AMERICAN CRIMINALS

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 9817, 22 February 1936, Page 18 (Supplement)

AMERICAN CRIMINALS

Two Sentenced to Seven Years’ Gaol.

“A Danger to Society.”

“ You are two very dangerous characters to be loose on society,” declared the chairman at West Riding Quarter Sessions, at Leeds, in passing sentence on Archibald Thomas, 34, salesman, fend Albert Bramhill, 32, motor driver. ’ They pleaded guilty to a series of housebreaking charges, and were each sentenced to seven years’ penal servitude. Both men, despite their comparative youth, had had adventurous lives in the realms of orlme. Detective Sidney Foster, of the West Riding Constabulary, told the Court that Bramhill was taken to the United States as an orphan Infant, and when he grew up he took to a roaming life in that country. Thomas went to the United States in 1926. He failed in business as the proprietor of a petrol filling station, and was finally sentenced to 7$ to 15 years’ imprisonment for armed robbery. Of that sentence he only served four years, when he was deported to England. Trip at Stowaway. Bramhill, the detective went on, was sent to a reformatory In America as a youth for storebreaking, and later lie received a sentence of from two to 14 years’ imprisonment, which included early deportation to this country. Shortly after arriving in this country, however, he went back to America as a stowaway, but was again convicted, and once more deported. Precisely how the two men came to meet was not known, but recently, on their own confessions, they had been acting together in this country in a number of robberies. Bramhill had altogether 11 previous convictions. Outlining the circumstances under

which the men came to be arrested, Mr H. R. B. Shephard, proseouting, explained that Thomas broke into the house of Mr Robert Gray Murray Matthews, at Harrogate, and stole jewellery to the value of £llO. He was, however, oaught redhanded by a chauffeur, and after a terrible struggle, in which another of Mr Matthews’ menservants joined, he was eeoured and handed over to the police. Later Bramhill was arrested, and he admitted having been concerned with Thomas in breaking into two houses at Ilkley and stealing Jewellery and other articles, to the value of £26 10s and £37 respectively. Series of Orlmee. Although there was no previous oonvlotion against him in this country, Thomas asked the Bench to take into consideration 39 other cases of housebreaking and kindred offenoes committed in Leeds, Tadoaster, Guiseley, Horsforth, Liverpool, and Gloucestershire, mostly In 1934. Bramhill admitted 14 other charges. Thomas declared that he threw himself on the meroy of the Court. He had told the police everything he could In order “to square up the mess.” He had a promise of work, and, he added, “ I shall be getting married directly after my release from prison, and then I hope to become a decent fellow.” Asked if he had anything to say before being sentenced, Bramhill, speaking in a broad Yankee drawl, said: “No,, nothing ,except this: I don’t want the newspapers to give my name. There is a certain old lady who has a great feeling of regard for me, so I don’t want her to see this.” As stated, each man was sentenced to seven years’ penal servitude.