GIDDY YOUNG GIRLS

North Otago Times, Issue 13236, 6 March 1915, Page 3

GIDDY YOUNG GIRLS

HOTEL ROBBERY CASE, ACCUSED' CONFESS. " WELLINGTON, March -I. Tlio two girls, Dorothy Seoullar (previously known as Dorothy Soiitcr) and Lesley Ml, : alleged to bo responsible i for the big hotel robbery of February 10 last, appeared 1 before Mr W, U, Kiddell, S.M., i'n tlio Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. ThV charge 'against tiicin was that of stealing £l4l 5s from James Thompspu at the Duke of Edinburgh IlotcJ. Mr T. M. Wiifprd appeared for each of the accused, while Chief-Detective Boddnm prosecuted. James Cunningham Thompson, an actor, said that for the fortnight ending February 20 witness with, his wife ninl rhilil wore staying at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. Between tlio hours of 8 and JQ p.m. witness and his wife were always absent from their room, being at the theatre. On February 15 witness received £l2O, and of this witness gave his wife £!10, and she put it along with some other' money—about £Bs—in a purse in a trunk in the room at the hotel. In the same roon| witness had kept ffifl 5s of his own money in a hamper. At about 2 o'clock on February 17 witness, in consoipiejico if something ho had heard, looked for his money, but it, along with his wife's, had gone. The purses produced were the property of witness and his wife. Altogether the money inisaiiii' totalled £l4l ss. . Continuing his evidence, witness said that while staying at the hotel they had had five different nurse girls, The accused, Seoullar, had been one of them. On February 10, having no nur;,c girl, Hie girl employed by the hotel licensee agreed to watch over their child wkilo witness mid his wife were at the that 011 the evening of February 10 she theatre. Kathleen Josephine Sullivan, nurse girl in the employ of the lieeusee, said was minding Mr and Mrs Thompson's baby. A young girl (Reid) came to the j beilroom and asked, "Was this the room of the lady who wanted a nurse girl/" Witness replied, "Yes, but she's not in now." They were, talking for a while, and the girl asked her to show her to another part of the.house. Witness accompanied her there. The girl asked hJr to stay with her. About five minutes later witness heard the baby crying, and hurried back to the room. When witness went back to the room, the girl. Eeid followed her, and then told her that she would call again in the morning to see Mrs Thompson, and that she lived in Vivian street and her name was Jieid, Esther Timny'ns, clerk at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, said she was in hei dJIJcc at the foot of the stairs on tiie night of February 10. About !) p ; m. fwo strange girls went up the stairs at the hotel. Charles Young, 'taxi-driver, said that in a Wednesday about the middle of February the two girls came to him some time after „j|, o) ~,„[ s!l j ( | t | u)y ivished to hire the car to be taken up she line. They eventually decided to ie motored to Palmerston, the charge icing £lO. W.itucss told them to wait for an hour, and he would havo a ear ■eady, The accused Scouller paid witness £lO, and gave him £2 for chainlagne. Later they asked witness how Mich it would take to carry them to Auckland, Witness told thein it would jc too much. They replied that thev iiad-doiic well at the races and could lay, Detective Mason said that when the :wo accused arrived in Wellington bv :he train Scouller told witness that she mil Heiil had decided to tell the truth ibout the whole matter. Witness warned both that they were not bound to tell him anything, and- that anything :hey said might be used against them. Scouller said that £lO lfis oil ami Reid :hat £0 0s 2d was all the money found )ii them when arrested. Thev'further told him that in addition to* the sum found on them they left in a trunk at the Club Hotel, Palmerstoii, ten Australian pound notes. These had since bceir recovered. When the accused wived at Wellington they had in their J possession live new boxes, containing joods, which they both said thev had purchased at Woodville and Falni'erston ivith part of tlio stolen money. The boxes contained ladies' clothing and fancy goods, etc, Later Scouller said she was sorry she had stolen the money, and that she did not know what possessed her' to steal. To Mr Wilford: lu the boxes which iccuscd brought with them there were aew goods, There were new hats, rallied at about £lO or £ll. The goods ivere valued at about £7O, so that 1111iccouuted for was about £lB. Witness received,the fullest am| freest confession of the theft. The two girls had lortainly made a clean breast of everything, and told a true story. This concluded the evidence, and Mr Wilford said that on behalf of each of the accused he wished to sav they were much indebted to Detective' Mason and Nonstable Tricklebank for tlio way they iiad treated them.' lioth girls pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.