LOSS OF A WALLET.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20566, 7 June 1932, Page 12

LOSS OF A WALLET.

-—, —* *6OO OUT OF £620 RECOVERED. [THE PRESS Special Senice.; AUCKLAND, June 0. By a piece of amazing good luek a man who lost a wallet containing £O2O in the Ellerslio district during the weekend had it returned to him this morning with only £2O missing. It is believed that the wallet was stolen from tho owner, Mr J. W. Ashton, a visitor from the King Country, and that it was dropped or discarded by the thief. When it was.found four £5 notes were missing, but it still contained twelve £SO notes.

Mr Ashton, who has been staying with friends at Eilerslic, discovered his loss on Sunday evening and the police were called in. It was thought the money was lost or stolen on Saturday evening, which was the last previous occasion that Mr Ashton handled the wallet. He told the police he had drawn nearly £IOOO from the bank at Easter and had carried it with him. He had almost £6OO when he arrived in Auckland, and had won further money at the races. He'said he usually carried the wallet in an inside pocket* and seldom touched it. The wallet, with its contents of £6OO, was found by two youths, N. Voitre and F. McGovcrn, early this morning in Ellerslie, only a quarter of a mile from' where Mr Ashton was staying. The youths, who are employed in the racing stable of A. E. Neale, of Bulls, saw the wallet lying in the middle of a footpath outside racecourse. »

It is believed that the thief may have purposely discarded the wallet knowing that £SO notes are difficult to change, and that in all probability the numbers had been noted by the owner. Thin would account for his talcing only the £3 notes, which can easily bo dispbsed of.