” muttered the accused as he left the dock.