AN ADVENTURER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXII, 16 May 1912, Page 7

AN ADVENTURER.

RECEIVES THREE MONTHS' HARD LABOUR. VY TBLB-RAPH— PKEBB ASSOCIATION AUCKLAND, May 15. Keith Russell Jones, a well dressed young fel'ow of 23 who had come only recently from Sydney, admitted to Mr Cutten, S.M., at the Police Court this morning, that he had stolen £7 10s from a room in one hotel and a chequebook and purse containing £1 from bedrooms in another hotel. The history given of the man by Chief Detective Marsack was unusual. He had arrived in Auckland about three months ago, and been for a time employed canvassing for a photographer, and later as a steward on a small coastal boat. He had arranged to be married to a young lady on Ist May, but the bride waited for him at the church and he failed to turn up. He stayed at the hotel for a time, and, while there (also on the fateful May Day when due to be otherwise engaged), he entered another boarder's room and stole £7 10s He moved to an hotel in Newmarket, and while there took a room mate's cheque book and also stole from a servant girl's room a purse containing £1. At one period of his gay Auckland experience he took a fancy for motoring, and in a joyful occupation, ran up a bill of £5 10s with a taxi owner. He paid the bill with William AVoodend's money captured at the AVaverley Hotel. Accused, who appeared to have little sense of responsibility, explained that he committed the thefts because he was stranded and the taxi man was pressing in his demand. He added incidentally that he had private reasons .for not meeting his expected bride at church, and said he had given her notice in time to have prevented her going there. He said he was a traveller, but he had been studying accountancy, and he had been drawn to New Zealand by a desire to see a young lady in the South Island. His AVorship said he could not help a young man who committed theft after theft in the way accused had done. He would be sentenced to three months' hard labour.