GREY FOR TEXAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 258, 31 October 1929, Page 11

GREY FOR TEXAS.

EXTRADITION ORDERED.

EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY.

SHERIFF SAYS HE IS CERTAIN.

After frequent remands at the Police Court, John Grey, aged 48, the Helensville land agent, appeared again yesterday afternoon, when Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., made an order for his extradition to Texas on a charge of forgery. Mr. V. R. Meredith appeared for the Crown. Mr. G. P. Finlay and Mr. Terry represented Grey. Mr. Meredith, before putting in the documents received from America, outlined the whole proceedings. After the offence was committed in Texas, he said, Crouch absconded, and in November, 191 C, an indictment and a true bill was brought in by the Grand Jury in Texas. The depositions of Mr. Campbell, president of the bank in Temple, would be produced, in which he identified certain photographs of A. B. Crouch. ..These photographs, added counsel, were undoubtedly those of accused in the dock. Telltale Birth Mark. Detective Sergeant P. J. Doyle produced the original warrant issued by Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., at Auckland on '"February 0, 1917. Crouch was arrested on this warrant on September 24 last. Witness also produced sheaves of documents and files concerning the case recently received from the United States Government. Upon these were signatures of Herbert Hoover, President of America, and Mr. Stimson, Secretary of State, and the Governor of Texas. Witness arrested Crouch. He received official information from America, which included a full description of accused, including photographs. One peculiarity was mentioned —that he had a birthmark under his left knee. Witness saw the birthmark when accused was dressing at Helens ville- to come to Auckland. Photographs received from the United States police were compared with accused, arid in witness' opinion accused was identical with A. B. Crouch, wanted in Texas. Fictitious Oats. • Mi". Meredith put in depositions taken in Texas, one from the manager of the bank concerned, and the other from Crouch's stenographer, a woman named Ogle. The bank manager spoke of the. forgery of drafts covering alleged consignments of oats which did not exist, and said the bank paid out on- them. A letter written by Crouch to bis i brother was found,'and in it Crouch! admitted that he had "a world of forged drafts and bills of lading out," and said he was going away to New Orleans ,to commit suicide. Ogle said she had forged a number of drafts and railway bills of lading with the connivance and under the orders of Crouch and his head cleuk. a woman named Buchanan. Ogle said she had more than once told Grcuch that she was "going to quit it," but Crouch begged her to stay "and see them through." ! Two letters were" put in in which Crouch informed his brother, Carey Crouch, about his disappearance.. In one of these, dated . July 3, 1916, Crouch •stated: "Dear Carey,—Little did you think that, to-night'was the last night you would see me. I will not b« sotrn alive in Temple, again." Crouch ihen went on to state that he was going through Fort Worth to New Orleans, where he would commit suicide. Crouch further said that he had been speculating heavily, and that the business oouVi not continue, as when the drafts were returned the true position would be known. Sheriff Identifies Grey. John Robert Bigham, of Bclton, in the State of Texas, U.S.A., and a sheriff of Bell County, then gave evidence. He knew- A. B. Crouch. That was tho accused Grey. He knew him for 25 years in the" same county where both were raised. Accused was in the grain business in Temple. Witness had business dealings with Crouch some ye'ars ago. Witness held, under the signature of - Mr. Herbert Hoover, N President of the U.S.A., an authority to take accused back to Texas. In answer to questions witness, stated that as far as he was aware an indict"nient had been drawn up against Ogle but never presented. Crouch's brother Carey was sentenced to five.years' penitentiary imprisonment, Mr. Bigham was the last witness. Order Made. Mr. Finlay said he would like to know exactly what was .the charge upon which extradition ws asked. Apparently the only evidence ft respect to the draft and bill of lading said to have been forged was given by Mrs.: Ogle, the stenographer. She'claimed a general authority to make out the drafts and bills, but Ocle in respect to the particular transaction said she might have been instructed by Crouch or Mrs. Buchanan (his head clerk). It was a question whether her evidence established forgery. Mr. Hunt: I consider it does, and I consider a primary case has been made out. I am prepared to order him to be extradited. He woulfl not be sent out of the country for 15 days, and in the meantime you can take any steps you like'-apply to the Supreme Court for a -writ nf habeas corpus. Mr. Finlay said that under the circumstances he 'would not go further with the matter at that stage, though he had a crood deal to say. Tho magistrate then formally ordered Grey to be .detained in prison for the purpose of being extradited to the United States of America. In these cases the accused personals not extradited until after the expiration of fifteen days from the date of his committal, in order that an application for a writ of habeas cormis, may be made it so desired, but should the accused .voluntarily offer to ™ before the fifteen days 1-nve expired the authorities may-send him.