PIGEON "PIE."

NZ Truth, Issue 276, 8 October 1910, Page 6

PIGEON "PIE."

"Canary" Cameron Catches Cicel A Bold, Bad Man and the Birds. I _ .? : Committed for Sentence. '■ • Ernest Albert Coles is a young man! occupying the position of honorary] secretary to the Thorndon Flying l Club, and he is also the owner of a number of hoiring tr^eons, or, rather, he was till the night of September 27. Ernest resides with Ms mother at 52 Thorndon-quay, Wellington, at the back of which premises his dove cote is situated. At 10 p.m. on the night above mentioned, Ernest inspected his pigeons before going to (bed. THEY WERE T¥LEis O.K. They were 25 m number, valued m all at £31, one of the birds being a champion, and several of them being imported, the others being locally

bred. The birds had small registered rings on their legs. : Next day, at 9 a.m., an inspection of the door cote disclosed the fact that all the pigeons were gone. They were never seen again alive. Police investigation left 'Tec. "Canary" Cameron and 'Tec. Rawle to visit Cioel's 'house m Little Hawkestone-street, where, m a sack m one of the upstair rooms, they found 22 carcases of pigeons, and, m a- bucket m the same room, a quantity of pigeons' feathers, 18 pigeons' heads, and 38 legs, on which latter were the registered Association rings aforesaid. Oicel made a statement to the sleuths, which was taken down m writing and afterwards signed by him. In that statement he admitted that he had tal^en Ernest's pigeons, adding that he had formerly lived with Ernest's mother, and having had a row with the family, he had done this action. Oicel was charged with the theft before Mr Riddell, S.M., art the Wellington Magistrate's Court, on Wednesday lastf, when Chief. 'Tec. Broberg conducted the prosecution, and Lawyer O'Leary appeared for accused. Ernest, under cross-exami nation "by Mr O'Leary, staged that the accused had lived at his mother's place for several years, and MADE HIMSELF GENERALLY USEFUL, but took his departure m 1908. At the conclusion of the evidence for the prosecution, Oicel pleaded guilty, and was thereupon committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.