AUTHORESS IN THE DOCK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 17

AUTHORESS IN THE DOCK.

CHARGE OF THEFT. A MAORI CHARGED, BUT RELEASED. (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, November 27. Before Mr J. J. Freeman and other magistrates, at Spelthorne Sessions, on November 15, a remarkable story of an authoress who claimed to have written books with a’three-million sale, but who had latterly got into financial straits was told. Her name was Marian Willis, who is referred to as a woman of obvious refinement and education. She refused to give her address to the police. She was charged on remand together with Hahepa Te Kiri, a Maori, of 28 Fordwater road, Chertsey, with stealing from the Railway Hotel, Shepperton, £4 10s in notes, a valuable musquash coat, and other articles to the value of about £BO, the property of Mrs Rose Abson, the wife of the licensee of the hotel. There were further chargs against both accused of stealing a cabinet gramophone, gramophone records, articles of clothing, etc., to the value of about £4O, from No. 35 Carlton road, East Sheen, the property of Mr Harold Brook. The female prisoner pleaded not guilty to the first charge, but guilty in the second case. The male prisoner pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Detective Young, Staines, repeated the evidence of arresting the female prisoner on the afternoon of November- 5, as she was leaving a wineshop in the Strand. She then dropped a hand mirror, which prosecutrix, who was standing near by, identified as her property. Mrs Mary Smallbone, an attendant at the ladies’ room at Waterloo Station, said that ou the afternoon of November 5 the female prisoner attempted to dispose of a number of pawn tickets in the lavatory at the station. MET AT WATERLOO STATION. Mrs Rose Abson said that on November 1 she met the male and female prisoner (whom she understood to be man and wife) at Waterloo Station, and invited them to come with her to the Railway Hotel for supper. This they did. Before retiring for the night witness hung her musq.uash coat on a peg downstairs, and placed her bag, containing £4 10s in notes, in a drawer. On the Wednesday morning following the departure of both accused she discovered the articles to be missing, and gave information to the police. Cross-examined by the female prisoner, witness strongly denied a suggestion that whilst travelling from Waterloo to Shepperton with the accused she (prosecutrix) was under th© influence of drink, and whilst in that condition voluntarily, handed over some of the articles mentioned in the charge. Witness was also cross-examined at great length by the male prisoner, who was frequently called to order by the chairman for asking irrelevant questions. Witness denied a suggestion by the male prisoner that she was habitually losing her money and accusing anybody of having stolen it. The Bench decided that the evidence in. the first charge was not sufficiently strong and accordingly dismissed the case. On the other charge the male prisoner was remanded for further inquiries, New Zealand lady who said she represented the New Zealand Government, but who declined to give her name to the press, offering bail for him. FALLEN ON EVIL DAYS.

On the female prisoner pleading guilty in the second case, Defective Muller said that she was & married woman (with four children)'-Jwho had undoubtedly fallen on evil days, and recently had gone from bad to worse. She was an authoress who had published several books which she claimed had had a large circulation. Accused, speaking with considerable emotion, said she had supported her husband and four children for 12 years by the proceeds of her writings, but her husband and the latter’s uncle, an Australian M.P., had enjoyed all the emoluments she had derived from her writings. Some of her books had had a sale of three million copies. The Bench passed sentence of one month s imprisonment on the female prisoner. When Te Kiri came up on remand the evidence showed that the gramophone had been taken from the house of Mrs Willis’s brother-in-law. Te Kiri had seen Mrs Willis_ using the gramophone at . her brother-in-law’s house, and he maintained that he was under the impression that it belonged to Mrs Willis, and that she was selling her own property. The judge gave Te Kiri the benefit of the doubt. He warned him that he had gone very close to an infringement of the law. In view of the fact that there was a doubt he would be discharged. He hoped it would be a warning to defendant. It is understood that Te Kiri has agreed to sail with his wife and family, tr Zealand on December 21, the i Commissioner’s Department having had passage money for this in hand for the past nine months.