INTERESTING DIARY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17349, 14 May 1924, Page 4

INTERESTING DIARY.

FOUND ON PRISONER. (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, May 13. Peacefully sleeping under sacks at the rear of a shop in Victoria Street •West, a young man, believed to be the burglar chased by a man from Grafton Road to Government House grounds, and who was also chased bv a woman from a house in Ponsonby, was surprised and captured shortly after midnight last night by a constable. The prisoner gave the name of George Johnson and his age as eighteen years, but his explanations of who and what he was by no means satisfied the police. When he came before Mr Poynton, S.M., to-day, application for adjournment was made by the police, who stated that among the man’s possessions were a sheath knife and torch, as well as two watches, a gold ring, a pair of opera glasses, two pairs of boxing gloves and two overcoats. Johnson was accordingly remanded till next Tuesday and was handed over to acting detective Moon, who very soon had reason to believe that he had charge of James Raymond Slattery, who escaped from Weraroa Training Farm, near Levin, oit February 22 last. A most interesting diary was found on prisoner with dates, numbers of various houses and names of various streets and places in it, and notes on them. A certain place in Ponsonby was marked “ Nothing doing.” Another place was accompanied by a note. “ Collected £2,” or some such sum, and there were a number of such comments. “ Got caught by a girl but did a bunk,” was a remark pencilled in the diary about one place. After an interview with the detective the prisoner made a statement which he signed as Slattery and on which he is booked to appear next time, charged with a number of burglaries in Auckland, mostly in Ponsonby.