DE LA SEACORD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 August 1924, Page 4

DE LA SEACORD.

CONCURRENT SENTENCES MAKE THREE MONTHS. THEFT AND OTHER! CHARGES. “With a sense of deepest humiliation I plead guilty to the charge laid against me,” said Alexander Clifford James Welsh, better known to. the New Plymouth public as “H. de la Seacord, civil engineer and special Eastern correspondent of the Sydney Daily Telegraph,” in answer to a charge of being an idle and disorderly person with insufficient visible lawful means of support which was preferred against him, before- Mr. A. M. Mowlem; S.M., in the Magistrate’s Cburt yesterday. He was convicted and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. r ... ■ Four other charges were also made, two_ under the Arms Act and two of tliett Under the Arms Act Welsh uas charged with being in. possession ol a seven-chambered .22 calibre revolver for a longer period than seven days .-pthout- being the registered °? ner « an “ procuring possession of * firearm without having .a permit. Further he was charged with having stolen at Hawera on Deember 8, 1923 a suit of canvas clothes, valued' at £1 IDs, the property of Robert P, Morrissey and, at Tahora, with having stoJen a pair of tan boots, valued at £2 the property of Wm. Kerr. \\elsh also nleaded guilty to these charges, and he was convicted and fined £1 on the first, in default 24 hours imprisonment, and on the second he was also fined £l. i n default 48 hours imprisonment, an order being made confiscating the revolver. Un each of the charges of theft Welsh was convicted and sentenced to two months imprisonment, and an order was made for the return of the goods to their rightful owners. The sentences are to run concurrently. ns 'T er I t ° tlie , 9 ue stion as to whether lie had anything to say, Welsh again said: sn

, w ith the sense of deepest humiliation that I find myself in my whaT'theS 0 ?-- J* » wwrt u hat the detective has said of the cirtff tT®* ° f case - Furt her than that I have nothing to say, but leave SXf » entlrely to the of the , ‘‘ B “ t thi . s is not the first time you have been in the clutches of the law ” said the Magistrate. ’ Prisoner : “Unfortunatly not. This is a lapse after three years.” stShf M f aglS j£ ate: If you can run straight for three years, why not for

m F ri f oner : 1 got into the company of is the "-SV£ The two years’ reformative treat'S to l,a '-6 Had much offemjes “ y ° Ur tinS h ’ M h ° s P« a . ks rather indisdone tli/wh I so H iethln S about having mote‘tT’ “f^ eytheP Sb’lie SVte through the country living on the stupidftv ° f °v er P e °P le 7- 1 almost said faw tIL Y ? U hav ® been taken at tace value and you have abused the kindness, of the public.’’ “K A aVe abused 'the kindness of retribution f .^ lly P repar ed to make mbution, said the prisoner. The Magistrate: “How can you do that when you have not got twopenoe in your pocket?” * mopenoe “I still possess the ability to earn my living, ’ answered the prisoner In imposing the sentences above mentioned Mr. Mowlem warned the Mm 0n a e /ain th be * befoX mm again he would get the full term of reformative treatment. I will endeavour not to abuse the —Hera"/™ P aCe<J in me -” said Welsh.