SAUCE FOR THE GANDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4577, 23 February 1893, Page 1

SAUCE FOR THE GANDER.

" Gentlomen of the Jury," said Mr Justice 'Prickett, speaking in rapid and easy tones," this isa case which will not, I imagine,, demand very lengthy deliberation at your hands. You have hoard the evidence. The facts are of a type- with ■which we are all familiar. We have arobbery-r •a daring and successful robbery —from a jeweller's window, and one of the stolen articles —a handsome gold bracelet —ia found in the possession of the prisoner. It is for her to say how she came to have that bracelet in her possession,- and unless ■she gives a reasonable account of the matter you .will be justified in inferring that she took it, "knowing it to have been stolen. Gentlemen, the ' prisoner's counsel suggests to you that she may have bought it, or that it may have been given to her. But we have no description of the man from whom* she bought it, the time, the place, or the ciroumstances of the 1 sale. As for vthe other hypothesis —well, gentlemeD, it is for you to say whatyou think of it." " Consider your verdict, gentlemen," said the clerk of assize. The prisoner was very pretty, and very becomingly dressed, and she cried, in a quiet, ladylike fashion, insomuch that two or three of the Jury were of opinion that her cause had suffered at the hands of her counsel, and (they leaned to an acquittal. But the summing-up was dead against her —it seomed unanswerable. The sentimentally minded jurors held out for a time, so that the Judge became visibly impatient; and then, thinking that further resistance was useless, they gave way. " Guilty|" said the foreman. "Hadyou known what I knew of the prisoner's character, gentlemen," said Mr Justice Prickett, " You would have had less hesitation in agreeing upon a verdict. No fewer than six previous convictions, ohiefly for minor offences, it is true, but one is for becoming accessory to a robbery after the fact." The Boft-hearted jurors gave a sigh of relief, and cast stem glances at the occupant of the flock. " Alice Wray, alias Johnson," said the Judge, ." you have been most properly found guilty of receiving this property, knowing it to have been stolen. No doubt you have been concerned in similar transactions before. . However, the judgment of the Court is, that you be kept in penal servitude for the term of seven years." Alice Wray, alias Johnson, gave a low cry, •overed her face with her hands and wept (this time) in sincerity and in truth. Mr Justice Prickett got up and went to lunch. It was nearly a week before the criminal business at Bamborough was finished, and Mr Justice Prickett was at liberty to go back to town. He determined to travel alone, as his brother of the bench had not finished his share' •f the work, and he did not care for the company •f his marshal for six consecutive hours. The guard was duly tipped; Sir John Prickett was put in the centre-compartment of the centrecarriage of the train and carefully locked in. Great was his annoyance, however, when, at the first stopping place, while he was enjoying a firat rate cigar and a very fair novel, the door was opened by the help of an unauthorised key, and two young men, apparently bagmen of a Buporior mould, stepped into the compartment. it was excessively annoying; and Sir John glared at the intruders in his best style. To this, however, they paid no attention. They lit their «igars, the smoko of which had a peculiarly pungent, acrid character, and began to talk. The unhappy Judge tried not to listen, tried to interest himself in his book. Of course he could notThey were talking loudly, and talking shop, as a matter of course. They —or one of 'them — was evidently travelling for a firm of manufacturing jewellers. "We're doing a very nice thing in rings just now—quite a new pattern," said one. of the young men, pulling up his trousers' legs as he spoke. ." We iind ladies like a ring of a peculiar make — looks more recherche. Have a look at it?" The other nodded assent; and the speaker took down a stout black bag from the rack over his head, opened it, and produced various small parcels and coses, which he laid about the seats. "Here it is—a beauty —a fifty-pound ring, and worth it in the shop, every bit of it. Ain't it, mow?" "Yes, it shows up well," assented the other. " What do you put it in for wholesale ?" "Twenty." i "Too much,'' said the other, shaking his head. "For that!" cried the other, slipping the ring '«n his finger and displaying its brillianoy. " No; 'but we might let it go at eighteen as a favour." ' . Sir j'phnPribkett could not help looking at the: jewel» and he was struck at once by its size, beauty,, and elegant workmanship. He knew r something of diamonds; and just then it occurred to him that in a day or two it would be necessary . to propitiate Lady Prickett (who was a woman of great mental power) with a handsome gift. " May I see your ring?" he asked. "Certainly, sir," said the commercial man, handing it over. The Judge scratched the window with it, scrutinisod it,admired its design, and finally said, "If you like, I'll give you twenty pounds for it." " Ob, no," said the young man,laughing, " that was a trade-price. You're not in the trade, ate yousir?" "No, but I can't help wishing I were. Such profits are very alluring," answered the Judge. He handed the ring back with reluctance. It was really a magnificent bit of jewellery. "It doesn't matter to you whom you sell it to, so long as you get the money," said Sir John, who yearned to get the ring at "trade-price." "I'll make it guineas, and pay cash." "Well, since you must have it, I don't mind Splitting tbe difference —say twenty-two an'-a--'alf," responded the traveller, and the bargain was completed. The occasion which the Judge had foreseen arose, and the diamond ring was produced at the right moment with, tremendous effect. The matrimonial difficulty was adjusted, and Lady Prickett's ring was much noted, much admired, and much talked about. "Her husband gave it her, you say my dear ? " 'said old' Lady "Mewae. "Humph!—oh, I've no v <loubt of it. I only mean that Sir John must have given her great cause of provocation." ; All unconscious of such comments Lady Prickett wore the ring and rejoiced over it greatly. It was evening. Sir John Prickett had finished dinner and was sitting alone in the library, when two cards were brought to him. "Colonel Travers! Certainly," said the Judge. " Show him in, Thomas, and Mr Who is it ? Samuel ? Mr Samuel as well." Colonel Travers was Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and Mr Justice Prickett was at a loss to account for his visit. In fact, the Colonel seemed to be rather at a loss to accdunt for it himself. He hemmed and hawed, spoke, of secret but reliable and positive . information, professed his perfect devotion to the British bench, as represented by Mr Justice Prickett, and finally, in some roundabout fashion, gave that dignitary to understand that what he really wanted to do was to flae Lady Prickett's jewels." The Judge marvelled greatly, but he said' nothinu, &°d t°ok Btops to have the Chief Commissioner's desire satisfied. After an awkward pause the jewel-case was produced, and its contents exhibited. .." That's one of'em!" criod Mr Samuel in sn excited tone, pouncing upon something. It wu

