AN OFFICE DRAMA.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 119, 19 May 1920, Page 5

AN OFFICE DRAMA.

* THE WINDER CASE. j -CHARGE OF BLACKMAIL. '. CASE FOR PROSECUTION. George Herbert Winder was arraigned in the Supreme Court at Wellington on Monday upon a charge of having, with intent to extort money, accused or J threatened to accuse Clifford Peel of I committing line crime of indecent i absiiult. • Mr. Justice llerdinan was on tlie 1 bench. Mr. P. S. IC. Macaosey prosecuted. i Mr. A. Gray, K.C., with Mr. G. G. Wat- ' son as junior counsel, appeared for the 1 defence. , ! Mr. Macassey, in outlining the cane I for the prosecution, said that I the accused was 24 years of age, and the son of highly respectable parents. Clifford IVel wad an indent carrying on business in Willis Street. He employed a. typiste named Edna May Dixon. While I this girl was standing at PerreU's : Corner one evening, the accused accosted ' her, and she accepted his invitation to attend the pictures. A week or two before the alleged commieeion of the offence, Winder met the girl at her employer's ofliec. Miss Dixon told him Unit she and another girl had to go on the following evening to a certain otlice where Peel and another man would be Accused euggested that she should | scream nnd he would then enter the oflice and threaten to ring up the police. Ho would demand money from the men | present, starting at iiiOO, and coining down. In reply to a qnration from the: girl, Winder said that the scheme *vas| like that in "De Luxe Annie," a picture which both Winder and Mi» Dixon had' seen. Accused said he had made £150001 a- year "at the game" in Canada, ar.d! had ha 4\o shoot a man in self-defence. He showed her a revolver, and offered it to her, but ehc declined to take it. Winder said that if the scheme proved successful when .used upon I'eeJ and Ui» other man, he and the girl could next try it on tho manager of the Midland Hotel. Tho girl became afraid, and told her employer (Peel) about the matter, i Peel dictated a letter which the girl H signed and delivered to Winder. On the night of the alleged offence (April 23) Mis s Dixon screamed while she was in Peei's oflice. where ehc had told Winder i ehe would be. Winder entered and demanded money of Peel. After his conversation with the complainant, he was arrested by detectives who had been waiting on the premises. Edna May Dixon, 17 years of age, pave , evidence on the lines of the statement I made by counsel for the prosecution. In furtherance of the plan arranged between herself and Peel to catch Winder at 8.15 when in Peel's office she screamed. Winder, as arranged between herself and him earlier in the day, entered with the remark: "This is a nice state of affairs." ii Winder said he would give Peel some time to make up his mind, and Peel asked what he wanted. Accused replied: "1100."

Peel said it was too much, and the accused agreed to take £50. Winder wanted the money in notes, but ho finally agreed to accept a cheque in witness' name. Accused gave his name as CJ. Brown. The detectives then came on tho scene. Witness had not been aware that the police were to arrive. She had understood that Peel was to have two friends there. Peel's behaviour towards witness had at no time been improper, and until the conversations with Winder she had never entertained any suspicions of Peel. MISS DIXON CROSS-EXAMINED. Mr. Watson cross-axamincd. Witness acted entirely under Peel's direction, i'rom Wednesday, April 21, to Friday, April 23, she was determined to do all shfl could to "lead Winder into the business." To his Honor: Peel said that a person like Windw should be seen to. He . thought it would be best to bring Winder along and sec what he would do. Mr. Watson: Did you not early in your acquaintance with Winder tell him you thought "Peel might do something"? Witness: Yes. « Some time on tho Monday or the Tuesday she had thought Peel and O'Neill to be scoundrels. It was on the Tuesday night that she allowed Peel to take her home. After having spent the evening in his company she did not still think him a ■scoundrel. Mr. Watson: And you never told Winder you had changed your mind, but let him go on believing you still thought they were scoundrels! —Witness assented. Mr. Watson: Did you not on the Friday lead Winder to believe that you suspected Peel would attempt something i wrong that night!—l led him to believe ' that I could make it be so." I His Honor: That you could tempt Peel in such a way that he would assault ! you V—Yea. ! Mr. Macassey: She was acting under instructions. Witness explained that she had been told by Peel to go about the matter, but the methods ehc adopted were her own. In Peel's office on the Friday night she cried "Don't" and "Help." She told Peel to switch out the light in order to make the scene more realistic. W.tness wished to lead Winder to think an outrage was being committed. His Honor: Supposing this man had been guilty of an outrage, it would not excuse Winder if he tried extort money. Mr. Watson agreed that that was so. He had been endeavouring merely to test the credibility of the witness, and to show the effect upon Winder of what the girl said and did. I Mr. Macassey again pointed out that what the witness admitted she had done was all "part of the scheme." His Honor observed that what happened in the room did not much matter. There was the question of a cheque for £50 to get over. CLIFFORD PEEL IN THE BOX. Clifford Peel, indent agent, said that he and Detective Carney had a discussion at which a programme was arranged for Friday, April 23. When Winder rushe.l in. witness stepped aside and shut thj door. Then he asked what Winde' wanted. Winder said: 'This is a nice state of affairs. I know this girl. I have come to rescue her from a blackguard like you." Winder continued to the effect that lie had been watching witness for mouths and , was quite sure that lie (witness) was go Jig to ruin the girl that night; there were too many such men as witness in Wellington, and witness ought to be in gaol. Witness said: "What are we going to do about it:" Winder replied: "1 am going to ring up the police and show you up." Witness said: "tJo ahead." Winder put h ! 6 hand on the phone and said: ''I'll give you till half-past eight to recompense the girl." Witness replied that he I had nothing to recompense her for. Winder said: "I say you have, and I'm going to ring up the police if you don't do it." About 5.30 Winder eaid: "What is it going to be?" Witness replied: "Can't %ye hush it up?" Winder said:

"If you recompense the girl, yes." Witness* said: "What about £10?" Winder I was very indignant, and said nothing less i than £1.00 would do him. Witness said: i "'So it's you who want the money ?'' ! Winder got a bit flustered and replied i that he wanted the money on behalf of • tho girl. Witness offered £50, and Winder referred the- offer to the girl Dixon. Witness did not know whether the girl replied. Winder said he would take £.->O. When witness offered to write a cheque, Winder said he wanted notes. Witness explained that he had not £50 in notes. Then the accused said he would take a cheque. Accused asked that the cheque be made out in the girl's name, but witness refused. Witness said he would give accused a cheque if the lawer liked, and he added: "What name?" Accused said: "G. Brown." , Peel said that AVinder informed him the cheque would be presented on the following morning, and if witness stopped payment he "would go to gaol in the afternoon." Witness ordered accused out of the oHice. Winder demanded that the girl should go with him. He struck at witness, but missed, and witness knocked him about eight feet across the room into the arms of Detective Carney, who had just come in. Witness stated later that he was determined to trap Winder, "I did it as a public duty in the interests of business men,' , lie said. Mr. (liny: And everything came out as you had expected?— Witness: "It came out better." WINDER ACQUITTED. (By Tclet-raph.—rress Association.) WELLINGTON', this day. j The jury, after a short retirement, acquitted Winder.