POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15500, 6 January 1914, Page 5

POLICE COURT NEWS.

ALLEGED LIQUOR THEFT.

EARLY MORNING INCIDENT.

ACCUSED DENIES CHARGE.

An incident in the early hours of December 21, resulted in Walter Kenny appearing at the Police Court yesterday 'before Messrs. 0. J. Sturge and J. Shanaghan, J.P.'s, charged with the theft of some liquor. Joseph Scholium, licensee of the Shakespeare Hotel, stated that the police awakened him at about 4 a.m. on December 21 and informed him that his private bar had been entered. An investigation showed that the window, which had been closed all the previous day, was open, and at leaf four bottles of whisky were missing. He valued the four bottles at £1.

Constable McLean said that at about 4 a.m. on the date in question he paused in his beat opposite the hotel, and his attention was caught by the sound of a window being opened. Immediately afterwards he saw a dark form emerging through the window of a private bar, and on crossing the road found tho accused half through the window. The man remarked, "What do vou want me for? I was only lying her.!." He had four bottles of whisky with him, one of which was broken while lie was being arrested. A man who had been walking up and down on the other side of the road gave a whistle and .ran away. The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bati was allowed in £100 and two sureties of £50 each. A COOK'S LAPSE.

A middle-aged woman named Emily Warden denied having stolen a quantity of print, valued at 8s 3d, from Annie Megan, and a gold ring, a purse, and four keys, valued at 255, from Evangeline Rouse. The evidence showed that the accused had been working for a few days as cook at Mrs. Megan s boardinghouse, and a search after the print was missed revealed it in the accused's box. With regard to the theft of the other articles, Miss Rouse, a housemaid at the boardinghouse, said that the accused had come to her room early one morning and had started making objectionable statements about Mrs. Megan. Witness went for the latter, and the accused was ejected, and the articles wei» missed a few minutes later. Afterwards the ring was discovered in a second-hand shop, where the accused had sold it for ss.

In the course of a rambling statement, the accused said that she had taken, the print by mistake with another piece of her own. and had meant to return it, but she had become unwell after partaking of some gin, and the detectives had apprehended her before she could take' it back. The ring she had taken because there were wages owing to her, and Miss Rouse had a clock belonging to her. Bring "hard up" she had sold the ring, but intended to buy it back and return it when she recovered her own posr-essions. The accused was sentenced to one month's imprisonment on each charge, the terms to run concurrently. BOOK THAT DISAPPEARED. The theft of a volume of Browning's poems, valued at 10s, was alleged against Charles Edward Ratcliff, who denied the charge. , A small boy attending the Sacred Heart College identified the volume as his property. He stated that he had won it as a prize at the college, and had lent it to hi 3 cousin to read. ' John Two-bill, licensee of the City Club Hotel, said that the previous witness had lent him the book, which he had left in the commercial room of the hotel- The volume had disappeared, and he identified the book produced in Court as the one which had been lost.

Sub-Inspector Johnstone said that a man named Graham had bought the book from the accused for Is, but the low price he had paid had aroused his suspicions, and he had communicated with the police, who had been unable to obtain a satisfactory explanation from the accused. Graham, however, did not appear to (five evidence, and the case was adjourned until tomorrow. DISTURBANCE ON TRAIN. Two voung men named Clifford Lewis and Thomas Newton admitted that they had been drunk and disorderly on the Newmarket railway station, but denied having stolen the sum of 27s from L. Wignall. Sub-Inspector Johnstone said that the men had created a disturbance in a train, and were consequently ejected at Newmarket. A scuffle took place on the station, during which one of the railway officials dropped the sum of 275, which the accused were alleged to have appropriated. On the sub-inspector's application the two men were remanded until to-morrow. i INTEMPERANCE. Two first offending inebriates, who did not appear, each forfeited taejr bail, and one of them tad to pay 2s 6d for cabhire. Four other first offenders were each fined 5s or 24 hours, and another was remanded for a week for medical treatment. Louis Warner, who had aggravated his of eixie of drunkenness by committing an indecent act, was fined £1. MISCELLANEOUS. Charles Chase admitted that he had stolen a coat, valued at 10s, from a secondhand dealer, named Henderson. ChiefDetective McMahou said that the accused had rather a bad record, but had to a great extent reformed, and if he were dealt with leniently this time, it might encourage him to mend his ways still further. Ho was senteroed to one month in gaol. A charge against David Kennedy of stealing a large bottle of ale, valued at Is, from a man named J. V. Price, was dismissed.

Arthur John FitzgibbonE. who was alleged to be £29 in arrears on an order requiring him to pay £1 weekly towards his wife's maintenance, was -em.inded until tomorrow.

Charged with : ndeeent assault, Thorras Brown, an elderly man, was remanded ur'-il Monday nert.