ALLEGED THEFT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 88, 12 April 1912, Page 5

ALLEGED THEFT.

the" '' county sample rooms ' ../case./- , ''.'";,: accused-before the court. ./At-''the .Magistrate's Courtf this morning, "before! Mr. W. C. K. Kenf ick;' S'.M/ r (Albert Ayling, Sydney Ba-. ker, iand " Henry; Williams were each charged with having on! April Ist broken into I !the'sample rooms owned ;by Mr. fEJrkwood,! of the County-Hotel, and having stolen therefrom cldth.es;. to the Value of'£3y consisting of oho suit of clothes, : ii. two-1, mackintoshes,, and eleven shirts, the property .of I Archi- . t bald,, Clark ,au4 n ? ,rq.ercl^nTits,. of, ' New,.,i{ly r mc(utn) ;iJ . i j ■.„ £'1,1(1 \','.y- ,'■ • Sergeant MclNeely said that the accused Were strangers in, Stratford. ;;nd were), employed at the ' County Hot si. one of them., as porter,, Two,,,cf. the men .KQt fl a,\vay ; ajid, -were- arrested! in New J?lymouth,, with the stolen articles in their .possession The other man, >who remained behind, admitted. ,- his .share in the matter...,; _, .-.,,', v Chains, commercial t.rny.s mpjoyed, \ by' Archibald., Clo rk aridjopn, <s>f New,Plymouth, said/that he rentjed,sample,r,ooms from Mr Kirkof the County Hotel, on Monday; of Ajjril.,'" He left the 'Mqiiday night last at : a quurter .t6 : ;six.'- He left everything secure, •'.'floors : a!rid 'windows being closed. • Asis o'clock'on Tuesday morning, A pril 2nd; he visited the rooms, but did hot .hrfss 'anything • till twelve o'clock, wheii' he wis packing up. He mirfced a ihan a suit, two men's over- • coats'l'He* did not miss the shirts (produced) at the time. Witness then identified the goods as the property of his employer. ■ The suit of clothes had tjhtQii** brand on it; it was contained 1 in a,bqx:No; 1605. The Sergeant then prodye'ed a' ticket from the pocket of ' the 'clothes, which bore this number. 1 Witness then stated that the suit of clothes came out of the box in his sample rooms"... The total value of the goods was £B. He authorised no one ,' to remove articles from the stcre*room. , [He noticed signs of footprints- on a rug beneath ono of the windows. ' The window was shut when he left, but unlocked. Thomas Kirkwood, brother of W: Kirkwpod, owner of the sample rooms in Miranda Street v Stratford, reckling dt,,the. County Hotel, deposed that he knew the .three accused, who were employed at. the County Hotel. Baker was- employed in the kitchen, Ayling was employed as porter, and Williams was■■;employed in the pantry. ' On Monday,night, April Ist, he attended the..pictures. He went home by Miranda Street, and met in that street the three accused. They were walking in the direction of Regan Street.. £hey passed him again, having retraced their steps. Ha was standing still at the time. The last time ,he saw them they were at the mouth of the rigiit-of-way. That was about, a chain from the sample rooms'. The time was about 11 o'clock. They were npt carrying, anything at the time he saw them. He did not think Baker,., and Williams gave any notice aS to their .intention to leave the hotel. 1 Donald/ Archibald Mac Lean, cbn- , stable, stationed , at ■ New Plymoutn, ■being duly sworn, said that on Wed- , nosday, .April 3rd, lie arrested accused Williams and Baker, in consequence of. a telephone message from Sergeant McNeely. He found them in a boarding house in New Plymouth, told them that they were suspected of at Stratford from the County Hotel, Williams replied: "We stole nothing; we only arrived from Wellington to-night." While talking to them' he. saw two waterproofs hanging on the wall, and told them that those were part of.the stolen articles and that he was. to arrest them for it. I said there's a suit of clothes stolen, and Baker replied, "It's hanging on the, back of the door. He told them to' avoid upsetting the room, and if there were any other stolen artH'"-\ to show him where they were. Williams frankly replied: "There's a parcel of shirts, underneath the bed." The following morning the ace used Being told that another man was also , arrested, the two accused replied: "Yes, Ayling, the porter, was with US." The articles produced were . those he- found in possession oi jtbe accused. , , „ Sergeant McNeely then entered Ithe box and gave evidence as follows: "On Tueday, the. 2nd of April, 1912, .it .was.-reported .to me that Kjirkwood's sample rooms had been broken into, and certain articles stolen.; On Wednesday night, 3rd inat., it qnme to my knowledge that Williams Jand 4 Baker had suddenly left their einfloyinent at the County Hotel and had

gone to New Plymouth. I then made enquiries as to their movements on the night of the Ist of April. 1 interviewed the accused, Aioerfc Ayling, and ascertained that he had been room-mate with the accused Williams at the County Hotel. 1 ques-

tioned him as to what lie knew of the movements of Baker and Williams •on the night of the Ist of April.. He told me he had been in their company up till about 10.30 that night, at which hour they had all returned home to the County Hotel. When 1 asked him if Williams had gone out again that night, after some hesitat.on, he said, •'They had nil gone out again." When i asked him what tney had gone out lor, ne replied: ■'To get into the window." He then made the following statement (produced); signed by Albert Ayling, in my presence:—"At about half past eight i>r quarter to nine on Monday night, Ist April, 1912, I, in company with Baker and a man called Harry, both employed at the County Hotel, came down to the Stratford Hotel from the County Hotel. We had a drink together, and then went into the billiard room, but could not get a game. We then came cut and went across the road to another billiard saloon, and played a game of billiards. It would oe about half past ten. When we were in our bedroom, in the County Hotel, I said it would not be difficult for a man to get in any of the windows in hotel buildings. Harry said, "We will have a try to get in them." We then went down the road for a walk, come back to the hotel, and i went into the bedroom. Baker said: "I'm going to turn in now," and left i our room to go into his own. . . 1! had not been in long when Harry said: "Wo are going to try and get ut through the window." I said, "It's no good telling one what you are go : ng to do." They then went away, but shortly afterwards came back and said, "Are you coming?" I said, "No!" I then got out of bed and went up to the corner of the right-of-way with Baker' and. Harry. They said they were going into the window. I stood at the corner about IfVpr 20 yards away, and promised to give them the wire if anybody came. 1 saw Harry go in through the window, and linker stood outside. After Harry had been in the sample room a little while he handed some stuff out to Baker. Harry pulled the top sash of the window down to get in. After he handed the stuff to Baker, Harry came out, and Aye all returned to the room and sorted the stuff out. We had two mackintoshes, one suit, and a bundle of shirts. We put the stuff underneath the bed and left it there all night. Harry took it away next morning, and that was the last I saw cf >'t. While Harry was waiting a chance to go in Tom Kirkwood passed us, but did not speak to us. I make this statement voluntarily (Si vned) A. Ayling." This concluded the evidence. Baker, in answer jo a question, whether he ha'd anything to say, answer: "No; I, just wish to plead guilty." The other two men had nothing to say. The' three accused pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence.