SEEN THROUGH WINDOW

NZ Truth, Issue 1272, 17 April 1930, Page 2

SEEN THROUGH WINDOW

Two Girls Observed Stealing byUnseen Watchers SHOPLIFTING ACT DISCOVERED (Prom "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative.)

yuiiiiiHMiiiiiiiiiniinniiininiiiiinMiiiiuiiiiiiMHMiiiniiniuiiiunniiiHiiuiuiiumiiiiiiiiiuiiiHiiinniiiiiiuiniiniMniiiniiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiniiv^ | The risks some girls will take for the purpose of | | obtaining new clothes was exemplified m the story told . i | against two girls who stood m the dock m the Dunedin I 1 Police Court. I

DASSING a side window of "The L Chic" frock shop, a woman noticed two girls inside. One was endeavoring to pack a frock inside her jumper while her companion was covering the view from the doorway. Later, m the City Police Court, the two young girls, Molly Graham and j Lily Stevenson, were jointly charged with the theft of a frock valued at £3/8/-. Graham, who was represented by Mr. G. T. Baylee, pleaded guilty, while Stevenson, for whom Mr. J. B. Thomson appeared, denied the charge. A female assistant employed at "The Chic" shop gave evidence to the effect that on February 28 the two girls went into the shop, and after examining a number of frocks and costumes, made a selection but did not purchase the goods. OBSERVED THEFT William Henry Armstrong, owner of the shop, stated that m consequence of what he had been told he left the premises m pursuit of the two young women, tout failed to trace their movements. ' An elderly woman said that she had noticed the actual theft of the frock from the street outside the window. Graham was forcing the frock underneath her jumper while Stevenson was trying to stop the view from the door. Police-matron Copple stated that while Stevenson at. first denied knowing anything about the alleged theft, she later admitted that one of them had taken it. Stevenson, a short, thick-set, girl, eighteen years of age, denied that she had had anything to do with the actual .theft. The first thing, she knew of Graham having the frock," she 'declared, was when they reached King Street and the frock was transferred/ to Jier own handbag. Mr. H. W. Bundle, S.M., observed that there was nj doubt about StevenBon being asspc'ated m the theft.

Buringr a discussion as to the girls' characters and past habits, Chief-de-tective Cameron stated that they were both without parents to control them, and had 'been living here and there. They had, said the detective, been cleared out from one place owing to their associations with young men. His Worship adjourned the case against the two accused for twelve months, providing Graham went to the Mount Magdala Home, Christchurch, and Stevenson to the Salvation Army Home, Caversham, for that period