ALLEGED LARCENY CASE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 343, 30 May 1877, Page 4

ALLEGED LARCENY CASE.

The follow" is the conclusion of our report; of the I earing of the charge of larceny preferred against Charles Edward Thompson at the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterdry : Eate Ramsay, ihe prosecutrix, crossexamined by Mr. O'Meagher, deposed: James Orr is night foreman in the Engine Shed. I have had many transactions with him prior to his getting the cheque cashed. There was L 57 belonging to him in the bag. He had given me the money to take care of for him. It was part of the money which had been received from Mr. Payne, and had been paid to Orr for money I owed him, and for which he had a claim upon the furniture. I did not ask Mr. Lament what he wanted at my house, as I thought he wanted Mr. Finch's account, which was about LIG. I also owed about L2O to Mr. T. H. Brown : about L2O to Caliill; L 5 to Mr. Thompson : over LOO to Mr. Otterson; over L2O to.Mr. Booth; Ll9 to Mr. Thomson, the cabinet-maker ; over L4O to Messrs. Hood and Shennan ; L2 os. to Mr. Sumpter; 535 to Mr. UJlall ; and about L2 to Mi*. Larkins. This would amount to about LIBO. I also owed Mr. Maude about LI 10s. I had authority from myhusLand to sell the furniture. I was confused, owing to my creditors worrying me, which, I think, was caused by people having circulated a report that I was not W. B. Ramsay's wife. Mr. Brown came to me on the 22nd, and askecl to transact my business for me, but 1 did not tell him I had sold the furniture, and had the money, as he would have wanted his money. The people in the house knew I had sold the place, and that I had the money. There was a key to the chest of drawers, but I did not lock the drawer. The Thompsons appeared to me suspicious people, especially Mrs. Thompson, whose way I did not like. I did not see Brown, Buckingham, or Grant standing about when I was told they were there. When I went to Thompson's, after finding that I had lost the money, I said to them, " Oh, my God Almighty, I have lost every shilling I had in the world. I and my children are left destitute in the world." I also said, "There was no one in the house tut yourselves, and someone must know something about it." Eliza M'Kenny, a married woman, and Hannah Phillips, a widow, were also examined. During the evidence of the latter she stated that there was also a woman present behind the kitchen door during the evening of the robber}", but this woman was not concealing herself. Sub-Inspector Smith said that until it had been mentioned by the last witness, he had never heard of this '*' woman behind the door," the prosecutrix never having told him of the circumstance. He then called this woman, who had been outside the Court. The witness deposed : My name is Rosannah Smith Lennie. lam the wife of Geo. Lennie, and reside in Oamaru. I went to Mrs. Ramsay's house at 7 a.m. on the 22nd inst. to assist Mrs. Ramsay with the work of the house. I saw prisoner at Mrs. Ramsay's house at G p.m. He was in the kitchen, in company with Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Phillips, and Mrs. M'Kenny. I do not remember seeing accused in any other part of the house but the kitchen. I saw Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Phillips in Mrs. Ramsay's bedroom. I was also in the bedroom. I went into the bedroom to put on my hat and shawl, and left immediately. I took away with me a dirty dress and a petticoat belonging to Mrs. Ramsay. I cannot say whether I saw accused in Mrs. Ramsay's bedroom or not. I left the house about ten minutes after Thompson came in. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Meagher : Mrs. Ramsay told me" that day thai she was going to sell out for L2OO. " She afterwards told me that she had received LISO. I went there, merely out of kindness, to assist her. "When I went away I took a dress, a petticoat, and a boy's*shirt, belonging to Mrs. Ramsay. I did not roll them up in paper. They are at my house still. Mrs. Ramsay was to send for them. There was nothing else rolled up in the parcel but the dress, petticoat, and boy's shin;. The bundle is still in my house in a press, but I do not know whether it is in the same state as when I took it home. .James Orr was also called, but his "Worship would not administer the oatli as the man was not in a lit slate to give evidence. This closed the case for the prosecution. Mr. O'Meagher was about to address the Bench, when His Worship said it was not necessary for the prisoner to be called upon to answer the charge, as he did not think the prosecution was on the right track. Nothing had been adduced to connect the accused Vvith the robbery.