ALLEGED THEFT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 49, 14 October 1918, Page 3

ALLEGED THEFT.

A .WOOD MERCHANT’S COMPLAINT. CHARGE DISMISSED. At the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday George James Griffiths ' was i charged before Mr J. g. Barton, S.M. with the theft of firewood to the j yahio of 5s Gd, on Friday. Mr J. | Wanchop appeared for the accused, j v rank I. Lowndes, the complain- ; stated that lie had been cuil)- | ,4 considerable annoyance by j th 0 theft of firewood. He saw the j accused within 130 to 150 yards of his premise's about 4.30 a.m. 'on the day m question. Witness went into the yard l and noticed that some firewood had been removed. The timber was j similar to that produced and com- ■ P. rlsod 9-inch riniu firewood blocks. J 1' i Oin the appearance of the heap he j could seo that a hag or a bag and a ; nMf °f wood had been taken. | Neither the accused nor anyone else I had authority to remove the wood. Complainant had taken an order j from the accused but had never dcj liverod any wood to him. { Replying to, Mr Wauchop witness | -stated that he" was uositive that the 1 ; man he saw at 4.30 "a.m. was the ac- ; cu'ved who was going from the beach l in t] 'c direction of his house. When : lie saw the accused witness was on | the corner of Awapuni road and i Grey -Street. He was positive that ! Griffiths was the man because lie ; saw him go through the gate of his |II 011 SG. j Richard F. Lowndes stated that lie i was in charge of the yard in Grey ! street. Ho left a stack of wood in i the yard on Thursday night and wlien ; he arrived on Friday morning about j a bag and a half was missing. The • a 2? called at, the Lowe street office on Friday afternoon and later ( in the day told witness he had or- : dered two hags which lie wanted I scut to the house as soon as possible because his wife had only beach wood I and it was not too dry. Witness said that lie told the accused that lie ; would try and get it clown before 5 o’clock but the wood was never delivered. > , Detective McLeod stated that, acting on a search warrant, lie informed the accused that lie intended to search the, house. The accused was also informed that he was suspected !of stealing coal from the railway yard. Griffiths replied that lie did not have a bit of coal or wood in tlie place and had just ordered some. Witness searched the house and outbuilclingh but could not find any wood or coal. He looked under the Ihius c and _saw a bag containing about eight or nine blocks (produced) under the- house' a short distance from the side. Witness told him he suspected it was the, wood taken from Lowndes’ that morning and the accused replied that lie did not known how it came there. The son of the accused said it was wood which had been got from a man named Nelson some time ago. Mr Wauclicp (erebs-oxamining): You were in the vicinity in the early morning P Witness: Well, no. I was on another job. Mr War.chop said that tlie police case, it seemed, must fail as there was- no direct evidence on which tlie accused could be convicted. Tlie- Magistrate stated that, there was a case to answer though it was certainly not a strong one. Phillip George Griffith!*, a wharf laborer, son of the accused, stated that his father was invariably an early riser. Two or three sacks of wood were brought to the house two or three months ago but witness- did not know that the wood was under tb 0 house. The family had been using beach wood for the past week. Cross-examined by Detective- McLeod witness stated that his brotner got the wood from a friend of Ins, who was a carter. The Magistrate said lie had very strong suspicions hut tlie evidence was not- quite strong enough for a conviction. It was possible that Lie wood was genuinely forgotten, ahe case was dismissed.