BENNETT'S BEHAVIOR

NZ Truth, Issue 882, 21 October 1922, Page 5

BENNETT'S BEHAVIOR

BELIEVED TO BE A BURGLAR

Painter Goes For Trial Ob Several Charges ( .

EASY MONEY— AND AN ELEPHANT

(From "Truths" Otago Rep.)

™ During the last couple of, years or so" Dunedin lias been a rather happy 1 hunting ground for thieves, and while several of these, gentry have been laid 1 by the heels it has .been obvious subsequently that the authorities had not i been altogether successful m their ef--1 forts to apprehend the principal; offender or offenders. Time and again ' would come the announcement that some place had been feloniously entered and rifled, and m more than one instance it has occurred that the victim would prefer to bear his loss— (considerable though it may 'haye been '—rather than, perhaps, face the problem of cross-examination by an astute lawyer- for the defence. While me naturally deplores the robberies vhich have, been taking, place, there i:'e certain happenings ' connected herewith which, to say the least of hem, are not without their interest. There is no doubt that some thief — totoody at present knows Who — has teen going 1 about, ana he must havq Known '.something, because 'amongst the first to be 'called ':upon. ; were one ir two of the bpbkmaking fraternity, Uthough really these people' are not upposed to exist m this saintly city. Anyhow, .one of the woolbrokers was ,'ictimised by the marauder of some (260 m cash. It was done while he ;lept. Of another of the same per- j •,uasion it is said that his loss was m Lhe vicinity of £80. Leaving well, >nough alone they have said' nothing. But of a third gentleman, who, to rfilige, will sometimes "lay them" on behalf of someone else, a rather good story is told. Peacefully Slumbering In his bed one night the knight of the pencil was disturbed by hearing his little child call but ••Mummie; the cat is trying to get m the window." " The" "odds merchant" was immediately awake, and, lo his horror, he heard the Jlnkle of his watch chain on the bed , post, where he had hung his waistcoat. Dimly he saw a form at the end of the bed, and the remainder of the story tnfc best be' told m his own words. jPStruthi' he said to his fellows on ■CTie following morning; "I fair had the wind up. ,1 covered my 'head. and I. got right , • ' . .'■■'■,' .'.- --| UNDERNEATH THE RUGS. And then it was jjust a gamble, that ! the blighter wouldn't .hear me breathing, or hear* my heart beating. Get [me; I kept dinkum quiet." , The "broker's" watch and his money were gone m the morning But it is only to his intimate friends that ,he tells the story of how, when aware of the presence of ■ the burglar, he removed from one finger a very, valuable diamond ring and placed it on one of ; his toes! Probably one may be more secure m Palestine. ■ "During the course of their investigations the "force,", represented by Lean and Palmer, had occasion to suspect one Arthur Christie | Bennett, a painter, of being guilty of I having committed ,spme pf the depre- ! dations reported, /and as a result of > that suspicion he was duly arrested and charged at the Police Court, before Mr H. W. -Bundle, S.M., with having committed the following offences: (1) On March 17, stealing a bicycle, valued at £6, the property of the National Mortgage = and,.. Agency ■„. .Com-., pany; (2) on February 6 last, breakIng and entering by night the dwelling of Ernest Nelson Didham and stealing a- watch, valued at £10, and £22 m money; (3) on September. 8 last, breaking" and entering by night the dwelling of Robert Fraser, and stealing £1 Ids and a watch, valued at £4; (4) on January II" 1921, -breaking and entering the shop of William Loyeli; and stealing £87, a cheque book,' and a brief bag; and ,(5) on August 8, 1920, breaking and entering at night the premises of Albert Brodie Hall, and .stealing £60 and a toy elephant. ■• Neville Alexander Thompson, of 118 , Stafford Street, a junior, clerk at, the National Mortgage C.o.'s establishment, said' that m January last he was a message boy and followed this occupation on a bicycle. On March 17 last at' 10 a.mi he left his bicycle .m the office porch and an hour later it was gone. He reported the matter to the police and on September 18, m response to a 'phone message, he went to the detective office, where, from amongst a number of bicycles, he picked out his own. The 'handlebars, he noticed, had "been changed. The value^ of the stolen bicycle was about £6. , Stanley Atkinson, . employed at • Pauls cycle works m Crawford Street, said that on September 18 lie, too, responded to a telephone •. call, from the detective office; -where he - IDENTIFIED' THOMPSON'S BICYCLE ' ",',/■ as one he had repaired for the National , Mortgage, Co. Acting- Detective Roycroft spoke of having gone, AVith, Constable Harris, to accused's house on September 15 | last. Accused, on being asked if.he,] had a bicycle, said: "I've got an old one m the shed, m the yard." They went to the shed and accused produced a bicycle which he said had been given to him. Later, Bennett made a signed statement m which he said he found the bicycle near the Vacuum Oil Co.'s works m Anderson's Bay road. Ernest Nelson Didham, taxi proprietor, 54 Bay view Road,, South Dunedin, said that on February 7 last he retired to bed about 12.45 a.m., sleeping m the front bedroom. He hung his clothes on, the bedposts, and m his inside' coat pocket 1 was a race ticket and £22 m money. In a vest pocket he had left A STOP-WATCH AND TIME- , KEEPER , combined, to which a gold chain was attached In the morriing he missed' the watch, which had been removed from the chain. The watch produced he identified as- his and while he did not know the number, the watch had been repaired by a Mr Peterson, of Brenner and Co. When he was aroused m the morning he found that his clothes had been removed and he found them folded up at the back door. The kitchen' window was wide open, the 1 blind being pinned back, and the wind was howling through the house. The watch he valued at £10 10s. To Mr Hanlon: He did not know the number of the watch.. ■ How do you identify it?— By a little dent on the inner case. Would you let us see/that little dent? — Yes (handing it over). You say it's' worth £10 10s; well, I see the maker has not had the courage to put his name on it., Where did you get it? — I got it from my brother-in-law. Where did he get it? — From his uncle. , Oh, I see; , it's a gift watch. Robert Paterson, jeweller and watchmaker, Princes Street, told of Didham's having brought the watch (produced) to his shop to be repaired. He took the number and description of the watch m his book. The watch produced was the property of Didham. He valued the watch at about £9. Mr Hanlon: Is it silver? — Yes, silver case. Stamped? — Yes, look here. The number is on it m two places? — ■■ Yes. What's -«tl} is one on the outside? — It's partly scratched ouL

