The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-07-06

AN&a09toShp OAAy AASebAAAb JNNe victim to fine meal after you have taken $7 from his through compul- sion is not sufficient to cause the law to overlook the original offense here, and as 6 result Prank Win ship, 3i. of 262 Wood street, Water bury. was serving a 60-day jail sentence in New Haven county jail today.
 Winship was sentenced there yes- terday by Judge John F. McDon- ough, on Q charge of theft. After testimony revealed that Winship had been considerably under the in- fiuence of liquor when he first took the money from his taxi driver, Philip Sottosanto of 35 West Farm street. Waterbury, later treated him to dinner, and short time later took the taxi away from him, a charge of robbery with violence, which might have resulted In pen- itentiary sentence for the accused, was nolled.
 The story of the Odyssey Of the taxicab as unrolled by Mir. Sotto- santo and later by State Trooper Clark of the Beacon Falls state po- lice barracks was weircd one and amusing except for the fact that the taxi driver was threatened with physical injury if he did not com ply with the wishes of his paSsen- ger.
 Wlnship, a former sailor in the U, S, Merchant Marine, and lately an electrician in Waterbury, acted somewhat like the average conccp- ton of q sailor on shore leave.
 Weird Trip
 Sottosanto said he picked WinShip up near q tavern in Waterbury and that Winship wanted to 60 to Thomaston. After they had driven to the taxi station to ascertain a rate for the trip. Winship decided he wished to go to New Haven in- stead. They proceeded as far as the center of Naugatuck when the for mer sailor ordered an about ship" and they started toward Waterbury again. Shortly after passing the Naugatu Waterbury town line, according to sottosanto. they Stop- ped the car and Winship started to take some beer. He then told Sot. tosanto, the latter said. to Shell out or I'll bat your eyes" and held . beer bottle half aloft, the taxi driver stated. SottoSanto then gave him t7 and some coins,
 The Homeric drive was continued as far north as City Corners, Water bury. At this point, Winship decid- cd that after all he did want to go to New Haven so they started south again. Tn the meantime, Sottosanto declared, Winship told him to for get about" the little incident of the theft of the money. and promised he would make it good.
 Sottosanto said he realized his passenger had taken considerable iiquor and felt that he would rec store him his money, SO he did not report him to q policeman whom they passed on the way south.
 Tn Seymour the passenger and his victim stopped at q restaurant, where Wnship treated the driver to q meal, They again reversed their course after this and headed north toward Naugatuck. Winships friendly attitude began to change, sottosanto continued, and he order- cd the driver to stop near the pow CT house in Beacon Falls.
 Winship then ordered Sottosanto to give him his cap and drivers li- cense ana to get in the back of the car Both men got out Of the car and the driver, after surrendering hts cap and license. got into the back but kept his hand on the car door opposite to the one by which he entered. He said that when Win- ship started to get in front. he, Sottosanto, popped out the car and running down the road, hailed Q passing car which took him to the police barracks.
 s, Car Abandoned
 While he was telling his story to police, he related, he saw his cab speed by the barracks. Trooper Clarke then took Up the tale. He said he found the car abandoned about Q block past the barracks near the railroad trestle In Beacon Falls, over Main street. There was no sign of Winship SO the trooper proceed cd north as far as Platts Mills but not finding him, returned to the car where he found q letter iden- tifying Winship, and the cap of sot- tosanto in the road. He notified Nausatuck police to be on the look. out for Winship. .Ft
 Patrolnlan James Fenton located Winship in . diner on South Main street here and arrested him. Trooper Clarke produced q ccnfes. sion, which he said Wirship had voluntarily signed, in which Win. Ship related that he went Into some nearby woods after leaving the cab and went to sleep.
 Winship then told the court that when he awoke l1e did not know aa AasA L. AaaA l Al aaAsaes