Lady Prickott's new diamond ring! "That's one of 'em ; I'll swear to it anywhere Our private mark and number are on it, as you can see for yourself, my lord— J. S., 239." He whipped a watchmaker's lens out of his, pocket, and invited " his lordship," a3 he styled Sir John to inspect the thing for himself. " But it can't be yours !" cried tbe Judge; " I bought it myself from a man who " He stopped, having become suddenly aware that the Chief Commissioner was watching him curiously. He did not care to let it be known that he, a Judge of Her Majesty's High Court of Justice, a Knight, and a Privy Councillor, should be talked of as purchasing jewels from commercial travellers in railway carriages. " It was stolen from our shop in Oxford Street last March, my lord. It is worth a hundred guineas, if it is worth a farthing," said Mr Samuel. " A hundred guinea 3! "W hy, I only ' ' Again Sir John stopped short. Still less could he let it be known that he had bought stolen property at a fourth of its value ! Why it was very like being a receiver of stolen goods ! ,'. j The perspiration broke out all over him. He was forced to look olosely' at the ring to hide his agiitation. When he glanced up at Colonel Trayers and Mr Samuel, they were looking at each other. How he wished he had braved ridicule and told the whole story at first ! That hesitation had been a fatal blunder. He could not tell the truth now. But he pulled himself together with an effort, and said that he had bought thoringfromamanwho,he had every reason to believe, had a perfect right to dispose of it. However, as Lady Prickett liked it, and as it belonged to Mr Samuel, he would pay for it. How much ? Under the ciroumstances, Mr Samuel would take eighty guineas ; and, under the oircumstances, Mr Justice Frickctt wrote a cheque for eighty-four pounds sterling. When his visitors had gone, "his lordship" poured himself out a small glass of cherry-brandy. He shuddered to think what might have happened had he been a poor or an obscure man. Beally, he said to himself, these receiving oases should be watched very narrowly. It is so easy— — 'He stopped, struck by the coincidence. Only a few weeks before he had sentenced a girl to penal servitude on exactly the same sort of evidence as— — - "JKeally, now," he said to himself, "if it were to save my life, I don't suppose I could produce thoso rascally fellows I met in tbe train ! " The thought of that girl haunted him for a great part of the night. The evidence against her seemed somewhat weak. True, she was a dancer at a music-hall, she said— just the sort of person who did sometimes receive presents of jewellery, as his lordship was aware. Someone might have bought the bracelet from the thief, and given it to this girl. Oddly enough, next day Mr Justice Prickett received a very dirty ill-spelt letter from Alice Wray's mother, begging him to recommend a remission of at least part of the sentence. The | girl, her mother admitted, had had bad comj panions. One of them might have given Alice the bracelet ; but it was impossible for the girl to know that it was stolen. ' , • This letter following his own disquieting thoughts, induced Mr Justice Prickett to go to the Home Secretary's office. As he was leaving he said, " Ah ! by the way, there was a girl con- ! victed down at Bamborough— a receiving «ase ; the evidence struck me at the time ["oh! Mr Justice Prickett!"] as being rather weak. If you don't mind I'll send you a copy of my notes, and get the other papers for you." "Do so, if you please," said Mr Secretary Marks with a weary sigh. The result was that, after a consultation between the Minister and the Judge, tbe sentence passed upon Alice Wray, alias Johnson, was remitted. About a month after the girl was set at liberty. As Sir John and Lady Prickett were walking side by side along one of the streets of this metropolis the lady perceived that her lord's gaze was strangely fixed on a passing vehicle. "What are you staring at?" she asked. " Those people ? Beally I must beg that so long as I am with you, you will restrain your, curiosity." But Mr Justice Prickett's indignation waß too keen to allow him to mind Lis wife's nonsense. He had just seen Miaa Alice Wray eitting in a hired carriage side by side with the commercial traveller. who had sold him the diamond ring ! What the Judge thought about the matter may be guessed, but may not be expressed in written words. Owing to the presence of his wife, Sir John was compelled to keep his thoughts to himself. ■ „ ■:■ - -