CHARGE AGAINST A TOTALISATOR TICKET-SEKKER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 47

CHARGE AGAINST A TOTALISATOR TICKET-SEKKER.

Aichibald Egpie was brought before Messrs D. Pmkerton and A G. Christopher, J.P's., at the City Police Court yesterday, and charged with having, on the 23th Februarj, at Tahuna Park, stolen £5 belorging to Philip Mason and Charles Robeits, of the firm of Mason and Roberta. Mr Sim appealed for accused. Mi Solomon, who conducted the prosecution, explained that accused was engaged in selling tickets at one of the totabsators. Counsel also explained the method by which the totahsator was worked. The accused did everything right up to the last race, when he represented that he had sold four tickets on No 1, whereas ne had =o!d 14, which repiesented £5. the totahsator being a 10s one. There was uo possibility of a mistake. He was afteiwaids taxed by Mi Mason with the matter, and said he did rot know how it was, and he c uppo9ed he would ha 1 eto pay the money. He did not, howe\ er, do so. Messrs Mason and Robeits weie \ civ reluctant to b.irg the matter before the court, but it was necessary that a, tiling of tins =oi t °hcu!d be put a stop to, r or a vei> large 'inn 01 nioaey passed through these mtn's ha'ids and they must be kept free from all dovbt Philip Ma-son, the first witness called, stated

