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GEORGE TOWN POLICE COURT
Thursday, June 5.
(from our own corbespondent.)
Before A. K. Chapman, Esq., S.M., and
Dr. Richardson, J; P. :.
Stealing Engine Cylindebs and Ibon
work. — Alfred Ritchie, charged with
having on or about the month of November,
1883, at Swifte's Jetty, near Beaconsfield,
feloniously stolen, taken, and carried away
from a certain building there situate, two
engine cylinders, and other iron work of.
the value of X9, the property of Ayde
Douglas and others, of Launceston;
I . Accused elected to be tried summarily,
and pleaded not guilty. ?'? ?
' Robert ? Swainston deposed; — I am as
sistant manager' of the Tasmania Gold
iMining Company at Beaconsfield; I know
'the building at Swifte's Jetty, which corir
tained machinery, the property of Messrs.
Adye Douglas and others ; that -machinery,
and: building ., was in my,' ohargej the
machinery consisted of two air cylinders
and one air receiver arid its connections ;-
they wore correct in the building' about
last September1; from information I re
ceived on the 17th March I. visited the
;' building and found that some of the
j palings ,wero taken off: the outside of the
: building; on opening, the: door and going
? in I saw. that the two 'cylinders had been
itaken away ^ 'tho machinery was formerly
;tho property of the Tamar Hematite Iron
Company ; know the accused now present ;
'he lives about 50 or 60 yards from the
building which contained the machinery ;
I never ,gave the ' accused or any other
person permission to take the machinery;
I consider it was worth £9 ..
Examined by accused— I had no occasion '
to suspect you of stealing it-; have not
jseen the cylinders since they were stolen.
Charles Stephen Saul 'deposed— I am a
partner iri the firm of Peter and Saul, iron
founders, of Launceston ; know the accused:
now present ; : in the month of November
last I purchased a quantity of iron from
him arid1 another person who was with
him; I understand this person was
accuseds ' brother; the iron consisted
chiefly of cast iron arid some wrought, iron; '
it formed' part of gearing and truck
wheels ; . that iron corresponds with ; the
pieces' now produced; it is .part of a
cylinder;: there were twelve pieces similar
;to that now produced ; the two cross heads
'are part of the machinery I purchased
!from: the. accused; they are not in the
same state as when I purchased them;
they then .had two pieces of iron about 3ft
6in long, which formed part of the con
nection; the remainder of the iron - I
bought from them has been worked up in
!thecburse of my trade, and consequently
cannot produceit ; the iron was in a boat
alongside the wharf at Launceston when I .
bought it; one of them (cannot say
whether it wasiiccused or the other) took
me on board- the boat to see the iron ; it
was in the hold, covered with bags and
some palings, and partly concealod; the
broken pieces of iron were rusty;' but could
not say how long they had been broken ;
paid accused and the other by cheque for
the iron ; it amounted to between .£13 and
£u.- . : : . ??,:.'? :, ?
prpss-examined by accused— I am cer
tain I bought the iron from you, and your
brother was' present. :
: By the Bench— Several kinds of ma
chinery have simihir pieces to those pro
:duced; did not know accused when I
bought the iron; never had any dealings
with him before ; cannot now say whether
the cheque was drawn to order or bearer.
Robert; Swainston, re-called, deposed —
My instructions; were from Mr; Adye
Douglas and others, and not from the Tamar;
Hematite; Company;' the two, pieces of
[machinery produced' at the hist hearing of
this. case J now identify; myself-, and Mr.
Saul compared them w^jih. the twp cbnneptr,
ing rods produced, and they fit exactly; I
got those connecting rods out of the engine
house at Swifte's Jetty, whoro. the Cylinders
were stolen from;' the connecting ' rods
formed part of the machinery to which the
cross-heads belong, and which ac'cusod is
charged with stealing. .
By the Bench-^Tho connecting rods
, formed part of the machinery stolen, and
are the property of Mr. Adye Douglas;
; there is no machinery of the some descrip
tion at Beaconsfield'; the connecting rods
in other' machinery are generally in one
piece ; in this case they are composed of
two distinct pieces.
Sub-Inspector Hayes deposed — I arrested
accused on the 30th May at Beaconsfield
on the present charge ; I told him the
nature of the charge, and he said ' I did
not steal the 'machinery'; I produce the
pieces of cast iron found in the engine
house at Swifte's Jetty, whore the ma-'
chinery' was stolen from; I went in com
pany with the last witness (Mr. Swainston)
to the engine house on the 12th of last
month.
; Tnis closed Ene case tor tne prosecution.
'?? Accused stated he had nothing to say, ?
but called his father, Mr. John Ritchie, ?
for his defence. '
' John Ritchie deposed — I reside at
Swifte's Jetty, Middle Arm, West Tamar ;
I do not think accused could have taken
the machinery without my knowledge ;
two other persons had access to the engine
house, and there were two or three keys
belonging to it. .
The Justices then retired for a short
time, and on returning into Court the
Stipendiary Magistrate stated that they
found the accused guilty, and as this was
his first offence, would only sentence him
to three months' imprisonment with hard
labour. :
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