THE BURGLARIES AT RANGIORA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7070, 11 April 1901, Page 3

THE BURGLARIES AT RANGIORA.

THE ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT. COURT PROCEEDINGS. At the Ramriora Police Court this morning, before Mr E. R. Good, J..P, Mr A. Todd, J.P., Mr A. Ivory, J.P., and Mr C. I. Jennings, J.P., Michael Henry O'Malley, Joseph Enright and James Northey were charged with breaking and entering the shop of George Prestney and stealing £2 14s 7d therefrom. Mr Donnelly appeared for the accused. Rosina Prestney, wife of George Prestney, who keeps a. fruit shop at Rangiora, stated that on Wednesday, April 3, she -was ! the last person in the shop, leaving at ihalfpast nine. Witness left the day's takings m the till behind the counter on the shelf. She locked up the place. i George Prestney stated that on the morning of April 4 he found the door unlocked and) not quit© closed. He found: tihe till draw reversed and empty. Witness put a. Jvound's worth of change in the till on Wednesday. There were 16s worth of sixpences and threepenny pieces, three shillings and' a shilling in coppers. The takings according to his book for April 3 were £1 14s 7d, therefore there should have 'been £2 14s 7d in the till 1 . There was a half-sovereign among the money and about a pound's worth of small change. James Marshall, clerk to the Mandeville and Rangiora Road Board', stated that on the evening of April 3he saw the three accused in the town on three different occasions. Harry Smith, labourer, Waikari, stated that on the afternoon of April 4 he was in the Waipara Hotel. Saw the three ac ? cused there. Witness asked the landlord for change of a£l note. O'Malley offered to give the change, and did so in two-shil-ling pieces, half-crowns «nd a sixpence. John Anderson, barman at ihe Red Lion Hotel, Rangiora, stated that he knew the accused O'Malley. He came to the hotel between seven and eight o'clock oit April 2- Accused said he had just walked from town, and was going north rabbit-poison-ing. He had no money, and witness gave him 2s. George. Halliday^ railway guard, Waikari. gave evidence that he was in charge of the north train on Thursday, April 4. The three accused joined the train at Waipara, and booked single to Waikari, at lid each. One paid eleven coppers, another in five coppers and either a sixpence or two threepenny pieces ; the other paid with a shilling. John Homer, licensee of the Star and Garter Hotel, Waikari, stated that on the evening of April 4 the three accused engaged beds. Saw them next- morning. ' Witness was away all day. and when he | returned the men were still at tfie house, J and later they were arrested' by Constable Roche. On Ajpril 6 witness went to some broom about 100 yards from the hotel, and there found four skeleton keys and a file wrapped in brown paper. From twenty- ( five years' experience in ironmongery, he | concluded that one of the keys had just been filed to fit one of the doors into his bar. Another was found to open Mr White's store opposite. To Mr Donnellv : Had never given cvi- > dence in a case of this kind before. Had' had experience of skeleton keys, and knew how tf> cut them out. Had never cut one or seen one cut. From twenty five years' experience in filing iron, he would swear that the centre of the small key was filed j out the day before he found it. It was perfectly bright, Avithout signs of rust. Margaret Homer, wife of the last witness, stated that- one of the accused paid her for beds and breakfast for two with half a j sovereign. Witness cashed two single pounds for the accused. They were away all the morning of April 5, but came back to dinner. Two were away most of the afternoon. They returned for tea, and stayed in the hotel until arrested. William James Alpe, licensee of the Waipara Hotel, stated that the accused came to his place at half-past four on April 4. They had pints of beer. O'Malley pulled out a handful of change, which included three penny pieces and sixpences. They shouted for each other. Northey had a number of threepenny pieces, and paid six for drinks. I Northey remarked it was a peculiar thing that he should have so much small money. They had about six drinks each. Constable Roche, Amberley, stated that he arrested the three accused on. the night of Good Friday, at the Star and Garter Ho tel, Waikari. "O'Malley had 17s 7d on him, made up of a half-sovereign, florin, shilling, four sixpences, eight threepenny pieces and seven pence in. coppers. Northey had 15s 7d, composed of three half-crowns, five shillings, four sixpences, four threepenny pieces and a penny. Enright, when arrested, said he camped oub near Rangiora on April 3. He had 18s, namely, one half sovereign, half-a-crown, two florins, a- shilling and two threepenny pieces. Witness took them to Rangiora the next morning. On Monday last witness got the four skeleton keys from Mr Homer. John M'Lean, blacksmith, Waikari, stated that he saw three strangers about on April 5. In the evening he saw a man either getting or planting something in some broom in his garden. Two others were on the road close by. The one in the garden joined the others. William White stated that he was with the previous witness when he saw the man in the broom. The two men on the road were O'Malley and Enright. Where Homer said he found the keys was the place where Northey was stooping down. Sergeant Johnston stated that one of the four keys produced would lock and unlock Mr Prestney's door. Mr Donnelly contended that there -was no evidence to connect the accused with the charge. The Bench decided that a prima facie case had been made out, and c6mmitted the accused for trial. Further charges of having broken into the shop of \V^. Meech, with intent to commit a crime ; and 'having broken a,nd entered W. Ford's shop and stolen £1 9s 6d were then heard, and on each til© accused were committed for trial.