A BOGUS SERGEANT-MAJOR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 187, 7 August 1915, Page 4

A BOGUS SERGEANT-MAJOR.

EASY WAY TO PBOMOTIOn.

JUST SEWED ON THE STKIPES.

A man who had abused the privileges, of a soldier came before Mr. P. V. Frazer, S.M., on charges of dru_kenne_ misrepresentation, and attempting to obtain credit by misrepresentation; The man was John Fleming, aged 34 yearsi who was arrested in Darby Street yesterday afternoon. He was described by Sub-Inspector McDveney as an absolute waster. Ho had, the Sub-Inspector said, enlisted in the Expeditionary Force, but had been afterwards d_. charged. He, however, retained the uniform", and he went round the city drinking. On July 29 he went to A, 11, Daniels and Co., tailors, and represented that he was a non-commissioned officer and on that representation obtained the insignia of a sergeant-major, a crown and four stripes, which he had sewn on his uniform. The Defence Department subsequently learned of this, and yesterday the authorities arrested him and stripped him of the uniform, giving him civilian clothing, but did not punish him for his offence, because of the story he told about his dependents being in. ill-health. Alter that Fleming went to Daniels and Co. and ordered a complete uniform for himself, bearing the insignia of sergeant-major, the cost to be £13. His' demeanour, however, 'mads the tailors somewhat suspicions, and they later rang up the Defence Department and learned that Fleming was on impostor. He had also manged to obtain £G from the Patriotic Fund. The general report of him was that he was a waster, who made himself a riuwance about the town by ids drinking habits. Fleming offered no defence, and his Worship remarked that anything that tended to bring disgrace on the uniform was looked on just now with the utmost disfavour. The surrounding circumstances appeared to show that Fleming had been guilty of a rather mean kindi of fraud, though what his ultimate object was did not seem to be clear. The penalty would have to he sufficient to deter other wasteTS from following his example. He would be prohibited and sentenced to five weeks' hard labour.