LOSS OF PEARLS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 47, 24 January 1939, Page 9

LOSS OF PEARLS.

CASE AT AUCKLAND. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, dan. 23. A 19-year-old girl appeared in the Magistrate’s Court to-day charged with the theft of a pearl necklace, valued at £265, the property of Lady Mary Isabel Jlav Allen, wife of Sir Stephen Allen, of Remuera Road. The girl, who pleaded not guiltv through Mr Trevor Henry, was committed to the Supremo Court for trial, and her name was ordered to be suppressed in the meantime. Detective-Sergeant Nalder conducted the ease for the police. In her evidence Lady Allen said she entered a private hospital in Auckland as a patient on duly 23, and on this occasion she was wearing a string of cultured pearls and a string of genuine pearls. She was the only occupant of the room, and, on entering the hospital, she took both strings of pearls off and put them in the drawer ol her dressing-table. She became seriously ill and was at tho hospital till September 27, and during that time site did not look at the pearls. When she left she had the cultured pearls, blit tho genuine ones could not ho found. They were insured for £265 and the string contained 193 pearls, with a platinum and diamond clasp. Lady Allen said she recognised accused as a girl who had been employed at the hospital and who, on occasions, had access to witness’s room.

A nursing sister at the hospital, in charge of the floor on which Lady Allen’s room had been situated, said that as a result of information she had searched Lady Allen's room for the string of pearls, which could not be found. Accused was employed as a probationary nurse at the hospital for about two months.

ALLEGEDLY THROWN INTO EIRE

Evidence was also given by a tram conductor, Albert Laurence Bailey, who said ho first met accused on a tram in August. He remembered a visit paid to his home by accused about the beginning of September. His mother and sister were living with him at the time. He noticed accused was wearing a string of pearls round her neck. During the evening she removed the pearls and handed them to his mother, and said she thought they were valuable. While accused was handling the pearls tho string broke. She became a little annoyed and threw them in the fire.

Detective-Sergeant Nalder: Did they all go in the fire? Witness: No, I picked up a few and put them on the mantelpiece. Do you know what happened to them after that?—No.

Detective Quinn told of a search he had made for the pearls. He had visited the home of Bailey and had examined the fireplace, which had been swept out, and also ashes thrown out on to a garden at the back of tho house. _Detective Finlay, who is stationed in Whangaroi, said he saw .accused in an hotel in Kaihu and told her that he was making inquiries about a pearl necklace lost or stolen from a hospital in Auckland. She said she knew nothing about it. She said she sometimes attended to the flowers in Lady Allen’s room and was sometimes there when there was no third person present. Accused broke down when being further questioned, witness continued, and. upon composing herself, said she would make an explanation. In the course of a statement, said to have been made by accused and read by witness, accused said tlrat one afternoon she saw a string of pearls on the dressing-table while Lady Allen was out on the balcony. Accused was going to a dance that night and wore the pearls. She did not know their value. When visiting Bailey’s house one evening she broke the string and, becoming annoyed about something Bailey had said, she threw some of the pearls on the fire. She did not keep any, and thought they wore artificial pearl beads. Later, accused said, she had thrown the diamond clasp on tho fire with the pearls, witness said.

Accused was committed to the Supreme. Court for trial. Bail of £25, with one surety of £25, was allowed.