THIEF'S CAREER FNDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19177, 17 November 1925, Page 12

THIEF'S CAREER FNDED.

INVERCARGILL CHARWOMAN. AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY. CHANCE TO LEAVE DOMINION. [BT TSX.ECR.APH, —vPKESS ASSOCIATION. ] INYEECAEGILL. Motula?. Following surprising discoveries in a house in Esk Street, Invereargill, recently, a woman named Annie Elizabeth Scott, alias Ethel Allen, appeared in the Police Conrt to answer 20 charges of a serious nature. She was accused of the theft of hundreds of articles, some of them rare and trainable, including 423 handkerchiefs, 78 pairs of gloves, jewellery, scores of tolip bulbs, men s overcoats, shoes, blouses, women's underclothing and dog collars. She was also charged with being a rogue and a vagabond.

Senior-Sergeant Scandrett said a constable observed the woman in a flower garden. He shadowed her and when he was questioning her she suddenly took oS her coots and set off down the street. He captured her after a chase and conducted her to the police station. There she could not give a satisfactory account of herself. .Farther inquiries resulted in the constable searching her house. Evidence of identification, of many of the articles was given by a number of persons. Most of the articles, it was stated, had been left in the Town Halt and Hi eat re, where the accused woman was employed as charwoman. In evidence the accused said she had been working as charwoman at the Town Hall for 13 years and had found many of the articles" after dances and similar functions. She thought most of the articles had been abandoned. She also stated that she had £4CG in the bank and was saving up in order to get home to Australia. ".Really," remarked the magistrate, Mr. G. Cruickshank, "she ought to get seven years' imprisonment, but there is no reason why she should not ha heavily fined/The woman was fined a total of £SO, with £26 10s in costs and witnesses' expenses. ' ••"..On the charge of being deemed a rogue and a vagabond accused was convicted and ordered to come tip for sentence, not to be called upon if she left N<jw Zea land by January 21, ..