A CHARGE OF THEFT.

NZ Truth, Issue 217, 21 August 1909, Page 10

A CHARGE OF THEFT.

Magnus Sadger Again. A I'tiiistchuich jury was wngallttnt caua<?h to disbelieve a lady oa. Monday, when a middle-aged maa navapi WilMam Kcsbitt was charged wMi having stolen, hetween October 23 and I?gv«u'b«r 10, 1307, a silver cream jug, tout wine glasces, and one knife, total valu« i*6* ; also with having received th» goods, knowing lheni to bavo been stolen. According to the Crown, Nesbitt was a lift engineet at i.lie United Scrrfcc Hotel, of which Maurice Lyons is licensee, and had access to the pantry through the lift. Lyons mentioned that during Nesbitt's term of ssrvicc several things had been missod. Marjoric Ann Lambert, wife of Jrtj'ies Lambert, second-hand dealer, ■,-citjjs to have been the person who put AVsbitt's "pot" on, for she saw the \;i:ie-Klas;cs, cream jug and knile, with

the Ciotel mark on them, when she was helping Mrs Nesbitt. to pack up and shift into another house. The articles were taken to' Lambert's shop, • Nesbitt having been- taken into partnership. They were offered to Mrs Lambert by Nesbitt, •but she suggested selling them m the shop. He replied, "I dare not." 'Tec. Ward didn't mention how he came to hear of the matter two. weeks later, when he usnt to the shop and examined the box m which the articles were " packed. Nc'sbitt denied knowledge of the goods, and mentioned that Mrs Lambert had packed that particular box. She must have put the articles there, he said. There was property m the box that Lambert claimed, according to the detective. Nesbitt, speaking m his own defence, said that he went into partnership with Lambert 'm August of last year, when he found that Mr and Mrs Lambert didn't live on very happy terms, and often' i HAD WORDS ABOUT MONEY MATTERS. ■ , ..' Lambert had to account for all moneys ttc took from the tiill to give Mrs Lambert, and there was considerable friction m consequence. Two letters came to .the shop for Lambert, and Nesbitt bunded them over to Mrs L., who opened them 1 . Thereupon Lambert reproached Nesbitt bitterly for giving the missus the correspondence. Nesbilt's life was unpleasant, and after a wordy row with Lambert he left the establishment to open a shop of his own. , He bad earned the illwill of Mrs Lambert, but he was. astonished to find a X detective nosing around his premises shortly after, and mentioned .to him, that if the articles were m the box the¥ were put there by Mrs Lamltart. Magnus Badger, -whose appearance _ m the witness-box is becoming a habit, and who was about the Court waiting to he indicted on another- charge, emerged from nowhere m particular and entered the •tit-ness-box, to remark that he was present when 'Tec Ward examined the box, "which had the appearance of having been quite recently nailed up. Mrs I/amber* was also, present and poured forth a torrent of abuse upon the devoted head of Nesbitt, who had robbed her right and left. In the course of ; an' impartial summing up his Honor stated that the personal antipathy of Mrs .Lambert to Nesbitt need not necessarily impugn the truth of her statement, and the fact that Badger was waiting m Court for- another purpose need not weiflh with the jury. The case practically rested upon the evidence of the woman. ; ' The ,jury brought m a verdict of not gui'ty after half an hour's retirement.