WHOLESALE THIEVED.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14, 17 January 1914, Page 5

WHOLESALE THIEVED.

_ ♦■ POLICE SOLVE A LONG-STAND-ING- PROBLEM.

TWO YOUNG MEN SENT TO GAOL

~— '■ "For a long ttime the Blenheim com- ; munity has been pestered with petty thefts," said Sergeant Hanson in the Magistrate's Court to-day in connec- ; tion with a series of charges brought against two young men named Horace Lacey and Arthur Herbert Orchard. "These thefts," he continued, "have been carried on in wholesale fashion for two years, and though the police , have done their very best they have , been unable until now to trace them ] home. Houses have been robbed, I kitchen safes rifled, coal and firewood ; carried off, and articles taken from motor cars. It has been a regular pest." Lacey was charged with nine separate thefts, committed for the . most; part l>etween August last and the pie- j sent date. The stolen articles j the greater number of which were displayed in Court, are as follows, their values and the names of the owners being subjoined:—One pair of boots, I :255, George Newman; lady's coat, £2 j 10s, Mrs J. Kitching; military canvas : kit bag, 10s, New Zealand Govern- j ment; a paint brush, 2s, J. R. Sharp; j two yards of canvas (cut from a lawn , mower), £1, Yen. Archdeacon Grace;; four linen collars, 2s, owner Unknown; ! oil stove,- 3s 6d, Ernest Middlemiss; j canvas gun cover, 10s 6d, owner tin- j known; Petone rug, £2, owner un-j known. ; j Lacey pleaded guilty in each in- j stance.. I Sergeant Hanson related, that, on j the morning of Monday last Mr , George Newman missed a new pair ot boots that he placed in his wash-house i on the previous night. He informed the police. On .Thursday Constable j Byrne noticed that Lacey, who was; walking across Market Place, was wearing a pair of new boots. He ques-, tioned the accused, who alleged that he wasi given the boots by a man in Charles Street. The constable persisted, and the upshot was that Laeey j was arrested, Mr Newman identifying • his footwear. That incident gave the clue to the problem that had been engaging the attention of the; police for so long a period. When Lacey 3 s room in Charles Street, and Orchard/s house were searched a considerable number of stolen articles were recovered. There was- no doubt that the two had been running together. Sergeant Hanson mentioned .tTiat the rugs were taken from motor cars standing in the street. . In reply to Mr F. 08. Loughnan, S.M., it was.stated that Laeey's age i was 22 years. As far as his occupation -was', concerned he was domg practically nothing, though a ticket of engagement for work .at Moles worth was found on him. . His Worship said that a"-Icing series of crime had been revealed. Nine acts of stealing having been detected, it could safely be deduced that at least twice that number of thefts had , been committed by the accused, jwho had been a perfect, pest to society. . This petty thieving must be stopped., j The accused would be sentenced to one month's imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be cumulative. That meant nine months in the , Wellington gaol, with hard labor. Arthur Herbert Orchard pleaded guilty to the thefts of a pot plant, the property of W. F. Gray, and a screwwrench belonging to L. W. Yarrall. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing on" January 9(!li a rug of j the value of 30s, the property' of George Shipley. Mr T. Scott-Smith, for the- accused, asked for a remand, and Sergeant Hanson opposed the application,". The Magistrate elicited from the accused that he want led a remand so that he might "see into it." He found the rug on the road. . • ' ■'"<■ After further questions, his Wprship said that he could not see that a remand was necessary. The accused sewedl tiops on the rug to use it as a screen, and could not say that he did what any honest man would have done and attempted, to find out who was the owner of the rug. The riig was found in Orchard's, possession, nnd the onus of v accounting.; for it rested/ on •him* ' ■■'■;:: ■■'':/ ■;''■■■'■: {' '"";■'.:' y''<: ■',/>.;:' • "-.'Mr Scotii-Smith remarried that the accused was a married man with children. * His Worship said that the accused | should have tliought of thai before.he committed the thefts. He had been j going about associating'with another j scoundrel, with whom he divided the booty. ■:-.••■. Steirgeant Hanson said.that half of the canvas cut from the lawn mower was found in Orchard's possession. Counsel asked that the accused1 be ordered to come up for sentence When called on. His Worship said tlhat the sentence would be given now, and the accused would be sent to gaol. This .petty thieving must be-stopped. It had hot been safe for a man to leave his gate open or to leave his motor-car on the road. The accused! would be sentenced to flhree months on each of the charges to which he had pleaded guilty. In respect to the third, charge, a remand would be granted if accused wanted it. ' " Finally, on the advice of aV'friend, the accused pleaded guilty to the £hir.d charge.. _ i . Aiurther sentence of three months' imprisonment was imposed, the three „ sentences to be cumulative—nine bmpnths altogether.