ROBBED IN A TRAIN.
At the City Po"ice Court, on the 6th. inst.. before Mr C. C. Graham, S.M., Francis Inglis was charged with the theft, on the 3rd inst., of a pocketbook, value ss, a money order for £27. and £1 in nioney, the property of John M'Kay — Chief Detective Herbert stated that accused and complainant were passengers in the same carriage — a second smoker — from Timaru to Dunedin on the 3rd inst The complainant then had in his possession the property referred to, but on arrival at Dunedin he found it was missing. The accused sat next to the complainant in the train, and the latter had the pocket-book in the inside breast-polite c of hi<3 coat. The pocket-book, cheque, and some of the money were afterwards found in the possession of accused when he was arrested m Dunedin.— The cheque was for £27 on Messrs Dalgeiy and Co. (Ltd ), Timaru. The evidence would disclose that accused went into a clothier's shop in the arcade and piesentod the cheque in payment of some goods he purchased. The shopkeeper, before allowing the goods to go out of his office, ascertained that payment hud been stopped, and, the police being informed, accused was arrested. Tho complainant's name was on his purse when it was found in accused's popeepsion — John M'Kay stated that he was a labourer residing at Fairlie. and left Timaru for Dun-edm by tram on the 3rd inst. The cheque was for wages, and was made out on the Timaru branch of Dalgety and Co (Ltd ). The purse produced was his property, and had written on it " John M'Kav. Silverstream " Wane-* did not know accused before he travelled with him in the train On the way to Dunedin accused gave him a flask of whi"kv njid on arrival in Dunedin accits-ed hired a cab, and they both drove to the Teimmus Hotel "Witness afteivvarcls left the hotel and went to Caversham. Up to this ture he had not nnsFed his piuie and what it contained but next morning when lie fou i 1 h.s puri-e v.as missing he g;<\e information to the pchce and went to Da'<;ct\ jnd Co 's Dunedin agency and stopped payment of the thequp -To accused The flask containing- whisky belonged <o me. and you took it out of my pocket. I do not remember you picking up my pur=e and giving it to me in the train I was drunk when I came into -the train. — Arthur Wm. Kvery, caehier for Dalgety and Co , seated that on the 4th m«t M'Kay called and stopped j,a> merit of a cheque ordc-r for £27 on the Timaru branch On the fqllowing morning Mr R Hart, of the Arcade presented the order for payment, and witness took pos=e=sion of it and communicated with the police by telephone Money orders from branches were not paid in Dunedin unless instructions were given by the branches that it should be done. — Robert Hart, clo'hier, corner of Arcade and Maclaggan street stated that he saw pccu&ed between 9 and 10 a.m. on the sth inst. outside his (witness's) prermres Accused spoke to witness and said if he would cash a cheque he would purchase some articles of clothing. Tho accused then went into the shop and selected a suit or clothes, three singlets, and three pairs of box, the total value of which was £2 16s 9d. For this amount he tendered the order for £27, and, on being asked to endorse it. he saad his name was M'Kay, and apked witness how to spell tlie name. The latter question aroused witness's suspicions that there was something wrong, and, leaving accused in the shop, he went to Dalgety and Co.'s with the cheque. He was then informed that payment had been stopped, and returned to the shop again, where accused was arrested. The accused had been drinking, but he waa not drunk, and made some very clumsy heiro-
glyphics when he tried to endorse the cheque. — Constable Lopdeli gave evidence relating to. _ the arrest of the accused. He stated that tha accused had had some drink, but was sober.— . Detective Hunt stated that he found _in accused's possession a purse, two bank slips, and 14s 6d in money. When charged with the offence, he said the puree, bank slips, cheque, and money were his property. — Accused, after being cautioned, pleaded " Nofc guilty," and said he was drunk at the time, and had no intention of keeping the money. He intended to return it, but wa3 unable tdt find the prosecutor. — His Worship committed? accused for tri*l tvt the next criminal sittings of the Supreme Court,
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 2779, 19 June 1907, Page 53
Word Count
775ROBBED IN A TRAIN. Otago Witness, Issue 2779, 19 June 1907, Page 53
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