DEAB. GIN

Southland Times, Issue 20014, 30 October 1926, Page 9

DEAB. GIN

THEFT OF ONE BOTTLE COSTS £5. It is unlikely that George Ross, of Tuatapere, will again adopt the method of securing a bottle of gin he employed on May 19 last when he stole a bottle from the I Wallacetown Junction Hotel. For that ; bottle cost him £5, at least the theft of it ! did. Ross is a middle-aged man and earns his living working round Port Craig and Tuatapere. He was charged at the Magis-. trate’s Court yesterday, before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., with the theft on May 19 of one bottle of gin, valued at 10/6, the property of William J. Harris, licensee of the Wallacetown Junction Hotel. Detective Carroll handled the case for the prosecution and said that on May 19 last accused went to Harris’s hotel and stole a bottle of gin. The case was reported to the police, who issued a summons, but when they went to serve the summons, accused could not be traced. He was, however, arrested on Thursday night by Constable McCulloch at Tuatapere. Accused had given Harris a fair amount of trouble at the hotel and on the same day attempted to steal a glass from the hotel. He had other convictions against him. Ross pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined £5, in default 14 days’ hard labour.