that accused was employed at om oi tho v/in^ dows of one of the 10s totahsators. A set of tickets \»ere given out for each horse flora nothing upw-arJs. When the man sold the ticket be, 011 receipt of the money, handed out the ticket to the pui chaser, and called out to the man mside, " One on so-and-so " The ticket was then shown on the ni.ichme. Edwaids was the name of the man to whom accused sang out, and it was his duty after the machine was closed, and during the time the race was taking place, to check the tickets It was a Mr Ritchie's place to take the money and give a. receipt for it, and on the occasion referred to he recei\ ed £23 10s, and gave a receipt for it. It wps then Mr Ritchie's duty to pay out. Thirty uckets weie sold at the one window and 14 at tne other, making a total of 44 tickets. Witness fcuiid out there was money short, and accused was asked for an explanation. Ho could gi\e no explanation, and said he had not had the money — that it looked very black, and that be supposed he would have to pay To Mr Sim He would be verj surpused if Mr Roberts took a 10s ticket after the race was over Mr Solomon It has nothing to do with the honesty of this man. Mr Sim The question is whether Mr Roberts got a ticket from Mr Ritchie- after the lace was run. W-iin-ess He could not get a ticket from Ritchie It was impossible. Continuing m his replies to Mr Sim, witness said Ciark might have collected tho stamps that day. Espie might ha\ c given them to him. Mr Sim Has Claik h<id any troub'e with you'-* M' Soiomo.' objected, and submitted it was not a proper x'mrg to ask <jne witness a question about mother witness It was an attempt to i,ut the thefi u^oii di>ot! er man's shoulders. He would undertake to bring Mr Clark, and Mr Sim could question him. Mi Sim soid the foand.itioa of the case was that the men employed with Espio were honest men, and if they were riot the cat.c fell to the giound. Witness, pressed for an answer, said he had di 3 missed Clark. He had I*o reason to doubt the honesty of the others Chailes Edwards explained that his duty 111 the machine was to register Espie would call out " One on No 1, ' and he would answer and ring it on a maclure The machine showed tht total of the two windows What was sung out to him 0:1 the day in question on No. 1 was 30 from one window and 14 from the other Accused sang out 14 Witness handled nc money whatever. Accused said something about being short, and ha\mg to pay it. To Mr Sim Witness thought Woolett (the othei ticket seller) took the stamps away. Fiederick William Woolett, m his evidence said that Espie called out to him that he hat sold 14 tickets on No. 1 m that particular lace To Mr Sim Mr Roberts got the lasb ticket on the tolahsator 1^- was bought from witr.c ' by Mr Robert-. Theie was one ticket too ruaiiy Oil the machine, and Mr Roberts said never in. mmd — that he would take it. Mr Sim Mr Roberts did not elect to tpKe that spare ticket until the race was run" — Witness I could not say whether it was aftcthj iaco wa.s run. Mr Sim . ypu wpn't. swear h,e did not buy it after the race w.as run - — Witness No, I would not swepr it. Mr Solomon Do you swear that Espie told you he put 14 tickets upon that horse ' — Wvtress. As far as I can remember. \Vlhlam Armstead also gave evidence. < Patrick Leith Ritchie gave evidence to the effect thai accused's statement to him showed that he sod four tickets on No. 1 m that i2.ee. lo !Ur Sim Did not hear Mr Roberts ssy at the Grand Hotel that he bad done the first mean thing in his life in having bought a ticket after the race had started. Hugh Clark deposed that ho had 1 otlimg whate\ci to do with handling money on the machine, and declined to answer Mr Sim's questions as to whether he had got into tioub'e with Maso.i and Roberts. He handed to Mr Sim a note which he stated answered the que = - t.o -j. Charles Pearson Roberts, m replying to 21So^mon, said he was not aware that ho had taken a ticket after the Taee had been run. It sometimes happened that the total tickets registered was wiong. It happened on raiL occas.ons. Mr Solomon And on such occas.oas ha' <* vo'A bought that ticket yourself 7 — Yes, su, T hdve taken it, and I have lost. Mr Solomoi It has been suggested th^u ;ou shouted for Ritchie and Esp:e becaust you said you had for the first time 111 your Lr*. done a mean thing } — Witness I deny it ,i_ toto. Mr Sim You ha 4 dunks with Ritchie ait" Espie 9 — Witness I cannot say about these particular drinks, Mr Siru Do ou sa^ joh did not have drin.. with them 9—Wit-'e-s9 — Wit-'e-s I won't say that. It is quite possible I had one. Aj a niie, afte: they get through, their woik honestly and satisfactorily I hu\e often " shouted " for then:. Hr Sim But \ou don't lPrnerubc. shouting for them that evening 9 — Witness I cannot say that I clo JMV Sim Yctt had no reason to complain of accused's tickets up to that point 9 — Witnesf : It is a fan assumption, certainly. Mr Sim Ard you heard nothing up la that 9 — Witness. No, I had occasion to dis charge E&pio next morning, I think. Mr Sim You say you don't remember tht circumstance of buying the ticket? — Witness I don't remember It is quite po=sible I may hpve. I rlo l't slow nay cniplojees to invest Mr So'omon langhi~i?ly remarked that 1} Mr Robert^ had bought the ticket he would have made about 13s. Mr Sim, opening for the defence, said the defsndan* wruld °wear that he paid over to Pitchie all the money he received that day. He (Mr Sim) would call attention to the fact that the tickets pioduced by Mr Mason had not been tra.ced in any way. There was nothing to show that they had not been mnm - fact-ared for the purposes of the case. Fuither, the evidence ,of Edwaids and Woolett as to Espie caUmg out that he had sold 14 wvs unworthy of credence. There was no question of shoitage till the following morning, and kov could these men remember this particular thing when th°> could not remember anything about any other race, and there was nothing at the tiir>e to fix this particular thing 111 their memories 9 Mr So'omon You =ay these men have deliberate]} lied 9 Mr Sim did not say that, but these men were piobably hoping for further emplo3Tnent, and Mason and Roberts wished to make an example of Espie. The bench would also bear 111 mind the incident of the odd ticket. Espie. would shj- that Mr Roberts took that ticket, after he found that M'Kewen had won. If the, couit couid believe that they could behfcve anvthmg with regerd to the wav this total isator was run, ard if satisfied ti>nt it was run cv a loose 83. stem Mr So'omon Don't call it " loose " If that is true it is simply robbery Mi Sim said his point was that the machinewas 11m on a loose system, and though he dirj not sny that iraud had been perpetrated, the cucun i «tc l nces showed it would be unsafe to co.ivict Archibald Espie, m the course of Ips cv < denco, t ? ic! he sold four tickets o;i No. 1 u\ the ninth race. Did rot remember calling ou ' 14 to 'tt oolett Ho put on the table all th,_' 11101 ey he had received "^-'hen Mr Robeit- 1 was told by v.itness what had won lie weu. ,