AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2686, 6 September 1905, Page 29

AUCKLAND.

to his employers, carrying on a legal if immoral business, and to abstain from stealing their money. He (the judge) was not without hopes that prisoner might reform, and in that hope— and he thought it a reasonable hope — he would impose a lenient ■sentence. The amount was certainly very large, and it might seem to some- persons that the punishment should have some proportion to the amount. That was not, however, the view ho took. Where tJiere was a systematic crime extending over a period it was not in his view a matter of whether the sum taken was large or small. It was the offence and the dishonest intention that must be punished, not merely tie amount stolen. It was also extremely probable that with the folly and fatuity of the gambler the prisoner hoped to be able to recoup himself of the money he had stolen, and by gambling- to make good the defalcations. All that was most likely, but, nevertheless, this could not pass unpunished. Not in the interests of the racing club but in the interests al society, crime must be punished. The sentence of the court would be that prisoner be imprisoned and kept at hard labour in the common prison at Auckland for period of 12 calender months.

Thomas George, hailing from Otago, employed on a dredge ai; Mikonui, wss committed for trial at Hokitika on the 29th on a charge of attempting- to discharge a loacied peariflo at Janice Nelson, the man in charge.

Percy Dawson, late accountant for the Auckland Racing Club, wa.s brought up at th-o Police Court upon charges of having stolen £2938, the property of the Auckland Racing Club; and, further, that, with inltent to defraud, he falsified certain books and documents. Dawsoii, who is about 25 years of age. was arrested in Fiji. After evidence had been given accused pleaded "Guilty," and was remanded to the SupremeCourt for sentence. Bail was allowed, accused in £1000 and two sureties for £1000 each.

The Caledonian Hotel was robbed last week, tho thief securing quite a large haul of jewellery. Inquiries were made by the detective force, and on the 29th Detective M'llveney arre«led a man named Thomas Tapp, ■whom he charged with the theft. Tapp was brought before tho court rpxt morning, and wa? charged with having stolen from the dwelling of Ellen M'Manus, the proprietress cf the hotel, a quantity o'i" jewellery valued at £36 ss. Chief Detective Marsack secured a remand for a week, stating that the accused was arrested on Tuesday night in consequence of his atttempfc to pawn some of the missing jewellery. In sentencing Percy Dawson for stealing £2938 from the Auckland Racing Club, his Honor Mr Justice Edwards said this was .another lamentable case. It was most lamentable to see a younar mSn who up to the time when he ■entered ug.on this crime bore a good character, yielding to a temptation induced by his surrounding?, ancl becoming first a gambler and then a thief. That the crime was due to prisoner's surroundings he (the judge) conceived to be highly probable, and it was most probable that prisoner might have lived an honest, respectable life but for that curse to society, the totalisator — a- legalised machine enabling the public of this colony to gamble all the year round, every day anil all clay. Meeting's were multiplied simply for the sake of gains which were derived from that instrument of depravity. That tliero -was an extraordinary lack of supervision exercised o\er prisoner was ateo quite plain, and the heavy temptation placed in prisoner's way was plain. Still all that did not excuse the crime. The prisoner chose to enter _ such service, aucl it was his duty to be faithful