THEFT FROM WILTSHIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18130, 30 June 1922, Page 9

THEFT FROM WILTSHIRE

FOUR MEN PLEAD GUILTY. | - ! 1 SURPRISED AT MIDNIGHT. » a COMMITTAL FOR SENTENCE, o I 5 Ttie.fr from the wreck of tfee sSesroerj n Wiltshire at the Great Barrier was ad- ] * milled by four :fishermeri, who appeared j,. be'icre Mr. J. W. Pcynton. S.M.. in ***•• 'j Police Court yesterday. Accused are s .lanes Sindair Shirley, aged 00, Alfred d Christian Larsen (Mr. Singer), aged 29,;* Alfred Williams (Mr. Kahnan), aged 40. * arid Henry BiHyeald {Mr. M diver), aged 35. Shirley and Larsen are partners in y. the launch Spray, and the ether two men H in the lauach Waimuma. They were found a alongside the ■wreck at midnight, on June c 6. and a quantity of clothing, electro-plate ■ ware, and other articles alleged to have a been stolen from the Wiltshire, 'were found £ or. ioard tbeir launches. ! o Captain B. G. Hayward, master of the t WJtsbire, and several offiosars identified » 3 quaatitv of .wearing apparel, such as j a shirts, trousers, and ties, as their property. z ! Tbev ' had left all tbeir clothing cm the s ! ship when tbev left it on June 2. No one e I had authority to remove the clothing, , t \ total value of the officers' do-thing was; t I about £9. _ , mmm j * ! Two ship's compassesi, & rou of canvas,« s ! two docks several blanket*, and a quart- j $ ! itv of electro-plate tea service ware, such, t as a teapot, hot-water jugs sugar basin •, land milk iug, were identified by W£.rea < ! Leslie Goddard, chiel officer on u» \N i;v i < i shire, as the property of the Fedcra-Soire : s I Line. To the best of bis belief the article* j; j ware used on the voyage, and were ck toe , < ; vessel when he left the wreck. The pro-1 < '■ per.-v was valued at about £18. " : Frederick \'Trm&n Abercrcmbie, customs'. i official, said that about midnight era June jl 6 be visited the wreck o: the WiiUbw |t ! with Serjeant Flanagan. The launches ; i Spray and Waimumu were at the ,i I Witness and the sergeant, first boarded sad ! searched the Spray, on which were Shirley . I and Larsen. They found a portmanteau 1 containing various articles, and wtUi < blankets and rugs attached to it,, a clock and a compass. Williams and Bfllyeald 1 i were on board the Waimcmu. On ber were |. found the "hot. water jugs, water-bottle, tea- • ] pot and other articles of eleetao-ptate I ware, tea and sugar, and a compass. Sertreant Flanagan corroborated the_evi- ! der.ce~ of the previous witness. At Try I rher.a a roll of canvas and blankets were,; i taken from the Spray. In the portmanteau ;: were found a dock and clothing. He pro- , ■ dueed various statements made by accused. 11 In renlv to counsel witness said there was s considerable tjuantitv of fish on board the ] Waimnrnu. Witness was informed tfaa. .. Billyeald was not on the wreck at all- 1 Ml accused pleaded guilty and were, i colnmitted to the Supreme Court for sen- j; tenee- Bail was allowed as before. , (Lccaaed were also charged with haroig j Wn in possession of uncustoroed goods. , The hearine of the charge was adjourned tffl rest Thnrsday. BLACKSMITH'S FAILTjIffi. | m> • EFFECT OF THE DEPRESSION, j HORSES WITHOUT SHOES. I \ meeting of Auckland creditors in the bankrupt of John P-obert Wateon,] blacfemith and wheelwright, of KatikaU, was held veslerday. the ofßcial assignee, Mr W S,* Fidier, presiding. The debtor 'was not present, Mr. Fisber explaining 1 thai several creditors had expressed a wish that funds should not be spent on bringing falkru-pr who was absolutely without means, to be examined nntd after the first { meeting bad been held- j The debtors schedule disclosed handitii amounting U> £515 6s 26 , all unsecured; and assets, totalling .u.46 4s sd, prising book deW, £80, cash £16 4s sd, and furniture £50, leaving a deficiency of £100 tc 9d. Bankrupt gfcarted eastness aa a*blacksmith and wheehnright in June, 1919 He had no capital, hot bad a se* j of wheelwright's tcols. He rented a hops*, > and shop, and materials and tools costing, about £160 were bougbt for him. At the end of a year s local accountant showed that the business had gone ahead to tne extent of £100. Then Katikati oegan to feel the depression. Tbe trade collapsed and many horses were running about without, shoes. Bankrupt had a wife and "five children, and wan now emploved at £5 10s a week. He understood. that under the terms of his late .gfand-1 mother's wiil possibiy about £100 might be received from his share of her property. In the coarse of a brief discussion it was , j mentioned that several creditors, who had | taken out judgment summonses against the bankrupt, had been paid 6s in the £. A creditor kM Ea knew tlae debior, who was 5 » hard-vrcrkin,; map, * and] ron-sanoi-er. It was ffutpbr a case of hard j «ane» and :illr.:«s In the i'amilj'. It- was; .generally *s.Bressed that, the took A«fr*\ ; roDc-v--"."*ble, «!S ihs f«r»K3»* ~& ; >t-,v«s. 'C%«y;> *oo» &*«* aa<i 6 * yu; ' r - / * So^j kv?k. Tie meeiani, after an amnraoce by Mr. Fisher that the matter of the book iii>« and property wovJd be looked into, terminated withoiK any resolution.