ROBBERY AT THE NAVAL AND FAMILY HOTEL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9098, 5 July 1888, Page 3

ROBBERY AT THE NAVAL AND FAMILY HOTEL.

At the Police Court yesterday the robbery case at the Naval and Family Hotel, corner of Karangahape Road and Pitt-street, in which Wm. Noble and George Stoddart alias Stewart were charged with stealing £117 in money from the above hotel on the 23rd June, the property of Patrick Brodie, licensee of the hotel, was again resumed before Mr. H. C. Baddeley, R.M. Sergeant Gamble conducted the case for the police, and Mr. W. J. Napier appeared for the defence.

Elizabeth Brodie, daughter of Patrick Brodie, licensee of the hotel, deposed, on June 21, witness was in the hotel, and about five o'clock she cashed a note of £5 from Mr. David Keane. When she first got the note, she thought it was a £1 note, and brought 20s in change down. The note was put with other notes in a drawer in her mother's bedroom. When she came down with the change, her brother told her it was a £5 note, and witness went upstairs again and found it was a £5 note, and she returned again with five single notes. They were given to Mr. Keane. Witness next saw the no'.d on Juno 27, s»bout halfpast five o'clock p.m. It was then in Detective Tuohy's possession, in the Naval and Family Hotel. The note was on the Union Bank of Australia, but witness was not certain as to the bank of issue. [The note was here identified.] On the evening of Thursday, the 14th June, witness was in the bar, and particularly remarked one sixpence in the till of the hotel, as it had a piece of metal on the back, and looked as if it had been used as an earring. [The sixpence was produced amongst a lot of other silver, and selected by the witnoss.] Witness also pointed the sixpence out to her mother. Witness next, saw the sixpence on the 27th, in the possession of Detective McGrath. Mr. Napier cross-examined, but did not shake the witness's evidence.

Patrick Brodie, jun., son of the licensee of the Naval and Family Hotel, deposed that he had charge of the bar of the hotel on June !9th. Witness noted a peculiar "sovereign." It was dated 1837, had a peculiar coat of arms, the date being on the same side as the coat of arms. The word "Gulielmus" and four ones (William IV.) He never saw one like it before, and noticed it particularly. The attention of witness was drawn to it as a curiosity. A number of sovereigns were hero produced, and the particular sovereign spoken of identified. In cross-examination witness said the peculiarity in the coat of arms was its size, its distinctiveness; also the date was not under the head.

David Keane, Cross-street, Newton, spoke as to the identity of the £3 note. Andrew Johnston, cab owner, said he was at the South British Insurance office when two men came to him on June 23, about half-past ten o'clock in the evening, and asked witness to drive them to the Harp of Erin. One of them wanted to go to Chaafe's stables. Witness drove down to the stables, behind the grandstand at Ellerslie. They left him about 150 or 200 yards from the stables, and went across the paddock towards Mr. Chaafe's house. The witness believed the prisoners were the two men, but would not swear it. When they came back, Stoddart said he did not see Mr. Chaafe. They gob into the cab, and witness drove them to the Clarendon Hotel. They got back about half-past twelve. In cross-examination witness said he was shown six or eight men in a cell at the police station. Witness then said he believed " that is the man in light clothes (Noble) who paid me," but he would not

s-?ear to them, as he had taken no particular notice of their dress.

