EGGS, SCHNAPPER, SALTS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 May 1933, Page 3

EGGS, SCHNAPPER, SALTS

SERGEANT KELLY IN THE BOX, “A GENTLEMAN EROM THE BUSH.” “Is that you, Dick? There’s a couple of packets of salts coming. Whips has been landed.” Such was the message that allegedly came over the telephone during the police raid on Dominik Sisarich’s restauraiit at Stratford on March 8. In relating the riiatter to the Supreme Court yesterday Mr. R. H. Quilliam explained that “Whips” was the nickname of W. H. Lash, who had been arrested at Stratford on a charge of bookmaking a few minutes previously. 1 Mr. Justice Reed asked what “packets of salts,” referred to. “I presume it refers to two policemen,” replied the Crown Prosecutor. Sergeant Kelly told the Court that while he was at the telephone a man at the other end realised he was not Sisarich. . “Who are you?” asked the sergeant. “Go and play with yourself,” was the reply. Later a constable told the sergeant that he would have to get Sisarich to the telephone as a man at the other end was speaking a foreign language. Sisarich took up the receiver. The message was coming from New Plymouth. The man went on talking in a strange tongue, finally to conclude in good English: “Send me 12 dozen smoked schnapper.” Shortly afterwards there was another telephone message from a man who wanted to have sent two dozen eggs. “Who are you?” asked Sergeant Kelly. “Oh, I’m the gentleman from the bush,” said the voice oyer the wire. The sergeant admitted, under, crossexamination that the message from New, Plymouth might have concerned trade matters. He knew Sisarich had a brother there. “But,” he added, “I thought it strange that the last part should have been in English.” “Perhaps there are no smoked, schnapper in Dalmatian,” suggested Mr. A. Coleman for the defence. “What do you think?” “Search me,” replied the sergeant with a shrug. “I don’t know.” Counsel thought that the message about the two dozen eggs was a legitimate trade request. He suggested Sisarich might sometimes receive an order for two dozen eggs. “Yes, but not from a ‘gentleman from the bush,’ ” countered Sergeant Kelly quickly. “Eggs are rather scarce in March, you know,” said counsel. '' “And so are ‘gentleman from the bush,”’ was the retort.