THE GISBORNE BURGLAR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3584, 25 July 1912, Page 6

THE GISBORNE BURGLAR.

ARTHUR TURNER PLEADS GUILTY.

COMMITTED TO AUCKLAND FOR SENTENCE.

Arthur Turner, a small-built young man with an American accent and a pair of penetrating eyes, was arraigned before Mr W. A. Barton, SAL, yesterday on a series of burglaries and thefts. Detective Mitchell prosecuted.'

On all tlie charges accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for sentence.

Accused was first charged with breaking and" entering the premises of Ernest Adair and stealing therefrom articles to the value of £5. Ernest Adair, commission agent, residing in Harris street. Ivaiti, said that on the evening of July 13 he left home at 7 p.m. The hack door was unlocked and the kitchen window was open. He returned homo at 10.30 or 11 p.m., and everything was in good order. He missed the alarm clock, and next morning missed the hair brushes, two razors, a carving knife and fork, and a pair of lady’s shoes. The articles produced—all of those missed—were his property, and lie valued them at £5.

Detective Mitchell said that at 3.45 p.m. on the 16 th, he arrested the accused on other charges. In company with Sergeant Hutton, lie searched the bedroom at the Albion Hotel, which had been occupied by accused. There he found the articles stolen. Accused said, “I will tell the truth,” and made a statement, which lie signed. The statement was to the effect that accused was a moving picture operator and came to Gisborne from Wellington on July 13th. “During tlie morning,” tlie statement continued, “I went for a walk on the Kaiti. Sometime after dark I opened the front gate and walked into the ground surrounding a house. I got into the house through the window and took a carving knife and fork which were on the kitchen table, a brass

alarm clock from the mantelpiece, and a pair of shoes off the stove. I then went into a bedroom and took two Bengal razors and a pair of hair brushes from the dressing table. _ I then left the house by tlie same window, through which I had entered. T gave the shoes to a girl in the Albion Hotel and one razor to the chef. I left the carvers in a house on the Kaiti beach, also one of the razors.” Asked if he would like to have the depositions re-read, accused replied, “No, sir, I understand everything thoroughly.” Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.

Accused was charged with entering by night-, with intent to commit a crime, the premises of John Johnston, Gladstone road. Lorn a (Mrs) Johnston, wife of

! John Johnston, said that at G p.m. • on July loth her husband left home, 1 and Mr Berry (a boarder) went out I at 7.30 p.m.. * She was at home alone j sitting in the kitchen and drew the | blind, because she fancied she heard j someone passing. At about 9 p.m. | she thought- she heard someone at the | dining room window. Previous to i this she had gone to her bedroom and j pulled down the window. She then noticed that the front door was closed ! but not locked. She then sat down at the- kitchen end of the passage and suddenly felt a draught from the I front door. She lighted a candle, and 1 going up tlie passage saw the front ! door open, hut could see no-one about, j She called out, thinking that Mr Berry might have come in, hut received no reply. She heard a 'movement in. Mr Berry’s room, and, looking in, saw a man lying face downwards on the floor with his coat off. She asked | wliat he was doing there, hut he neither moved nor replied. Thinking that she might see someone passing, she went out on to the verandah, and the mail rushed past her, without coat or boots on. She could not say that accused was tlie man. When her husband came home, he went into Mr Berry’s room and found a strange coat there—the coat was produced. Albert John Berry, laborer, said lie went out at 7.30 p.m. oil the evening 1 of July 15, and returned home before 10.30 p.m. After a time he went to his room. I here he saw the impression of a man’s hand on tlie quilt, and missed a dark coat—the coat produced. “The reason T took that coat,” interjected accused, “was that I mistook ■it for my own. I did not go there with tlie intention of stealing.” Detective Mitchell gave evidence regarding the arrest of accused, and put in a statement signed by accused, i Accused pleaded guilty, and was ' t committed to the Supreme Court for [-sentence. Accused was charged with sti iLng a bicycle, valued at £5, the property of some person unknown. B. Lewis, cycle agent, Gladstone Rood, said that, at about 2 p.m. on July 15, accused came to his shop with the bicycle produced, a “Dayton” machine. Accused asked if witness would buy a bicycle, and witness said he would not, hut offered to sell it for him. Accused said he wanted £3 for it, and returned the following morning to stale that he had received an offer for it. Witness said he had someone who going to call in and see ! the bicycle, so accused let it remain j and returned at about 4 p.m., standing outside the shop for a time and then going a wav. Detective Mitchell said that accused, when charged with the present offence, replied, “Yes, I took it.” In his statement accused said he took the. bicycle from a section on the evening of Sunday, July 14. Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed for sentence. i Accused was also charged with stealing a bicycle, valued at £lO, the property of James Jolly. James Jolly and YV• J. Barlow, to whom accused tendered the bicycle for sale, and Detective Mitchell gave evidence, and accused, who pleaded guiltv, was committed for sentence. A further charge of stealing a bicycle, valued at £4, the property; of W. ' H. Ingram, was preferred against the accused. W. H Ingram, and G. A. "Do Marr and Detective Mitchell gave evidence and accused was committed for sentence.