THE COURTENAY PLACE ROBBERY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVX, Issue 3129, 15 May 1897, Page 4

THE COURTENAY PLACE ROBBERY.

THE EVIDENCE AGAINST DALTON,

The man James Dalton, alias Shortall, alias McGregor, appeared at the Magistrate Court yesterday, before Mr H. Eyre Kenny, S.M., to answer a charge of having stolen £72, the property of Henry Thompson, also a box containing clothing. Inspector Pender prosecuted, and Mr T. M. Wilford appeared on behalf of the prisoner.

Henry Thompson, labourer, stated that he knew accused, with whom he had worked. About six weeks ago accused called on witness, and told him that he had obtained a situation and came to say good-bye.” Accused also asked him about a revolver. On one occasion, when living in Ghuznee street, witness showed accused his box containing gold, clothing, gold watch and chain and a revolver. The box (produced) belonged to witness, and contained 58 sovereigns and .£l4 in bank notes. Witness saw the box in the afternoon of Tuesday, 4th May, and in the evening it had disappeared. He next saw the box in the Police Station, when the money had been taken out of it. Cross-examined by Mr Wilford: He had earned the money stolen from him in a news agency business in Melbourne. He had told accused that there was money in his box. and he thought he had also told another man. He had not seen Dalton for for six months until he saw him in Court. He did not think that Dalton knew that he had changed his lodgings from Ghuznee street to Courtenay place. Dalton had advised witness to bank his money, and he said that he had done so. He was good friends with Dalton when they bad parted. Katherine Griffin, keeper of the boardinghouse in which Thompson lived, deposed that she left the house at 11 o’clock in the morning on May 4th, and returned at 3.30 p.m. ThefurnitUre did hot appear to have been disturbed, but the windows were not locked.

Clara O’Leary, dressmaker, stated that on the evening of May 4th, shortly after 7 o’clock, she was in the sitting-room with the other boarders, when she heard someone run upstairs. As Thompson was not in the room she thought it was him. The person came downstairs again and went out by the back door. Annie McCarthy, residing, at Kilbirnie, deposed that at about 10.30 on the night in question she was returning home With her son and a friend over the hill at the top of Pirio street, and When passing the Reserve on the aide of the bill they beard a noise as if a box or case were being thrown Into the Reserve. Just afterwards a man came round the road, walking in the direction of the town. Witness did not know the man, but the accused answered his description, although she would uot swear tc him. Subsequently she picked th'C accused out ot a number of men in the police station. The time when she saw the man would be before .11 p.ita. Eugene Francis McCarthy, son of the previous witness, gave corroborative evidence, and also stated that when he saw the man he was standing about throe yards from the fence. The accused answered the description of the man witness saw. On coming into town the next morning Witness saw a box lying inside the fence. The box produced was the one he had seen. He examined the box and found it was broken, and he afterwards reported the matter to the police. He afterwards identified the accused at the Mount Cook Police Station from among oUveV nie’n. At this stage the further hearing of the case was adjourned until Friday week.