CONCEALING DESERTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16870, 7 June 1918, Page 6

CONCEALING DESERTER

TWO WOMEN PLEAD GUILTY.

FINES OF £10 IMPOSED

Changes arising out of the escape from military custody in February last of George fiery, and of his subsequent recapture in a house in Hobson Street, were heard at the Police Court yesterday, before Mr. E. I). Mosley. S.M., when Esther Sutherland j 'and Julia Hum. alias May Dickson MrIvor, appeared on remand charged with j a breach of the War Regulations in having • withheld from the police information as to Caffery's whereabouts. Mr. Dickson I appeared for the accused, and pleaded not i guilty. . . J j Senior-Sergeant McNamara said that 1 Caffery, who should have returned to camp ! i from his final leave on January 9, was j posted as a deseiter, and was arrested by I the police on February 2. He was handed ' ! over .to the military authorities, and ! escaped from custody the following day. ' He was arrested on February 11, and on . | February 14 he was tried by a military i i tribunal and sentenced to 28 days military j ! detention. At his mother's request. Caffery j was given permission to visit his home. I i and while there he again escaped from : custody, lie was afterwards arrested at Newcastle, and was now in camp at ; Wellington. | Evidence bearing out the senior-ser-geant's statement was given by Lieutenant E. J. Browning. Plain-clothes Constable J. O .Sullivan j gave evidence as to making inquiries re- ' yarding Cafferv at the. house m Hobson . Street, occupied by the two accused. On j January 29 witness, with Constables i Trotter and Lambert, went to the house | ,iu question. Shortly after 11 p.m. the two j accused, with Cafferv and another man. i I came up Hobson Street, and witness j ' accosted them, saying he wanted to see j Caffery's military papers. Caffery walked ' into the house and said. "If you want to i see me, my name is Joe Brown. ' Asked ' to show his military papers, Caffery re » plied. "Very well," and disappeared- : Witness went into the house only to find j that the man had got away.by the back I door. The women, when questioned as to ' the man's identity, said his name, was Joe Brown. Witness, describing what tran- : spired on the night of Caffery's arrest in ' the house, said that Mrs. Sutherland said that they' could look through the house. ■ but that Oafferv was not on the premises. Mrs. Mr-Ivor objected to Constable rotter going into the bedroom, but witness persisted. He discovered Caffery in the chimney. CroFs;esamijnp(l in regard t" his first visit to accused's house, witness ! said Mrs. Sutherland evidently did not rt first believe he was a constable, but witl ness produced his credentials. I Plain-clothes Constable T. J. Trotter 1 corroborated the evidence of the previous witness. He said that Mrs. Hum and Caffery were evidently on bad terms, as ; on one occasion witness received a telej phone message fiom Mrs. Hurn. telling j him that Caffery was at the house. | For the defence. Esther Sutherland said 1 that she had been living with Caffery for i about two years. On his return from • camp in December, Caffery said he was : finished with soldiering, and that his j uncle and his mother were appealing for him. After being caught in the chimney, I Caffery came to the house only once. I Witness told him to keep away, as she ! would get into trouble if he came to the I place. She had been warned to that effect |by Constable Trotter. Caffery thought ! he would get exemption, as lie had three brothers at the front. Accused said she had five brothers, all of whom had gone to the front, one of them having returned invalided. In answer to the magistrate, witness said Caffery was going about the : town quite openly, and she believed him j v.hen he told her he was going-. to " get ; out of it." 1 Mr. Dickson said he did not propose to call further evidence, as Mrs, urn's story would merely be a repetition of the previous witness's evidence. He suggested that it the other charges against accused of being idle and disorderly persons and occupiers of a house frequented by reputed thieves were withdrawn, he would ! cuter a. plea of guilty to the main charge, i The magistrate said counsel had con- : ducted his case remarkably well, under ' difficulties, but the withdrawal of the ; charges rested with the police. Senior-Sergeant McNamara said he ! would withdraw the other charges if the i accused consented to leave the town. j At this stage Mrs. Sutherland fainted, and was carried from the Court. j I pon the case being resume Mr. ! Dickson made a strong appeal for | clemency on behalf of the accused. | Ihe magistrate, in convicting accused, said they "had been guilty of a deliberate attempt to conceal a deserter. They were both fined £10 and costs, arid were , allowed a week in which to pay the fine.