WHO PINCHED THE BIKE?

NZ Truth, Issue 91, 16 March 1907, Page 6

WHO PINCHED THE BIKE?

A thundering Lucky Bird.

A ' most extraordinary bike theft case was heard by Mr Bishop, S.M., at Chrisftohurch on Tuesday morning when John Crowe, who has been tailor at Hulbert, Slaymakers and Co. for four years, was charged with getting away wiith a woman's machine. The owner, Miss Annie Shadrach, is a dressmaker at the Farmers' Co.op., and she lost her bike the first week m January. A week or so ago Miss_ Shadrach saw a little girl with her bike (the loss of which she had reported 1 to ..the police) at Strangc's, and offered her sixpence for the loan of it until she came back. On securing it Miss S. at once WALTZED IT OVER to the police station and told the Sergeant.- how she;. had recovered it. Later *on "Crowe' and his daughter called at rthe -station and complained that some woman had taken thte machine from the girl, and as the description of the bike corresponded with the stolen and recovered machine Sergt. Nofifwdod asked a few questions.'* The' girl- said that her father Jiad given- -hor~ — the machine.; The : father then signed a .statement that he had got the article from young McClintock, of 'the Adams Star Company for ; , £-7^., .thirty bob of which he paid ' down as a deposit. The sergeants.; jjfcfc.eji?'? told him that this particular bike, had been stolen the previous month, and HE^EEMED DUMBFOUNDED, turned pale, and walked out of the office. It turned out that he had purchased a bike from McClintock, but it was a second-hand Rent's, not a lady's. However, he had signed his own statement made to Sergt.

Norwood, but on the following day he told Acting 'Tec. Wa/rd a different story. He averred that a -man named Jameson, who was travelling with Wir.th's circus, and who used to have meals m his Avife's restaurant m Manchester-street, gave her the bike m pledge for what he owed— lss for tucker and a quid money lent. The machine belonged to Jameson's sister, and when he sent the money along the bike was to be sent to the sister. At court Mrs Susan Crowe swore ' to the accuracy of this, admitting thajb "■' THE CIRCUS CHAP was a total stranger to her. The Adams Star man, McClihtock, told the bench that he had sold the prisoner a gent's bike last year, and not a lady's. Then Crowe (represented by Lawyer Raphael) gave evidence corroborative of his wife's testimony. His cross-examinaition by Sergeant Norwood was unpleasant". The officer, asked him why he signed such! a statement as was before the court, and then went back on it next day. His only excuse was that he was excited at the time and that he confused the two bicycles., The sergeant and the COURT SEEMED INCREDULOUS, but the witness stuck to the statement, and on the question being repeated he retorted : "I have already told you." The S.M. told 4 him not to be impudent, and warned Crowe ! tliat what he said and his manner of I RiVi'i.'u!; it would be taken into consideration when judgmenti was given. The man couldn't explain away why he had made a false statement to the sergeant when he called round with his daughter, and the S.M. remarked that he couldn't see why, a person should make a false statement bscause he was excited. Mr Raphael started re-examining Crowe, but his answers were regarded as so unsatisfactory by the teak that the latter told him to leave the box before he told any more lies. "I don't think the truth is m him," remarked Bishop, "I am doubtful if he knows what the truth is." However, on the evidence of the wife (which he viewed with doubt), and the iact that Crowe had gone to the police station to complain of a bike having been stolen from his daughter, the magistrate' thought that the Crown hadn't quite proved its casethat there., wasn't sufficient to connect prisoner with the charge. He had irrave doubts as to Mrs Crowe's evidence being true as it was improbable that she took a new bike as she said she did for a small debt— a lady's bike at that— and' it was improbable that the man whom she says gave it to her stole it and immediately afterwards handed it over to her m liquidation of- the debt— a debt he could never have been made to pay, seeing that he was travelling from one country to another. "However, though I dismiss the case," said the Beak, "he knows my opinion of him and I hope it will be brought home to him." Rough !