INDUCING BOYS TO STEAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 11

INDUCING BOYS TO STEAL.

Tlie following case was heard at the Dunedin City Police Court, on the 25th ull., before -Mr C. C. Graham, S.M. : —

Receiving Stolen Property. — Edward Horton was charged, on remand, with having, about the month of June, received eight pairs of boots, knowing them to hzvs been stolen from the warehoiise of Sargooci, Son, and Ewen. — Mr Solomon appeared to defend accused. — Mr J. F. M. Fraser, who conducted the piosecution, said that on +he 12th of this montli Chiefdetective Campbell and Constable Connolly executed a search warrant at the gunsmith shop kept by accused in .DowlLig street, next to Ahlfelcl Bros.' piemises. Certain boots were found in a -room off the shop, and when the chief detective asked Horton where he got the boots he lcplied: "I bought one pair lrom a man and he left the others. I don't know his name." Later on in the same evening- the residence of accused at Anderson's Bay was searched, and two other pairs of boots were found there. Accused then said that- he got the boots from a man named Fisher, employed m the boot department at Sargood's. At the same time that the boots weie founcl in accused's shop several other articles were unearthed — namely; four fountain pens, a box of gold nibs, and certain knives and pencils, all jof which would be produced. Those articles were covered up with paper and clothing in a back room off the shop, and were not visible to the eye. When accused was asked about the fountain pens he said at first that he got them from a traveller from Aucldand, whose name he did not know. After his v arrest he told a different story. He said to the detective that he got them from a man named Ferguson, ?nd that he took them in payment of a gun. Subsequently he ' said to the, walchhouse-kecper that he got the things from a young fellow named Mann, employed in one of the sta- [ tionery shops, who, he said, gave him seven | fountain "pens in payment for a gun. He also told the watohhouse-keeper that he did [ not tell the defectives that, as he wanted them • to* find it out for themselves. In prosecuting i on charges of this kind it was necessary for the [ counsel to prove the whole system which it •was alleged by tho prosecution was jpitrsued .by (accused in connection with" th^--re"ceiving of the articles from both the principals. In each case the evidence would ""be exactly identical. Counsel now proposed to state the couise pursued in connection -with -the ca&es. Dealing first with the lad Fisher, who was about 21 years of' sge, he was employed at S?rgood's. He first met accused through his attention being attracted by an' electrical' apparatus outside accused's shop. 'X'he same, apparatus seemed to have attracted the attention of the boy Mann as well. A conversation ensued, and a gun was mentioned by accused. Fisher had no means with which to buy a rifle, but, like all boys, he was anxious to have one. He v/as asked by Horton where he worked, and accused, on being told "at Sargood's," then suggested to the young man that he would take boots in payment. Fisher replied that he could not get the boots, but accused suggested that he should take them; nobody would be any the wiser. He next told him how it could be done, and >the method of carrying them was somewhat ingenious. He suggested that he should slip the boots inside his trouser band, one boot on each side, and leave tho shop with them in that way. The result was th.at_ Fisher fell into the trap, and agreed to do it. He delivered eight pairs of boots in all at Horton' s shop. Fisher got a gun costing £1 10s for the- boots. A lady's dressing bag was afterwards produced by accxised, who suggested that Fisher should buy that also. He told him. that he could acquire the bag by bringing some more boots, and the result was that more boots were brotight to his shop. — Mr Solomon. Other than the eight pairs? — Mr Fraser replied that they were part of the eight pairs. A portion of them paid for the rifle, and the balance paid for the bag. That was, briefly, Fisher's connection with the case. With respect to the boy Mann, he was only 18 years of age, and, like Fisher, he met accused through examining the electrical machine. A conversation 'ensued, and it was suggested that he should buy a gun. The lad could not afford to buy it, and accused then asked him where he worked. Mann replied, "At Fergusson and Mitchell's " ; and accused then suggested to him that he should take certain articles first in payment of the "gun, and that afterwards they should halve the proceeds. The result was thnt the boy took the articles from Fergusson and Mitchell's shop, and they were received by Horton. The cases, his Worship would see, were of very considerable importance. Receiving in itself was a crime punishable severely, but the circumstances connected with this particular receiving were simply atrocious. — Evidence was then given at considerable length, at the conclusion of which accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial, bail being fixed at himself in .-6200, and two sureties of .-6100 each, tlorton was further charged with receiving 12 fountain pens, three pencil cases, six pocket knives, a box of pencils and pencil case, a lady's dressing bag, and a box of gold nibs, knowing ,the same to have been stolen from the 1 shop of Fergusaon and Mitchell. — George Mann, the youth referred to by Mr Fraser in the opening in the first case, in his evidence said that accused sold him a gun for 17s 6d., Witness paid him 10s out of his own 1 pocket, and when he made the last payment of 10s accused asked him whether he could get him a lead pencil or two. Witness gave' him two ink pencils, i which he 4ook from Fergusson and Mitchell's shop. That would be about April. A' day or two afterwards he told witness that he had sold one of the pencils. He then asked him if he could get him a fountain pen, and witness brought him down three. He next asked for a pencil case, which was sold at Fergusson and Mitchell's for about 2s fid. He told witness that he had sold some of the things, which partly paid for the balance due on the gun. He subsequently asked il they had any better pens at Fergusson and Mitchell's, as the ones that witness had previously given him were hard to sell. He then gave accused two Swan fountain pens. Horton at this time spoke to witness about a Snider rifle which he wanted witness to^ buy, the price of the gun being 30s. He said that he could have it on the same terms as the other gun — that was, pay for it as he liked. He said that the last fountain pens sold were better than the others, and that one or two of these would soon clear off the price of the gun. He did not bring tho gun to the shop then, and i» the meantime witness handed him two more (fountain pens. He got the gun from him shortly afterwards. Witness paid 5s out of his own pocket on account of the Snider. The next things that he gave the accused at the latter' s suggestion were the knives, two large Swan fountain pens, and two silver pencils. The gun was about paid for by that time. He afterwards suggested that he should bring him some nibs, and said that if he'clid so he (witness) need not be without pocket money. He then got him some gold nibs. That would be about the beginning of July. Witness left his employment in August. About a month before witness left his situation accused asked him if Fergusson and Mitchell had any travelling bags, and witness told him that he would see. A clay or two afterwards he told him that he thought they had. He then asked him to bring him one. About a week after witness told him that he could not see any gentlemen's* bags. He asked him then if they had any ladies' bags, or fancy things like that. Witness brought him down the lady's dressing bag produced. Ho never got ans piojiev from aooused. He offered him some

once 'or twice" — about "5s altogether — but that went for paying for ammunition and the guns. Horton told, him that if ever there were in-quiries-about the things, the detectives would come to him, and, that he was to deny having taken the stuff, as he (Horton) would .not give the detectives witness's names. — Further evidence having been given," accused was committed for trial on this charge also, bail in this instance being fixed at accused in his own recognisance of