John Chaafe testified he was a trainer at Ellerslie. He knew the prisoners, one by the name of Noble, the other by the name of Stewart. Noble had been to witness's house, previous to June 23rd, once. There were races at Epsom on June 23rd. Witness went to bed on that evening about half-past nine. He was awakened by his wife about twenty minutes past eleven p.m. and heard someone knocking at the door. Witness asked, "Who is there?" Noble replied, "Is that you, Jack ?" Witness then unlocked the door,. which was pushed open, and the two prisoners entered, and went into the front room. Witness did not ask them in. - They walked in pretty quickly. There was no light, as a girl was sleeping in this room. Witness told them to come out of the room, and they did so. They went through the hall and kitchen into the boys' dining-room at the rear of the house. Witness went and got a candle. Noble then said " I have a parcel I want you to take care of for a few days." Stewart was then tying it up on the table in a white handkerchief. Witness replied "All right," and they then left the house at once, leaving the parcel on the table: The two men appeared to be excited. Witness had seen obld*at the races that day at a distance. Witness locked the door after they left, but unlocked it afterwards. Witness watched them through the door till they got to the trees, but could see them no further. He afterwards saw the cab drive away. Witness dropped the parcel the prisoners had left into a "nosebag " hanging against the wall, without opening it, and went to bed. He rose on the morning of the 24th at five o'clock, and took the parcel out of the bag, and put it on the table, and as he did so he felt something like coins in it, and could see notes through the corners. He'then called Thomas Brimmer, a boy in his(witness's) employ, and gave him the parcel the prisoners had left. ' It was then, to the best of his knowledge, in the same state as it was left by the prisoners, and told him to take it to the police station, and give -it to the sergeant. The boy left for town. In crossexamination, the witness said he did not like the look of the parcel, or its feol. Witness did' not know the prisoners intimately. He knew Noble. He had had a little business with them during the last three months. He knew Noble so well that recently he had gone on his bond for £40. The prisoners were racing and betting men, and. made money in this way, and it was from their being at the races that witness had come to know them. Witness had never handled their money or received thentakings at the end of a day's racing. He had never received money from them, and hadnot received ■ the sum of £45 from them in May last. [Mr. Napier here handed in a receipt signed by "John Chaafe," which signature the witness admitted to be his. The receipt read as follows :—" Ellerslie, May 25, 1888. Received from Wm. Noble the sum of £45 for a pair of trotting ponies, viz., one chestnut gelding ' Traveller,' and one creamy gelding ' Tipau.'— Chaafe."] Witness said he had never received the money, although he had given Noble the ponies and the receipt. Witness also said he told Brimmer to take the parcel into the police station, and to tell the Sergeant he had found it on the road to Wattie's. This was not a lie, but it was not true, as he also told the boy to tell the sergeant he was coming in himself. Witness was not drinking at the Naval and Family Hotel on the Saturday night. He spent the night at home, and was not in Auckland at all on that day. Witness never examined the parcel at all. Witness had never had any kind of a partnership or agreement with Noble or Stewart to share betting results. The ponies were not delivered to Noble, and are out at his paddocks now. They are Coble's property when he gives witness the money. In re-examination, witness said he told the boy to tell the sergeant he had found it on the road to Wattie's, because he wanted to tell Detective Tuohy himself the facts. By the Bench: The reason why he gave the receipt for the ponies before getting the money was because they wanted it. There was no other reason.

Thomas Brimmer said he was manager for Mr. John Chaafe at Bllerslie. .Witness then went on to confirm Mr. Chaafe's statement as to the parcel being sent to Auckland. This parcel witness delivered to Sergeant Lyons in the same state as it was when he received it from Mr. Chaafe. In crossexamination, witness said he did not find the parcel on the road to Wattie's, but he told Sergeant Lyons ha did find it on the road to Wattie's. This was a falsehood. Mr. Chaafe had never told witness to tell a lie before. Witness knew it was wrong to tell a lie. He did not look into the parcel, nor peep into it on the road. By the Bench: After witness had delivered the parcel to Sergeant Lyons, the latter opened the parcel, and counted the money. Witness saw nothing but money and newspaper. Sergeant Lyons deposed that on the morning of the 24th June the last witness brought a parcel in a white handkerchief to the police station. He examined it, and found it contained £102 12s 9d in notes, gold, and silver. Witness handed the parcel over to Detective Tuohy at nine a.m. the same day. Detective McGrath deposed that on the '23rd Mrs. Brodie made a statement to him, and in consequence of this witness and Detective Tuohy made inquiries, and about one o'clock on Sunday, the 24th June last, he met Detective Tuohy with a man named Noble. ' Witness then went on to confirm Detective Tuohy's evidence as already given. This was the case for the prosecution. Mr. Napier said he would reserve the defence.

The Resident Magistrate then committed the prisoners to take their trial at the next sessions of the Supreme Court. Mr. : Napier asked for bail for Stewart. The Resident Magistrate granted this, in accused's own recognisances of £300, and two sureties of £130 each.