REVENGE COMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 170, 20 July 1935, Page 4 (Supplement)

REVENGE COMES.

IV,ANY WOMEN VICTIMS. BUCKET-SHOP KING. GAOL EXDS FRAUDS. Squat-figured, flabby-jowled "Ned" Donallon, alias Edward Coates, the "bucket-shop king," has caught his last "mug." For the past 35 years this pugnacious-eyed, bowler-hatted financier, who was sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment at the Old Bailey recently, has lured guileless widows, trusting servant-maids, innocent country clergymen to ruin. False pretences, conspiracy and fraudulent conversion—these little habits of his, as Detective-Sergeant Caterall pointed out at the trial, have before now earned him several prison sentences. His were the brains behind that amazing ramp of some years ago, when a firm of bucket-shop racketeers calling itself Graham Marsh and Co., Ltd., of which he was managing director, swindled the public out of close on £50,000. Always Moving. "As soon as he comes out of prison," Sergeant Catterall said, "Donallon starts up in another business, and as soon as complaints begin to come in he moves to another address." "Whenever a big city

crash happened. Dona lion would 'cash in' on the publicity with Ins circulars," a

nan who has followed the career of the 'Bucket-Shop King" revealed.

"He would urge dear old ladies, trustful clergymen and foolish servant girls who had saved a bit of money, to have

their names enrolled upon his 'Telegraph Register,' so that tlicy might receive 'valuable information' at the right moment.

"One. poor woman remitted him £25, to pay for an operation in rubber shares. Ten days later, when the shares were

dropping, she was then told it would be necessary to send another £50 to save her first investment.

"In another case, Donallon got £350 from two women for shares which he professed to have for sale, but which were

not forthcoming. -When a woman living on the East Coast was induced by him to send £100 for 'marginal operations,' her bank manager advised her to stop the cheque."

Once he offered to give a return of £400 on every £100 invested. And the sad part of the business was that there were "mugs" who believed it!