Sage and Co. Again.

NZ Truth, Issue 108, 13 July 1907, Page 6

Sage and Co. Again.

fße Two Accused Committed for Trial*

Brosnahan Badly Bumped.

■'Tin second* act of; that 'thrilling' iflrama, '•'The Registry Office Keeper," iwas staged m Wellington Magis—*UateJs~ Court on Monday, when Patrick Francis Brosnahan and Alfred JCrossey were charged on remand with conspiring . to defraud three navvies ■named Martin, Elliott, and Wallace, ,of the sum of three half crowns each* \Tbe story of how the confiding laJbor'.ers paid, their 22/6 and set out_gratetully for, P-almerston to find Dan *Bourke, their prospective employer, <wa<s told last weak. Also the assurance of Bourke that he didn't want men, and the return of the infuriated iVictsiims, was mentioned m these col--1 umns. On Monday another dupe nam- . Ed Walter Edward Follette, who had been sent on the same errand, was produced by the police, and he relat•ed his wrongs to Riddell, S.M. Folstfette saw Brosnahan, who gave him a letter to Dan Bourke, signed. Sage and Co., accrediting him as a firstclass navvy, worth ten bob a day. iCrossey denies that ho has anything •to do with the business, but he was Smplicated by Folletfce, who stated itfta/t the stout, dark man was present when Ire got his engagement, and even made a remark to the effect, that one. of the three infuriiated toilers already mentioned was small, puny and unsuitable, and the new man could take his place. Like the others, .{Follette found that his cake was "dough when he arrived at Palmerston, and wired to Sage and Co., "No /job here. Bourke doesn't know you. Wire .7/6, Central Hotel. Palmerston." -This victim had paid his fee, which had not since been refunded. (BEER AND LIKE STIMULANTS seem to have stalked through this drama, with deplorable results. The .witness Martin swore last week that on one occasion Brosnahan was under the influence, and as the Pier Hoitel was: the scene of most of the incidents, loss of memory on the part of at least one witness may be ascribed to the insidious tonic. The contractors, McCurdy and McAuley failed to appear at the first hearing, 'but a ■ warrant brought them to tlieir senses, and they attended with eagerness on Monday last. They explained that '.they were under a penalty of £6 a 'day. to finish their contract within six weeks, they would have to sack .50 men to get here, and the police >would not guarantee their expenses. ,The S.M. lectured them severely, and Jet them off this time. McAuley 's r-e- - collection of dates, places and the itime of day was ©xtremely confused. He said lie saw Brosnahan and Cros,sey on June 10 m the Central Hotel, but did not authorise the engagement of navvies. McAuley' s forgetfulness made him helpless m the experienced hands of lawyers HerSdman and Luckie ifco whom he'aclmowlfediged he, believed J^was m the Pier Hotel between II- " and 12 on June IS and met Brosnahan and Crossey tliere. He was sober, but not quite sober. One thing he said and stuck to* 'however,, that *old Brosnaian. he didVt want men, but that Dan Bourke, of Palmerston, (who was shortly star-ting a new. con"itract, migji't want navvies.; • He had. seen Bourke that morning. He acfcnowledged that he was slightly, un"der the influence; of liquor and went „to the Manawa&u Station m a cab m Jbhe afternoon t; that he lost his bag, subsequently recovered it at the Xxovernment Station. Chief Detective (MeG-rath go/j from the witness that tohe partner?; were m town, on both ftfae 10th a* ,d 13th, which threw «little light of'a the proceedings. Also the /witness said he had written no in- | sfaructior/s m Brosnahaa's pocketKhfooKl i for the simple reason that he couldr n'!t' write. ! Cfcas-fvMcCurd.y,: the aged .partner -the last witness, believed it was aboutthe 10th or 11th when jfchey, met ' /the Registry, people m the OPier Ho'i'jtel* but he upset the evidence- of allthe previous -witnesses Wi saying that it was in< the afternoon*] He met•Arthur Yale amd 1 did some ' business ' with hftn about a gas company's shares „' Also met a Scotchman from his patrt of Caledonia,,. «ni& they/ifca-lk-ed a>jout the country of Bute over drinks. Did not engage-; any, men for th/j firm., V'HE REJECTED WITH V3CORN *"Mr Herd-man's imputation that he ! was not sober, but concemitog McAuley—well, he wasn't McAuley's judge, - Did not recollect being m ithe Central Hotel with that gentleman. Solicitors Herdman and I*uckie afiopted the irausual course,, m an indictable charge, , of calling evidence,; with the object of showing there was . no prima facie case against their clients. Briefly, there met m the Pier 'Hotel, between 11 and 12 on the 13th .■■June, Brosnahan, Crossey, Arthur •tVile, McCurdy, McAuley, atnd two gentlemen from the Cold 'Country,, of whonv the enthusiastic Caledonian already mentioned was one. TJhey were talking about McCurdy, and. McAulim "ey 's- con-tract of laying gas mains at ■Waipiukurau, and Brosnah-Erat asked, "•Do you want any navvies up there?" ' McAuley replied that he wanted ten man. McCurdy said he had -received a telegram notifying that s*3: had already been engaged, and Mofl .uley then authorised Brosnahan to get him four good men at 10/ per day, am 1 to send them up through Dan. Bourk? ), of Palmerston North. A memo .wias made by, - Brosnahan m -Crossey 's : pocketbook. Brosnahan despatched one man on June 14, and three others : on June 15.- and was disappointed, and agitated, and put out when- the' Tnen. failed to get a job. He col ried on the business himself, and' Crossey had nothing to do with it. ; Crossey did a little hotel broking.*' samd Brosxnahan gave him the use of ' ftis office, and wrote letters for him occasionally. Brosnahan, Crossey, Arthur Vile and Edgar Shaw gave evidence.- Vile only recollected that th.c conversation was about sending;; the men to Bourke, and he couldn't "say if the engagement was actually authorised by "McAuley, but Shaw, v>ho was porter -'at the Pier, happened to come m at -" the psychological mcrawint when MctAuley was uniga-ffing the men, and he -swore to it. There seamed to be a unanimity of opinion.' tbiat McAuley *^0 asi&en en a seat/ bel'ore. he left m

a oafo m the afternoon',- and,- according to Crossey, McCurdy wasn't normal. Crossey, who said he had nothing whatever to do with engaging the men, had his murky past resurrected and exposed to the vulgar gaze by I Chief Detective McGrath. He said it was not true that he had been convicted seven times — three was the number— for false pretences, vagrancy and theft ; twice m Australia and caice m New Zealand. He arrived m New Zealand m 1903, and CAME OUT OP GAOL" LAST AUGUST, He was gaoled m Queensland through a conspiracy of his enemies, so that they might get hold of his tin mine. While he was m durance loathsome, they worked out his mine, and he made such a noise about it when he came out that two J.P.s gave him £50 each to settle the case. "This |is what they call giving a man a chance!" said Crossey, eyeing the police with indignation. Magistrate Riddell thought the case was one for a jury, and committed the pair for trial. Bail was allowed m one surety of £50 each or two of £25.