CHARGE OF FORTUNETELLING.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17018, 15 December 1920, Page 4

CHARGE OF FORTUNETELLING.

"AKGUS" IN COURT. \ "star" turn of a vaudeville cpraI panv which recently appeared before Christchurch audiences was the subject i of a case which came before Mr S. K. McCarthy, S-M., at 'the Magistrate's Court yesierday morning, when Charles Louis Copeland and his son Nathaniel Copeland. aged eleven years, known professionally as -Argus the Prophet," were charged with that between Wm!ber 2-' nd and December oth, 19.20, _at i Chrisichureh-they undertook to tell lur--1 The defendants were represented by Air F. W. Johnston. }Ir Johnston stated that the police had intimated that they intended to make a test case of this. If this wasso he mu&t -ask for The position was that' the father was the business man.' the boy working under his directions. ''I don't want a conviction against the boy," he said. Ine act was onlv one.'Horn in the whole repertoire, arid if the defendant had to stay in Christchurch to tight a test case it would mean a severe loss both to Copeland senr. and his employer. He would ask that the boy ho not asked to plead guilty. In order to avoid inconvenience the father would plead guilty, and would undertake to give the police a chance to fetch forward a test case •at Auckland. ■ "With reference to the present case, Mr Johnston quoted an appeal case in England in 1917 hoard in the Lower Tho case was Davis v. Curry. It had been contended that every person pretending or profess- , ing to tell fortunes or using any subtle craft, means or device, by^palmistry., or otherwise, to deceive, and impose on any • of his Majesty's subjects shall be deemed a rogue and a vagabond. ■ It was held by Justices Darling and Sankey, Justice Avory dissenting, that to make pretending or professing to toll fortunes an offence an intention to deceive is neces- * sary. The father in tho present ease would plead guilty with tho reservation that if he did so it was not to be said that he was flouting the law. Mr Johnston pointed out that the information was only received on Monday. The Magistrate: T have had a case of this sort before in tho North Island. Mr Johnston: This particular point was not raised. Tho Magistrate: I don't remember the result of the case myself.. It was a man called Isherwood I think. *• Mr Johnston said that tho defendants had been perfectly l'rank in tho wholo of their demonstrations. On a previous visit to Christchurch they had given demonstrations of their occult powers before a committee of reputable citizens, among whom were such gentlemen as Mr Henry Holland, the lato Mr James Cassidy, and a Labour M.P. They put the boy through a very severe test and out of. about 15 or 120 items in on-ly one was he wrong. Copeland would ' like tho test case to bo heard in Auckland if possible. • Some people did not believe^in the occult, but on tho other hand others di'd, and in this connexion ono had only to think of a present visitor to Now Zealand, Sir, Arthur Conan Doyle. In these days of long distance telephony and tdephotography one, did not know the limits of the human mind or of thought. It was not desired that the caso should be adjourned to be heard, in Christchurch. Senior Detective Cameron said that the- police would not ha.vo laid the information when thov did had it not been to meet the convenience of the company. Copeland had been a gentleman all through the matter. Ho had stated that ho did not know ho was infringing tho law and had como to the police Etation with Detective-Sergeant Quarter ma in. The defendant Copeland senr. said that he.would U: with the company-in the Dominion for some little time 'yet. There were hundreds of clairvoyants giving similar demonstrations all over the world and as far as he was aware none had been brought, before the Court before. The Magistrate said that he did not wish Copeland to plead guiltv here and <zo to Auckland hampered with a conviction. On the other hand tho Court I'd not wish to sanction wrong. B->t' rases would be, adjourned sine die to Auckland.