THEFT FROM BEDROOM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 119, 16 April 1930, Page 4

THEFT FROM BEDROOM.

WAITRESS FOR SENTENCE. Per Press Association. NELSON, April 15. Doreen Rachel Mackay, aged .18, a waitress, was arrested by Detective F. Sinclair and Constable Lake' on Saturday afternoon last and appeared at the Courthouse at Takaka.io-day. She was charged with, on April 7, at I'akaka, setting fire to certain substances and articles of clothing in the J unction Hotel, thus rendernig the building liable to catch fire. She was also charged with the theft of £l2 in money and goods to the- value of £ll 15s 6d, the property of Rona Cross, a school teacher. Rona Cross stated in evidence that she left her room at ’about eight in the morning and on returning in the afternoon learned that a fire had taken place in her room and that ihe bedclothes were saturated with kerosene. : *

May Reilly, a pantrymaid, said that she saw smoke coming out of the window of Miss Cross’s room. She immediately gave the alarm. ' Alice Herdman, licensee of the hotel, gave evidence as to finding some clothing burning. ' . ' . Detective Sinclair said that he interviewed accused on Saturday afternoon, when the girl admitted taking money and clothing belonging to Miss Cross, and also to putting kerosene in the bedroom and setting fire to it to cover her tracks. r |he detective produced the following statement by accused: “On Monday afternoon I went into Miss Cross’s room, ar.d took some of her cloth.-g and £5. I was wanting a coat, and so took the money. I took clothing from Miss Cross’s room and put it in my case and in tho evening I took some of the clothing and hid it outside. I threw the purse .away and kept tho money. I put some kerosene in a drawer and set fire to it.’’

Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court »t Wellington for sentence.