SHOP-LIFTING RAID.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1301, 7 October 1922, Page 4

SHOP-LIFTING RAID.

TWO YOUNG WOMEN CONVICTED. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Friday. Two young women, who went on a shoplifting expedition recently, were brought before the Police Court this morning. Eisie Davis and Bertha Evis Vivian were charged with having conjointly stolen two skirts, valued at £5 19s, the property of John Court, Ltd. Davis was further charged with having stolen two skirts and a dress, valued at £lO 8s 6d, the property of John Court, Ltd., a silk jumper, valued at £6 6s, the property of Eva Barton Walker; dress material, valuad at £3 10s, the property of Milne and Choyce, Ltd., and a hair brush, valued at £1 15s, the property of J. R. McKenzie.

Davis said she was a single woman and had known her accomplice for some years. One day she went to Vivian's place, and she met her next morning at 11 o'clock and had some dinner. Then they went to Milne and Choyce's shop, where Davis stole a feather necklet and two other articles, in the company of Vivian, who had on the day before asked her to steal a brown fur. Vivian then asked her to go across to McKenzie's and get a brush. In McKenzie's shop Vivian took down a brush and asked her to put it in her basket. She did so and they lett without paying for the brush. They went to John Court's where Vivian said she was going to get a frock. After looking at one, she told the assistant she did not want it. Then she said aside to Davis, "Get that frock for me." Davis "sot" the frock; she also "got" two skirts and went out without paying for them. They then went lo a fancy goods shop in the Strand Arcade, and looked at some fancy jumpers. Davis was concealing a jumper under her coat when she was seen by one of the girls in the shop. Vivian made her statement to the detective in the name of Skipper, which had been her maiden name, she being a married woman living apart from her husband. She declared that she did not see Davis take anything at Milne and Choyce's. Davis carried a basket containing a piece of brown paper. They went to McKenzie's, she saying that she wanted a mirror. When she was being shown some mirrors she saw Davis pull down a hair' brush, but did .not see her put it in the basket and did not know she had it until they had got to Mrs Walker's. Davis suggested that they should go to John Court's, where they saw a frock on a stand. She did not see Davis take the frock and did not know it was stolen until it was tipped out of the basket at Walker's.* Davis had said she would like a cream skirt and she put two skirts into the basket under her coat.

Witness then said. "We had better get out of this. Then we went downstairs. Elsie (Davis)'-put a piece of brown paper over the skirts in the basket. By this time the basket was pretty full. I carried it over to the Arcade. Elsie was looking at some jumpers in Walker's ship and my attention was attracted by one of the shop girls claiming a jumper Elsie had put under her coat."" Mr Sullivan: Was all the stolen property recovered? Detective Meiklejohn: Yes. Mr Sullivan elected summary jurisdiction for the young women, who pleaded guilty. The thefts, he- said, were not understandable, as the girls had enough money with them to buy the goods. *» \Mr Poynton, S.M.: They had £9 between them—it would have been economical buying to get £27 worth of goods for that. Mr Sullivan: It is difficult to explain the action of girls risking ruin by taking clothes they could not possibly wear—it is a peculiar study in criminology. One of the girls is engaged to be married and this might have had serious consequences to her future. The other girl belongs to a respectable family, and her mother was quite willing to look after her if she is allowed to return home. The chief detective said that Vivian had £9 5s when arrested and Davis only Is. He understood that Davis had been six weeks out of work. Vivian was living apart from her husband.

The young women were then placed on probation for a period of two years, "their amusements to be under the supervision of the women's probation officer."