POST OFFICE FORGERIES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10239, 31 August 1909, Page 4

POST OFFICE FORGERIES.

TRIAL OF WIMSETT

(Per Fisess Association".) Wellington. August The trial of Arthur Frederick_\\ i" 1 " sett, which was commenced on r i last, was continued at the Supreir.-' Court to-diy. before Mr C man and a jury of 1-'- A unset t u charged with having been intimate!., concerned in the breaking and en term „ of the-parcels otiice ot the lost Uttic*. and in the stealing therefrom ot two registered parcels containing jewcller.% and sundries; also £3l 10s. i)d m c:isn. a postal note for 1-js. and 400 cancelled bank notes, and further with having aided and abetted James Henuugu a\ (who is at present serving a sentence of imprisonment in regard to the same crime) l>y providing liim with the s of the parcels oitiee. thereby enabling him to take wax impressions of them and make duplicates. Mr M. Myer., prosecuted on behalf of the Croy. iu ana the Hon. T. W. Hislop, with him Mr IVtherick, appeared for the accused. The evidence in the cross-examin::-tion of James Hemingway was COI! ~ tinned, and he was cross-examined by Mr Hislop at considerable length. Hemingway seemed to take up a rec;ucitrant attitude from the commenrvment of his cross-examination. t Dmicultv was experienced by the Henc.i and Bur alike iu getting anything like straightforward answers, and his story in the main was repetition of the tedious expression. ''l don t .remember." but his evidence included some statements that were new to the ease. He said that Wimsett had 'told him tllht there was —— ''''' worth ot of New Zealand notes coming down from Auckland (probably cancelled notes). There were four parcels of them. He had an impression of the key of the Chubb lock on the safe in tile parcels office, but he could not r-:>-memlier whether lie personally took the impression of the key or whether Whil-st-ci took it. All he remembered was that there were about half-a-dozen impressions taken. He asked Wimsett to give him his key for the purpose of making an impression of it, and Wimsett handed it over \ without making any objection so far as witness could remember. Witness said he got the red sealing-wax upon which the impresof the keys were taken from Wimsett. Who had taken about a pound weight of the wax from the I'ost Office. This <;ealing-wax was left on the dresser in Wimsett's kitchen, and no doubt Mrs Wimsett could have seen it. • .Mr Hislop: Do you remember telling Mrs Wimsett thai it was very funny that she had told your people that yoit had broken into the l'ost Office parcels' oSiicer —Witness: I don't remember.

Did you say to Mrs \\ imsett that you were going into tin* box to help to get Arthur (the acru.scd) live years. be-i-ause lie had got that term of imprisonment for \our —I believe I did say something like that. In answer to further questions, witness said he had not had anything to do tvith the robbing of the Karori Borough Council Chambers, or with throwing away certain documents, the property of that corporation. The

system he had adopted in making wax

impressions of keys was to warm the sealing-wax, let it cool, and then place the kov upon it. When lie got the impressions he cut the /'blanks" until tltoy-worr of the same size and form as the original key. It was shortly after the- Post Office fire that his first dishonest transactions took place. :::ul it was some time in May when he aske-.i Wimsett if it were possible to get the key of the large parrels' room. Wimsett told him that lie had not been well treated over the I'ost Office fire. Some money had been shared out amongst the Post Office officials, and he reck-, -oiird he should have received a portion of it which he did not. Then the accused became discontented, and he fell in with witness's idea of "burglaring" the Post Office, and the agreement was that witness was to ''burgle" the parcels office and with the accused share the proceeds. Witness was aware that the accused had been suspended from his duties for some small irregularity, bni had subsequently been reinstated When he was in Sydney witness wrote to his mother telling her that if Wimsett did not keep his tongue quiet he would pet into trouble. Hemingway's cross-examination was not concluded wheu the Court adjourned for the day. Wellington.. August 31. The trial of Wimsett. charged with being concerned in the rob Wry of the parcels post office at Wellington, was continued to-day.

Hemingway was further examined for the third day in succession. He has now been in the box for over ten hours. Hemingway declared no. one but Wimsett gave him information concerning the parcels of notes and diamonds-in the office. The reason he had used explosives in carrying ont the robbery i?as that no one in the office should be suspected of the crime. Great interest was taken in an illustration given by' Hemingway at the request of the Crown Prosecutor how to make impressions of keys in sealingwax. '