BETS WITH POLICE

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 15 August 1929, Page 6

BETS WITH POLICE

MARKED COINS TAKEN.

TRAP SET AT HAWERA. GAMING ACT BREACHES. Marked coins tendered by a constable in plain clothes, and said to have been accepted by Herbert Allen, billiard saloon keeper of Hawera, in making a bet upon a hor.se competing at the Wellington races last month figured in the Hawera Court yesterday when evidence was presented before Air J. H. Salmon, S.AL, on the adjourned charges against Allen alleging breaches of the Gaming Act. Allen was charged with (a) carrying on the business of a bookmaker at Hawera on June 22 (b) being in High Street for the purpose of betting on the same dateand (e) with keeping a common gaming house in Princes Street on July 13.

The prosecution was conducted by Detective A. 13. Aleiklejohn, and Air T. H- A. Kinmont appeared for defendant, who pleaded not guilty to the latter two charges, evidence on which was proceeded with, while the firstmentioned charge, involving an indictable offence, was deferred Constable E. C. Lockie said that from .May 22 to July 15 he was on plain clothes duty in Taranaki, and paid visits to Allen’s billiard saloon. On June 15 lie asked concerning a horse Bold Front at the Napier Park races. Defendant looked at a daily paper, and told witness that Bold Front was engaged in two events. KING AIANU PREFERRED. Witness was about to leave the saloon when lie was reminded byAilen that if he wanted to bet on Bold Front .lie had better not leave it too late, as the horse was in two races. Witness looked through the acceptances for Napier Park, and said he would leave Bold Front alone, am told Allen he would put 10s on Ring Mann, in the Greenmeadows Hanciicap. Witness handed the 10s to Allen, who out the money in bis pocketWitness asked for a day card. Allen replied: “If I keep day cards I look 100 much like a bookmaker.” On June 22 witness met Allen in High Street- at about 9.30 a.m. Allen wa's on bis way to work. Witness said he wanted 10s on Singleton at Napier Park on that- day nithe Grccnhill Handicap. Allen accepted the 10s and replied “Right 0.” Allen bad reminded witness that ne owed for three games of snooker played in the billiard saloon the previous evening. Witness handed over 2s, and Allen said it would be square. At. about- 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, Julv 13, witness entered the billiard saloon and perused the Wellington acceptances in a newspaper. He told Allen to put 10s on Kawini, and ii that should be scratched to put it on Glendowie in the same race. Me handed Allen three two, shilling pieces, a half-crown, a shilling and a sixpence. MARKED BY DETECTIVE, ' Three days previously the coins had been marked slightly by Detective Aleiklejohn in the presence of witness. No suggestion had been raised that witness should put the money on with anyone else. Cross-examined by AD Kinmont, witness said Allen had merely accepted the bets referred to, and no agreement had been made as to dividends to he paid if any. Allen had made no entries in a hook of any sort. “Your memory is not as fresh as it should he,” said counsel during ensuing cross-examination. “You have to refer to your notebook too often.” Mr Kinmont: “Did you tell Allen vour name?” —Witness: “No.”

“What did you call yourself?”— 1 ‘Darkle’ ’

“Did you tell Allen your occupation?” —“1 couldn’t tell him I was a policeman. I said T was navvying at Tangaralcau.” “You call vourself a sport?”— “Yes.” PREMISES SEARCHED.

