PENDANT PURLOINED

NZ Truth, Issue 974, 26 July 1924, Page 5

PENDANT PURLOINED

City Jeweller Committed for Trial

Trouble, Over a Trinket.

A tired-looking, grey-headed "man sat m the Wellington Magistrate's Court this week. He was ■• George Aj-thur Jenness, a . well-known local jeweller, who appeargd on summons to answer a charge of stealing a diamond pendant, valued at £65, the property of "William ,Hume. At Lawmr Martin's request the accused sat Toy; his side during the case instead of going into the dock. Opening the case, Chief Detective Kemp said it arose out of the theft by a servant girl named Mary Green of a diamond pendant, valued at £65, from the late Mrs. Wheeler, of Martinborough. On the morning of April 11 she went to accused's business premises, conducted under the style of Jenness and Partridge, jewellers, Cuba Street, showed the pendant to the accused, and left it with. him. She returned later m the day and saw the foreman, who informed her that the pendant was worth £17. The girl then agreed to sell it, receiving m full settlement a wristlet watch valued at £10 and £7 m money. Some time after her departure to the South Island, Green received a letter from the owner's solicitor asking for the return of the pendant, and she accordingly forwarded the following letter to Jenness: AN ANXIOUS NOTE. • Private. Dear Sir,— Do you remember me bringing into you a diamond pendant star? Well, is there any chance of me getting it back from you, as I have got into serious trouble over it? If there is, will you let me know by return. If there is no chance of me getting it back, I wish you won't say to anyone you have seen me even. If you have not melted the star, put the diamonds back m again and return it to me. If you remember, I got a watch and' £V f or it. Anyway, if you have it, tell me and I will call and see you m the end of July privately and explain all then. Please burn this letter as it is strictly private between you and I. I will do the same with you. ..." "Unfortunately," continued the chief detective, "the letter which the accused sent m reply had been burnt. Qn June, 26, after the girl's arrest, the accused was interviewed by Detectives Sinclair and Thomasi but he denied all knowledge of the pendant, and when seen' the same afternoon by Detectives Sinclair and Murch he again slated that he knew nothing about it. The following day, the woman, Green, accompanied the two detectives to the shop, and still Jenness persisted m his denial.' On June 28, however, he called at the detective office, and for the first time informed Detective Sinclair that hevhad had. the pendant, but had sold it ; to • his partner for £22 10s. Later, •he explained, he had taken it to the Lower Hutt, where it was secreted. -"From the moment he knew that the pendant was stolen— that was when he, received the girl's letter" — concluded the chief detective, "he had .committed theft." ';'■. EVIDENCE CALLED. Mary "Green, a heavily-built girl, theri gave evidence corroborating the Chief-detective's opening. She spoke m a whisper and frequently looked nervously at Jenness ~>vho, pale as death, busily took notes .and whispered frequently to his counsel. < William Hume,' executor for the late Mrs. Wheeler, a farmer, at Martinborough, and the two detectives, also gave evidence on similar lines. Counsel for accused submitted that the prospect of a conviction was so slight-.' that it would be a waste of public money to send the case forward. There was, he contended, nothing m the girl's letter indicative of criminality, and guilty knowledge must be established before a crime could bo held to bo committed at all. Magistrate Page, however, decided to send the case on for a jury's consideration. His Worship stated that the girl's letter of May 26 intimated clearly enough, that sho had not obtained the property properly." Accused's books as well had been altered m several respects. Jenness, who displayed considerable agitation when he heard the Magis l trate's remark's, did not enter a plea and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial.