DUPED MANY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 3, 4 January 1934, Page 5

DUPED MANY.

ELDERLY AMERICAN.

SWINDLES IN AUSTRALIA.

MAN WITH A WINNING WAY.

(Prom Our Own Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, December 30.

After an investigation extending over many months, the Court has reached finality with the case of Francis Lappan Measures. This wae a matter of "false pretences, larceny and fraudulent misappropriation." • Measures is an American by birth, and he came to Australia 35 years ago. He set up in business as an estate agent and company promoter, and he seems to possess not only distinct financial ability, but a special faculty for ingratiating himself with his clients and winning their confidence. But, so far as can be gathered, from the evidence supplied in this case, he has been unscrupulous and irresponsible to the last degree in the conduct of his affairs. The chief charge on which he was tried concerned the affaire of Miss Western, a wealthy English lady, whom he induced to withdraw her money from British investments and entrust it to him, on the promise of a high rate of interest. Involved Story. The story is far too involved for me to follow here through all ite ramifications. A woman employed by Measures as clerk for many years seems to have played some pairt in these transactions, but as her name was struck out of the charge after the case began, the full responsibility evidently rests on him. Mies Western was able to show that he had obtained from her a cheque for £2800, "with intent to defraud"; but thie seems to have represented only a minor feature of hie operations. Posing as a man of high principles and great wealth, he indμced all sorts of people to take his advice and leave their 1

money with him; and his career had been marked by strange before thie last craeh overwhelmed him. The police officer who gave evidence stated that he had been bankrupt twice, since he came here—on one occasion for £130,000, on which he paid Id in the £; that he had defrauded one man of £8000, and two firms of moneylenders of £7000 and £3000 respectively; that he had bought an eetate for £6000 and raised £20,000 on it; and that "he did not know one single case in which Measures had paid any interest." Repayment Ordered. The case has attracted much, public interest here because of ite complexity and the large amounts involved; "if you gave Measures £200,000, he would not be able' to pay the people that he has defrauded," the detective told the Court. But Measures is 72 years old, and he is ill, and Judge Thomson de-

cided that it would serve no good purpose to send him to gaol. He therefore ordered him to pay Miss Western £2800 by the end of 1934, and to be "bound over" in his own recognisance of £500 and a surety of £500, and "to be of good behaviour for four years." So ends a cas.e which may serve to "point the .moral" for many years to come when business men here are discussing "go-getters" and the confidence that so many guileless but wealthy people place in the inherent goodness of human nature.