Judge Chen and the Senior Cone ful' Deputy, Me, Ramondino, sit ting at t loral Court on comber further testimony ase involving Nicholas Stepanand his wife Ekaterina, both Russiars, brought before the' bench en TE charges of shoplifting from, analy of the most prominent bus ress. establishments. in the Settle: ment and from the "numerous varied articles presented as evide cit would seem. that the pair, if gt worked well" organized Scheme and. were the most see of the craft arrested in S sone 4 prosecution was handled by the Assistant Police Prusceutor, Mr Keen, while Mr, Bvanow Weared for the defence, At the first hearing the two were eld on a si ance of shoplitte sountinge to S475 from Messrs Bassett & Ca. but were held over pending the investigation of a erable amount of goods found their living quarters widdowson who had Tittle difficulty locating alleged owners of much the evidence.
The Arrest outlining the ease Mee Keen Muted out that the accused were taken in custody after a call had been received by the police that A man was in the Boyes, Bassett Co's salesroom and was suspected of having in his possession a mani cure set which he had been observed pocketing by the No. 1 boy of the house, Widdowson proceeded to the Nanking Road store and was met by Mr. Boyes who told him how the No. 1 boy had seen the theft, though standing back to accused, through a mirror and when searched the accused was found with the manicure set in his possession. However, the rman had suspected he had been seen when interrogated by Mr. Boyes lade an offer of $20. for the set though it was priced at three times that amount, The search also revealed three gold watches secreted in the man's trouser leg of a kind that had been Ising in an adjacent tray and when accuard of the theft, the man admitted the whole affair. In his testimony he said, "I canno* r0¢0! feet Low I took the watches,: hcre was so nieh lying about.
Tt was also found at the time that the accuse!'s coat had special pockets sewn in which the police held were for carrying out their scheme. Mra. Stepanoff had entered the shop with her husband but recording to her testimony saunter ed to the door to wait for him and on secing him engaged in an argue ment with two men left the estab lishment and proceeded to her home, whither she was quickly followed by 1D. Widdowson. who discovered a,.eensiterable quantity of shop goods which were largely identified by numerous merchants who had com-
Among those who identified certain of the loot were, Whiteaway Laidiaw, one gent's hat, $15; Brewer Ca,, haori coat, $50; Boyes Basset, two babies dresses, three gold watches, one manicure sect, ete. $175.00; J. Silberman, 35 Nanking Road, one razor blade sharpening machine, $8; and Hall & Holtz, two Indies sweaters, one wool coat, and hats to the total extent of $126.65. The police also alleged they had alen from the Industrial Missions Centre at 31 Nanking Road, five diaries and one calendar to a value of $14, The defence offered by the accus-was that most of the goods had purchased from a Russian min the husband had a practice {of meeting at odd hours of the might -ngreed street corners, for what reagan was not made clear, could recognize the friend should they meet again but had no idea who he was or where he accumulat= ed the varied assortment of goods live had ce sell.
The Asyistant Police Prosecutor vigorously' attacked this story. and pointed out that among the evidence were three harmonicas still bearing the tag of the company from whom they were alleged to have been stolen, and then called to the box the shop proprietor who testified the accused had been two occasions and after inspecting considerable stock had left without making purchases, fr. Ivanow attempted to contend that the fact that the harmonicas ore the shop tag which was writ ten in the shop eve, did not prove that the accused had stolen them there, At the conclusion the ease was remanded for a further hearing and enteniee and the police in the meantime are attempting to find owners for much of the goods that seized in the living quarters of the two.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.