THE COROMANDEL AMALGAM ROBBERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4371, 16 November 1875, Page 3

THE COROMANDEL AMALGAM ROBBERY.

James Roycroet -was charged with having,' .on the 26th September, feloniously," stolen 588 ozs. of gold amalgam, value £250, the property o£ the Tokatea Gold Mining Com- ■ pany, and James Golding was charged with receiving the:same, knowing it to have been.; stolen. There was no evidence offered' against Golding, and he became the principal witness. We give the report of the evi-: dence . . James Golding, sworn, deposed as follows : I am the owner of the Diggers' Rest Hotel, Coromandel. I know the accused James Roycroft. He has been: a lodger in my house for seven months. He was a lodger on Sunday, the 26th of September last. During the ~s6ven months he was mining he did not pay j me the amount of his board and lodging. On the afternoon of Sunday, the 26th, Roycroft told me there was some amalgam at the Whakaroa battery, and he was going to take it that night. In consequence, I I said, "Be careful; -it is a dangerous joke;" to which he replied, " I will look out for that." About half-past .five or six he had tea with me. Roycroft was about the house' after tea. The bed-room occupied by the ac-. cused is separated by a small passage from my bed-room. The accused went out of my house about half-past 7 or 8 o'clock. I did not see him go ; only missed him from the house. -1 next saw him about half-past nine. Prom that until 10 o'clock saw him at his bed-room door. I did not know he was there until I went out. As I opened my door, the accused said, "Is that you?" I said, "Yes, it is fme," when he said, "By , I thought I was caught!" He said, "I have got that." I asked what it was. He said, " I have got it in a shirt outside, behind a log." He went and brought it into my backyard. It was a very ■dark night. He said, " What will we do with it ?" I said, " Plant it, I suppose." We then went into my back-shed, leaving the parcel in the yard. We got a sugar bag in the shed, and put the amalgam into it and tied the mouth with a leather bootlace. I remarked there was a good lot. He said, " I wish there was more." I picked up the bag, and went towards my garden gate. The accused came as far as the gate, but did not enter the garden. I then dug a hole in the garden, and put in the bag containing the amalgam and covered it up. After doing so I returned, but did not see Roycroft. I concluded he had gone to bed. He told me he got very wet by falling into the creek opposite the New Zealand battery. I was not off my premises that night between the hours of 6 and 10 o'clock. I was not easy in my mind, consequently I was up at 5 a.m. next morning. I went to the garden and dug up the amalgam, which I bad buried the night before, and put it into a sack and brought it into my back yard. The bag produced is the one, and the rope produced is the one I tied round it. I then went out and put it into the shaft on Murphy's Hill. The shaft was abondoned, and nearly three-parts full of water. Upon doing this I returned to my house, and saw Roycroft about seven o'clock the same morning, and told him I had put the amalgam down a shaft. He said it was a very good place. He asked me how we should get it out of there when we wanted it. I said we would require to get grappling irons. He said, " That is all right; it is a very good idea." I described the position of the shaft to Roycroft. I am not aware that the accused ever visited the shaft. I remember seeing Mr. Robinson that morning, and he told me of the robbery. I told Roycroft that Mr. Robinson had been speaking about the robbery. He said he was sorry for Robinson, but it was done too clean for him. Roycroft also asked how wo should get it retorted. I mentioned a retort being at the New Zealand battery that would hold the lot of it. About 10 o'clock there was something said about the races, and that he was going up to train for the cup, and he asked me to lend him £5, which I gave him. I recollect Sergeant Egan calling that day. We were all there talking about the races. After the sergeant left he remarked, " Little did the sergeant think I am the man that took it. " On Tuesday morning the accused told me he had bought some clothing, and wanted me to lend him £5 more. I afterwards saw bim at the Golconda Hotel, and gave him the £5 ; and we parted, he going to Auckland. Somo time after I received a letter from birr? by the hands of a Mr. Glover. That letter has been lo3t. It was a request for £10 % And that he had made 2* match for £6 a-side. I gave Albert Glover the £10 for the accused. I had then given Roycroft £20 altogether, .in addition to the £16 already owing me, "I next saw Koycroft

:on.-or'about. my .'house. He dii not board with., me, but jstayed witn bis brother-in-law. Boycroft 'asked me if I had been to get amalgam. !I said, "No; the shaft was filled up." JRoycroft stayed three or four da.ys at Coro-, imandel at-4hat"time. He said before leaving it would be better to leave the amalgam ;in the shaft for twelve months.