THE POST OFFICE ROBBERY

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2595, 1 September 1909, Page 3

THE POST OFFICE ROBBERY

A RECALCITRANT WITNESS:

. • [Per Press Association.! I WELLINGTON, Aug. 31. The trial of Arthur FreaericK Wimsett, which commenced on Friday last, was continued at the Supreme Court yesterday, before Mr. Justice Chapman and a jury of twelve. Wimsett is charged with having been intimately concerned in the breaking and entering of the parcels office of the Post Office, and in stealing therelrom two registered parcels containing jewellery and sundries, also £3l lUs 9d in Gash, a postal note for 15s, and 406 cancelled bank notes, and further, with having aided and abetted James Heniniingway (who is at serving a sentence of imprisonment in regard to the same crime) by providing him with the keys of the parcels'office, thereby enabling him to take wax : impressions of them and make duplicates. The evidence in cross-examination of

James Hemmingway was 1 continued. He was cross-examined by Mr. Hislop at considerable length. Hemingway seemed to ta’ke up a recalcitrant attitude from the commencement of his crossexamination. Difficulty was expsrienced by the Beuch and bar alike in getting anything like straightforward answers, and liis story in the mam was a-repetition of “1 don’t remember.” but his evidence included some statements that were new to the case. He said that Wimsett told him there weru £28,000 worth of Bank of New Zealand notes coming down from Auckland (probably cancelled notes). There wore four parcels’of themi die had an impression, of the key of the Chubb’s, lock on the safe in the parcels office, but could not remember whether he personally took the impression of the key, or whether Wimsett took it.. -All lie remembered was that there wex - e about half-a-dozen impressions taken. He asked Wimsett to give him his key for the purpose of making an impression of it, and Wimsett handed it over witkor* making any objeetion, bo far as witness could reniember. Witness said he got the red sealing wax, upon which the impression of the keys were taken, from Wimsett, who had taken about a pound weight of the wax from the post office. This sealing wax was left on the dresser in Wimsott’s kitchen, and no doubt Mrs. Wimsett would have seen it. Mr. Hislop: Do you remember telling Mrs. Wimsett that it was very funny th.Tfc she had told your people that you had broken into the post-office parcels office ? Witness: I don’t remember. ,

Did you say to Mrs. Wimsett that you were going to get into the. box to help to get Arthur (the accused) five years, because lie had got that term of imprisonment for you? Witness: T believe I did say something like that. * ' . In answer to further questions, witness said he had not had anything to do‘ with the robbing of the Karori Borough Council Chambers, or with throwing away certain documents, the property of that corporation. The .system adopted in making wax impressions of keys was to warm the sealing wax, let it cool, then place the key upon it. When lie got the impressions he cut the “blanks” until they‘were of the same size, shape, and form as the original key. It was shortly, after the post-office fire that his first dishonest transaction, .took place, and it was some time in May when he asked Wimsett if it were possible to get the key of the large parcels room. Wimsett had told him that he had not been wall treated over the... post-office fire.. Some money had been shared out amongst the post-office officials, and he reckoned he should have received a portion of it, which he did not. Then the accused became discontented, and he fell in with witness’ idea of burglaring the post-office, and the agreement was that witness was to burgle the parcels office with prisoner and chare the proceeds, "\yitness was aware that prisoner had been suspended from his duties for come small irregularity, but had subsequently been reinstated. Witness, when he was in Sydney, wrote to his mother, telling her that if Wimsett did not keep his tongue quiet lie would get into trouble. Hemingway’s cross-examination was not concluded when the Court adjourned for the day. The trail of Wimsett, charged with l-eing concerned in the robbery of the parcels post-office at Wellington, continued to-day. Hemingway was further examined for the third day in succession. He has now been in the box foover ten hours. ' Hemingway declared no one but Wimsett gave him the information concerning the parcelsnctea and diamonds in the office. The reason he had used explosives in carrying out the. robbery was that no one in* the office should be suspected' of the .crime; Great interest- was taken in the illustrations given by Hemingway at the request of the Crowp Prosecutor of how to make wax impressions of keys in sealing wax. ’ Later, The tri-’l of Arthur 1 Wimlett. who is accused of extensive robberies from the parcels department of the Wellington post office, was continued at the Supreme Court all day, and will be resumed to-morrow. , ’