Oh, you can read it all .right? — I wouldn't like to. say what the last figure is. , . The last figure is ' surely a^"3"?— Can,, you not see an "8" there? Who i 3 the maker?— lt's 'not on it. Are there many £10 watches floating round the country without the manufacturer's or the selling merchant's name being on them? — There are some; quite a number m fact. Valuable watches up to £10?— Yes; why you can get , them at the tobacconists for Havelock Tobacco tags. (Laughter.) Detective Lean said that on September 9 last, m company with Detective Palmer, he interviewed accusi ed at his ho.use m Driver Street, St. Kilda, concerning a number of burglaries which had taken place.. Bennett denied any knowledge of them and invited the detectives m to search I for any stolen property. In the front bedroom Witness found the watch (produced), and accused, on being askexl, aaLld' the watch had been left In the house by an uncle, Mr Grieve, who had died two years ago. Witness had known the accused for the last three years. . • , . Robert Fraser, taxi proprietor, No. 5, Elm Row, said 'that on September 7, 1922, he retired to bed 'soon after II p.m., his bedroom being m the front of the house. . The dbors of the house were locked and the windows Closed, but not latched. He left his clothes at the head of the bed on a chair, and' on rising about 6.30 went out to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. There he found his clothes "all m a heap" on the floor m front of the sink. There was also .an! extra pair of trousers which had been on the same chair. When he retired to bed he had' m his trousers pocket 25s m silver and a key belonging to the