WHOLESALE ROBBERY OF WOOL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4574, 20 December 1887, Page 2

WHOLESALE ROBBERY OF WOOL.

During Wednesday and Thursday nights last the woolsheds at the Orari station and Mr W. Foetlethwaite’s, at Geraldine, were robbed of a quantity of wool, Mr Shallard, wool classer at the former, missing about 40 fleeces each night, and Mv Postlethwaito found a quantity had been taken away on Thursday night. On discovering his loss, Mr Murray, manager of the Orari estate for the trustees of the late Mr W. K. Macdonald, determined to find out the perpetrator of the robbery, and watched the woolshed bn Thursday and Friday nights, and had the satisfaction of catching a man named Edwin Wilcocks, on the latter night, red-handed, in the act of taking eight bags of wool away from the station on two horses. He was immediately collared and taken to the look-up at Geraldine. Search was made by the police, and Mr Badham (a near neighbour of the accused), on Saturday, along the plantations and hedges between the station and the residence of the accused, but without any result. On Sunday last Constable Graham, of Temuka, proceeded along the road leading to accused’s section, and turned up the Orari river bed, with the intention of searching the banks as far as the station. He hadn’t proceeded a quarter of a mile when he dropped on the plant, on a small island or bank. It was hidden in a clump of gorse bushes about 8 feet in height. Inside this there was a grassy spot 9ft by 10ft, on which were 28 bags of wool, one horse cover, four wool packs and a wooden pipe. Constable Graham|immediately proceeded to obtain the assistance of Constable Willoughby in removing the wool, &c, to Geraldine, 1 hey started from thence at about half-post four o’clock that afternoon, arriving back and housing the plant at 11 pm. The accused admitted his guilt to one of Mr Murray’s shepherds, who acted as sentry over him prior to his being taken to Geraldinne. He stated as his reasons for committing the robbery, that he had been heavily fined by the Magistrate at the Temuka Court, and had to recoup himself either by selling his horse or stealing and he chose the latter alternative. He was brought up before a bench of Justices at Geraldine yesterday afternoon and remanded till Thursday next. There are four or five charges to be preferred against the accused. Great credit is due to Mr Murray, who watched for two nights in order to discover the thief, and to Mr Badham, who gave every assistance in searching for the hidden plunder, and also lent the police a horse to help to remove the wool, etc., to Geraldine. On examining the plant, eight bags, containing 2l2£lbs wool, valued at from £7 to £B, were identified as belonging to Mr W. Postlethwaite, and twenty sacks, containing 580 lbs wool, valued at £34 Is 2d, as belonging to the Orari station. Edwin Wilcocks, the prisoner, is under probation granted on August 2nd last, when he was charged at the R.M. Court, Geraldine, with the larceny of a coil of rope from the front of Messrs N. Dunlop and Co’s premises.