TORTURED BY THE DEVIL
YOUTH'S UNFORTUNATE LAPBE. A TOUR OF THIEVING. A tall, simple looking youth with large blue eyes and a heavy shock ol fair curls, named Bertram Harvey, who gave his age as 22, stood in the dock, at Hamilton, this morning, to answer thirteen charges of theft including bicycles, accessories, watches, rings, hammers, motor cycle lamp, pincers, boots and other sundry articles from Kalpaki, Otaaupo, Karapiro, Rotorua, Matamata, and Te Aroha. He pleaded guilty to each charge. Senior-Sergeant Till said accused came to New Zealand .about eight years ago with his parents, who were at present sharemilking near Te Awamutu, and who were quite respeotable people. Accused left home eight months ago, and had been doing scrubcutting and other similar work since. About three weeks ago, he set out on a cruise of the country side, when he lapsed into an unfortunate disposition for thieving. All of the articles had been recovered hidden away In sorub, or swamps. From police observation since his arrest, he thought accused was a degenerate. Accused said he had been sick for three years, suffering from sun-stroko, a strained heart, and shattered nerves. He had worked for his father ■ for twelve months without receiving a penny, as his father "went down." H« had had a struggle to live as he had felt unwell and unfit to do much hard work.
His Worship: What made you steal these things?
Defendant: Well, I must have been depressed and tortured by the devil. 1 have not been well for a long time, and I have never had any subscriptions got for me or anything of that kind. 1 worked at Huntly for four years, ana broke the strike twice, and was tha only lad who went back to work. I'll never steal again, and will give you a written guarantee that I won't. His Worship thought it would be in the interest of accused and the State to sentence him to a period in a reformatory, and committed him for treatment for a period not exceeding thret years.
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Bibliographic details
Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14584, 5 February 1921, Page 4
Word Count
343TORTURED BY THE DEVIL Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14584, 5 February 1921, Page 4
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