Sergeant Henry said that at 2.15 p.m. on July 13, the third day of the Wellington races, lie visited Allen’s saloon in company with Constables I Demin and Thomason to execute a search warrapt. Witness told Allen the warrant was in connection with suspected Ijookmaking and read the warrant ,to him. Allen emptied Ids pockets on to one of the billiard tables. Fifteen shillings taken from one pocket he said were the day’s takings, and .€39 taken from another pocket lie said represented several days’ takings. He also put out a day card of the races, showing the starting times and marked with the first and second plaoings in races already run. Witness then searched Allen. He found a card of the second day of the Wellington races showing the results and totalisator dividends, first placings being indicated by a ring and second by crosses. On the back of the card two sets of figures were marked, and there was also an inscription, “Ted 155.” The first-mentioned figures would probably refer to the dividends paid on the Petone Handicap. In a drawer the Sergeant found another £2 in money. This* Allen said, was change. Witness found a number of small notebooks in a bookcase. One contained an entry, “Sagittarius and Monoglian 55,” with a name. Another entry was “New Plymouth, Anolo and Denier,” and “Monoghau and Monsogne.” FIVE POINTS IN. Another entry was: “20s, Taranaki,' five points in. blue, draw no bet, Sam C.” On December 22, in company with Constable Lenun, witness warned Allen that if lie did not cease betting he (witness) would object to his billiard room license, which expired in March. of the following year. Allen replied ithat he would “cut the game out altogether.”

On the occask>n of the visit of July 13 witness took the money, found on defendant. This was shown to Detective Meiklejohn when the latter came to liawera. five days later. The detective referred to a marked sixpence which witness handed to the court as an exhibit. From among the coins Allen had referred to as change the detective pointed out three marked two-shilling pieces, a marked half'crown, a skilling l and a sixpence. Those were also handed l to the Court, The coins were sealed up in an envelope and remained in his possession until the day the evidence was presented to the court, said the sergeant to Mr. Kinmont. Dotcctive Meiklejohn stated in evidence that on June 19 he had marked the coins produced in court and handed them to .Constable Loolcie. The latter didi not see the manner of marking. The detective corroborated the

evidence of the sergeant concerning liis recognition 'of the marked coins among those taken from Allen. MARKINGS EXPLAINED. The coins were marked “AM "’ < ;n the tail side, and “20” upside down under the sovereign s head. 1 lie clay cards found by the sergeant were similar to those usually carried by bookmakers and were similarly marked. Cross-examined, the deteetuve. said he had marked only 10s worth of corns. The.se were handed to Constable Cockle with instructions. He had taken the numbers of certain notes, but nan notmarked them. The marked coins were the only ones he had used for such a purpose' in 'Taranaki thus year This concluded the evidence for the prosecution. •‘DARKIE" REMEMBERED. He remembered the man lie knew as “Darkie” coming to the saloon some time in the early part of June, .said defendant iin evidence. ••Darkie" .looked at the paper. He Subsequently seemed to regard the place a.s a library, as lie always looked at the papi’ir with particular reference to the sporung pages. Defendant coufid not recollect receiving 10s for a hot specifically on lving Mona., though lie remembered lie bad been asked by "Darkie” to place a bet, and admitted he had placed iilt elsewhere. Dn the third, day of the Wellington races, he had also placed a bet e/isewhore for “Darkie” on he thought, “a thing called Kawini,” but he had no iwo I lect ion of a bet ol any kind on June 22. when lie accepted the 2s from ‘•Darkre’’ tin payment for snooker. Defendant had been interested in sporting at one time, hut had not done so recently. The day cards referred to were sometimes brought in by visitors to the saloon. •Detective Melik lejohn : “ Who did you place the bets with for the conseable?” Witness: “Ob, a. man in the town, hut I don’t want to bring him into it.” “You lefuse to divulge his name-' — “Yes.”

Defendant denied that he went round the hotels on race days, or that lie had been warned off a particular hotel because of Ills having taken bets. He admitted that sums of money marked on the cards produced may have been dividends, but said lie received no wires concerning dividends. Re did not. know how the entries came to he on the cards. Somebody may have told him. He may have written the times. “I see lio reason at all to disbelieve the evidence concerning the het.s made by a constable detailed for the duty. and that concerning the when certain documents were found,” sa'd the magistrate: in reviewing the case. He thought the evidence .given by defendant was “pitiable.” On the charge of keeping a. common gaming house defendant was fined £SO and: costs, and on the charge of betting in the street be was convicted and diuohairgodi. , . ~ , , Detective • Moiklojolin then intimated that no evidence on the hdokmal4|iu> count would be) presented, and that charge was dismissed.