CATCHING A THIEF.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 196, 17 August 1917, Page 4

CATCHING A THIEF.

MINISTER'S DRAMATIC RECITAI* (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. "It's quite as good as a play," declared the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Hosjitals, in telling Parliament how the persetrator of extensive defalcations in the nental hospitals branch was discovered. 'This man was a confidential clerk, who .vas the last official to handle vouchers lefore they went to the Treasury. He nade out fictitious vouchers to an absoutely fictitious person, who held a post affice box and had a banking account. iVhen the man cashed a cheque in paynent of the fraudulent vouchers he lsually secured it in £50 notes. Suspicion being aroused, the man was defined for several hours in his office till i clerk at the bank where he had a special account was found to face him. IVhen the bank clerk came he was asked, 'Who is that?" The clerk replied, giving he fictitious name under which the roucbers were made out, so the detective ;new he had his man. "He didn't wait or a warrant," continued Mr. Russell, 'but threw the man down, sat on his ■hest, and pulled from his prisoner's lockets £2000 in bank notes. This was t. case of a man who was a watch dog, nit who, if the House would permit a nixed metaphor, 'picked their pocket-"