AFTER THE PAY-ROLL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 28 September 1927, Page 5

AFTER THE PAY-ROLL

CAUGHT IN THE ACT. CHARGES AGAINST SYRIAN. Palmerston N., Sept. 28. lii the Police Court this morning, Michael Hannah, a Syrian, 23 years old, was charged with breaking aim entering by night the counting-house of the Government on the railway deviation works Senior Detective Quirke told the Bench that it was alleged that the accused had broken into the office at 3 o'clock on the morning of September 21, that being the place from where up till then, men on the deviation had been paid. In evidence William Bell, engineer in charge of the works, stated that acting on information received he and Constable Boyd secreted themselves in the building on the night of September 20. Early next morning they heard a noise of someone breaking into the building and moving about inside- Later they heard the footsteps ot someone running down the road and five minutes later saw the accused in the company ot Detective Barling. A big iron box, usually padlocked, was found broken open and the contents disarranged. The safe contained £5 in cash and cheques and some stamps. No effort had been made to open the safe. Defective Barling deposed to keeping the deviation office under attention on the morning of September 21. He caught the accused, after a chase, near the deviation office. The. accused at once made the statement that he had done the job entire!?/ alone and was after the men’s payroll. but got frightened and ran away. At the police station he said he would not have gone to the deviation but for its being suggested to him The accused was shown gelignite on September 23 that had .beep, found near the office and admitted it hod been taken there for the purpose of blowing open the safe, adding that another person had been concerned - one who claimed to be experienced in the use of explosives. Witness believed this and had his suspicions as to who it was. He did not believe the gelignite was nlaced where found by the accused. The information that an attempt would be made tn break open the office came from several sources. The accused pleaded not guilty and was committed for trial, bail in £3OO being allowed-