FURS STOLEN BY BOYS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144084, 1 May 1913, Page 5

FURS STOLEN BY BOYS.

AX AMAZIXG STOGY. A story in which two hoysiwere associatedwith the fatp.;.of a, large quantity of goods stolen from a city showroom was told at the Sydney ! quarter sessions last week, before Judges Murray and a jury. Alexander Danvers Lane,- 10 years of age. was before the Court on trial,; while Edgard Gibbons, 14, years, Who was called as a. Crown witness, . had been , dealt with at tho Cliildren’r, .Court.

Land was charged, with having stolen 426 squirrel skins,- 24' fox skins* 14 coats,. 78 pairs of socks, 2 nbcklcta, 15 dresses, 1 overcoat, ,6 tablecloths, T cinematograph machine, and imoney to tho amount of ,EO, the property 0 f R. , H. Barber and Co., at Sydney, on.Fab'rauary 22. ‘ There was a second count of receiving. R. H. Barber said that over £llOO worth of furs and fur'• cloaks had disappeared, and about £3OO worth of the property had been recovered. A number of small cheques had also been forged, to the amount of about £SO. Edgard Gibbons said lie had been, concerned in the thefts., .All the money ho received from Lane was £1 os, excepting occasionally ..sixpence or a shilling. , ■ , Lane said that lie and his mother and sister came out to Australia from England three years ago. The 1 first transaction between Gibbons and him-, self was' in relation to a quantity of socks. Later Gibbons brought some fox furs, 'for'which ho asked Is 6d each, but witness could only vivo 6d or Is, .which was agreed to. A black opera cloak changed hands at Is 6d, though tho proper selling price was £4 ss; and squirrel skins, valued at 5s each, -were put up in parcels of, six dozen at 2s per parcel.. AVitness subsequently intimated that ho wished to buy a fur cloak for bis mother, and Gibbons showed him a number of such cloaks, including _a Coney seal, fox trimmed article lined with pink silk valued at £27 10s, for which he asked los. AVitncss offered 12s, hilt Gibbous said that ho had to pay Barber and Co. 12s, and wanted a “bit” for hiniwlf. AVitncss showed the coat to a lady typist in tho office where bo was employed, and she said she Would like a similar garment at the same price. ■He produced a grey squirrel cloak, valued at 60 guineas, but tho typist did not dike it, and ho then got her a black Coney seal, fox trimmed cloak, valued at 30 guineas, for which she paid £l. .AV.itncss paid Gibbons 15s. did not take anything from Barber’s that was not sold toUiini by Gibbons. Gibbons frequently rode home to Bondi from the city in a taxicab, and on several occasions witness wont with him. .Gibbons explained that Barber, and Co. paid a certain sum for the uso of the taxi for the yoav, and said that'they “might just as well use it;” AA’itness believed that Gibbons had come Honestly into possession of all the goods in question. Lane was then sentenced to 18; mouths’ hard labour, tho sentence to be suspended upon .sureties of .self in £SO, and one other in a like amount, to be of good behaviour, and to observe the conditions of . the first offenders’ provisions, for a period of 18 months.