A SERIOUS CHARGE

Southland Times, Issue 19330, 15 September 1921, Page 5

A SERIOUS CHARGE

ALLEGED ASSAULT AND ROBBERY

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.

uru nud<Ue - a g wl man named Thomas James Whyte appeared before Mr G. Cruickshank, ri.M. at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with assaulting and robbing James Henry Russell of the sum of £l2. The offences were alleged to have been committed at Invercargill on August 26. Senior-Sergeant Eccles prosecuted and Mr Reed appeared ifor the accused.

James Henry Russell said that on August 26 he came to Invercargill from Lochiel where he was employed as a farm labourer. Before leaving he had been paid by a cheque which he cashed at the Bank of Australasia. After making a few purchases he went to Bluff, where he had a few drinks and bought a bottle of whisky and two bottles of beer. He arrived back in Invercargill about 7 p.m. and at that time had from twelve to thirteen single notes in his hip pocket. He alighted from the train on the railway yard side where he was accosted by the accused, who said that lie wanted some whisky. Witness told him that he would not get any drink from him and at that Whyte made a grab at a bottle of whisky which witness had in his inside coat pocket. Witness told the accused to get out of it and as he turned round be was struck behind the ear. He fell to the ground and Whyte took the money from his hip pocket and after securing the bottle of whisk and the beer, made off. Witness immediately informed the, police. On the following morning he saw the accused at the railway station and heard him ask for two return tick ets to Riverton. On August 29 witness called at the Police Station and was asked to identify the accused from amongst a numbur of others. He did so although before the assault he had never seen him. Cross-examined by Mr Reed, witness said that he had his senses about him when he arrived at Invercargill. He might have made a mistake when he got off the wrong side of the train. He was perfectly sure that the accused was the man who struck him and was not aware that he had a twin brother. William George Lindsay said that he caine on a visit to Invercargill from Dunedin a few days prior to August 29. On August 22 he saw the accused at the railway station and after inquiring what he was doing down here the accused asked him for the price of a beer. Witness did not, give it txj him and on the night of August 26 he savi the accused produce some notes from hia pocket at the Railway Hotel. Samuel Clark, a shunter on the railway, gsve evidence of having seen Russell get off the train on the wrong side and of having seen a man very much like the accuser speak to him. Isabelle Mabel Printz said that the accused came to the Railway Hotel on the evening o<f August 26 and asked for a room. He pulled out. a roll of notes and a lot ol silver with which to pay. This was shortly after the Bluff train came in. Numerous other witnesses were called and the accused was committed for trial at the next, sitting of the Supreme Court.