OFFENCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8355, 8 September 1890, Page 10

OFFENCES.

1 The Dunedin detectives succeeded on Saturday night, August 16, in arresting two men suspected of the robbery of a cash-box containing £100 from the Dunedin Savings Bank. The men, who gave their names as Jas. Henry Wilson and Frederick Wilson, are both strangers, and only recently arrived from Melbourne. They are both of respectable appearance, though dressed somewhat loudly. A third man is wanted. Mr. Smith, the manager of tho Savings Bank, has identified them as the two who were at the Bank. One of them

asked for change, when his companion slipped round to the side door, and knocking there attracted the manager's attention while the other, he says, secured the cashbox from the desk at the counter, and bolted. The charge of murder preferred against William Black again occupied the Supreme Court and jury the whole of Wednes- j day, September 3. The evidence lasted until nearly seven o'clock, when the case for the Crown was closed, and the ourt then adjourned until next day. On Sept. 4 the counsel addressed the Court, His Honor summed up, and between six and seven o'clock the jury returned a verdict of "Not Guilty," and the prisoner was at once discharged. On the 26th August Benjamin Davis, and Mary Ann Davis, his wife, were arrested (on warrant) by Detectives Ede and C'hrystal, on a charge of feloniously stealing and carrying away a quantity of goods from the warehouses of T. and S. Motrin and Co., Durham street. Davis was at his duties at the time as head carter of the firm. The arrests caused a profound sensation, as Davis had held a position of trust for many years with the firm, held the keys, and lived in the dwelling at tho rear of the warehouses. A search of the dwelling was made, and miscellaneous goods to the value of £20 were found under the bed, in drawers, and under the staircase, and fully i £20 worth additional have been found ; in various second-hand stores in town, having been disposed of. Among the goods are a bedstead, wire mattress, bird cages (G), lamps, coffee pots, teapots, butter cooler, boilers and saucepans, plated goods and cutlery, mirrors, fire fenders and fireirons, carpenters' tools, pie dishes, enamelled goods, shovels and spades, brooms, picks, coffee mill, axle, preserving jars, cruet stands, sewing machine, &c. On August 21) Detectives andChrystal removed another cartload of ironmongery goods from Benjamin Davis's house, near Morrin and (Jo.'s warehouse, and from the loft of the stable. They were found at the time of Davis's arrest, but not removed to the police station. Mr. Cole, of Morrin and Co. establishment, and a clerk were busy all day on August 29 at the police station, opening the cases, valuing, and making out a list. The total value of goods recovered is estimated at from £450 to £500, and from the variety of goods of every description, they appear to have come from all departments of the warehouse, a couple of 400-gallon iron , tanks being among the articles brought to town from the unoccupied house at Arch- ' hill. The detective force deserve great ' credit for the way in which they have ' worked on and followed up their clues, after the robbery was first unearthed by Detec- j tive Ede. .

Robert McKnight, head bailiff of the Resident Magistrate Court, Christchurch, was found lying dead on the floor of his office, at a quarter to twelve on Sunday, the 31st August. He did not go home on Saturday night. An under-bailiff named Friedman went to the office to look for him, and found hirn dead. The door was not locked. A bottle of strychnine was on the table. The deceased had evidently been dead some time, being cold and stiff. His health had been bad for some time, and he was in financial difficulties. He had been Resident Magistrate bailiff for 19 years. At the inquest on the body the evidence showed that death resulted from strychnine poisoning; that he had been depressed in spirits for some time, and had purchased strychnine on August 20. His accounts were correct. A verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.

l The men arrested at Dunedin on Sept. 1 for being concerned in the disturbances were brought up on Sept. 2. William Reid Kaye, railway employ*!;, for throwing stones, was fined £3 or four days on the first charge, £5 or seven days on the second; John King, for conduct likely to provoke a breach of the peace, was fined £3 or throe days; James Webb was fined £3, and ordered to pay £2 for damaging the constable's uniform, or seven days, and £3 or four days for disorderly conduct, the sentences to follow each other; Jas. Johnston, for obstructing Inspector Moore, was fined £5 or seven days. Mr. Carew then addressed the men, stating that had the magistrates the inclination, they could convict them, and send them to gaol for three months without the option of a fine. They had the power to deal with such offences as indictable, and commit tho accused to the Supreme Court. Emily Shane, aged 19, committed suicide at Invercargill by taking rough on rate at her father's residence. The jury on the inquest on the body found a verdict to the effect that death was caused by poison, self-administered while deceased was in a depressed state of mind. The girl had had a sweetheart with whom she broke off communication, and she had promised to marry another shortly. At Dunedin on Aug. 18, John McClusky, alius McCusker, was committed for trial on the charge of attempted rape. A man named Lloyd, Dunedin, while suffering from drink, attempted suicide by cutting his throat at Branch Creek, near Cadrona. He was removed to the Cromwell j Hospital. '

At the Police Court, Thames, on Saturday morning, the 30th August, Edward Roennau, cabinetmaker, was charged with throwing sulphuric acid upon Robert Clementson, better known as " Black Bob," on the 29th August, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. Upon the application of Sergeant Gillies accused was remanded until Saturday next, bail being allowed, himself in one surety of £100 ana two sureties of £50 each, lb is feared Clcmentson's eyesight is permanenty injured. A well-known Napier lawyer was charged at the Napier Resident Magistrates Court on Sept. 1 with supplying liquor to an engine driver on duty, and was fined £15 and costs. The driver was fined £10 and costs. John William and Alexander Payne were on Aug. 19, at Christchurch, committed for trial at the next sessions for stealing a pocketbook and £40 from a. man named Lemon, who was drunk. ( Edward J. Robinson, an ex-clerk in the Customs department, Wellington, was on August 15 committed for trial on a charge of embezzling various sums of money belonging to the Government. An old man named Johnston, who resides at Moeralii. near Oamaru, and who had admitted to tho police, after a search had been mode on his premises, that he had stolen Foyeral bags of oats, attempted to commit suicide. Ho stood on the edge of a water hole, and, singing out to attract attention, jumped into the water aftor he saw he had been noticed. He was dragged out, when it was found that he had tied a bag of stones around his neck.