A WAYWARD YOUTH.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 2776, 18 October 1923, Page 8

A WAYWARD YOUTH.

PLEADS GUILTY TO THEFT’.

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE.

Leonard Crawford, just arrived at man's estate, appeared before Messrs A. J. Graham and G. S, Rumble, J’.sP., at the Police Court yesterday, charged that', on October 8, at Pahiatua, he did stool' a horse, valued at £ls, the property of Herbert Thomas Mexted.

Complainant, a farmer in the Pahiatu% district, said, in evidence, that on October, f he. had a grey gelding grazing on the road in front of his place, and pn, tlie following day received information that the youth had been s£.6» leading- the hdrao away. Witness reported the-mattcr and commenced a search, eventually tracing the animal to Longburn. Witness had never previously seen the accused, neither had he given anyone Instructions to remove the hotse

i John Flajinagan said that- on October 9t a pony was tied up at his gate at LongUurn, and on seeing the accused with the animal, witness in. quired hip' errand, the youth merely asking the road to Fcilding. He stated to witness that- ho had been working for a man who was always drunk, and who made his eldest daughter milk 40 cows. ' After ■ conversing further with accused, witness gave him an old saddle. Accused, however, offered to sell the pony for £3, and witness offered £S 10/, this being accepted. Accused also told witness that his employer Constable Hooker related the circumstances in which he had arrested accused as a result of information supplied. Accused pleaded guilty and was committe'd to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence, ■ MISSING CHURCH MONET. A -second charge preferred against Crawford was that, on or about October 1, at Ballance, he did steal a moneybox and the contents (8/), the property of L. H. Holdaway. Accused pleaded not guilty. Leslie Henry Holdaway, a farmer of Ballance, gave evidence, in which he stated that the accused youth had been in his employ for a period of three months until Sunday, October 7. Witness was superintendent of the Sunday school at Ballance, and was in the habit of keeping the collection money in a money box in the cupboard. On going to the cupboard on the Sunday fnentioned, witness discovered that tho money box, together’ with the contents, a matter of about 3/ had been removed. A thorough search failed to locate the missing money box, until the following day, when It was found in accused’s room. In the mean, time, however, accused had been asked if he knew anything of the money, and had denied knowledge of it. Later he absconded from the farm. Constable Hooker stated that when he had interviewed the accused the latter had made a statement to the effect that in July ho had left the Wernroa farm and had gone to work for Mr Holdaway. On October 7 Ho.ldaway disked him if he knew anything of some missing money from the Sunday school. He knew nothing about it, but gathered from Mr Holdaway's manner that: the latter considered he had taken it. He accordingly left the farm. Accused had also stated that shortly after he went to work, Mr Holdaway had given him a wooden money box.

Senior-Sergeant Fraser said accused had been convicted on two previous occasions far theft.

In his evidence, t'he accused youth said the money box produced had been given to him by Mr Holdaway as ho wished to save up to buy a bicycle. Sendor-Scrgeant Frasor: Why did you run away? Accused: I understood from Mr Holdaway that he thought I stole the money, and I didn't like it. The Senior-Sergeant; You are not a truthful youth, are you?

Accused:.Not always, but this is the truth.

In addressing the accused, Mr Graham said: "Your record is a bad one, and wo consider the only way to deal with you Is to confine you to a lengthy period of detention However, it is nof in our power to do so. You will, therefore be convicted and remanded for a fortnight for sentence.