FORGERY CHARGE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20736, 22 December 1932, Page 8

FORGERY CHARGE.

| PRISON ESCAPEE'S OFFENCE. (PRESS ASSOCIATION" TILSiiIIM) WELLINGTON. December -'l- - William Schlutcr, aged 4-', engineer, who escaped from Mount Eden Gaol early this year, pleaded guiltv in the Magistrate's Court to- ! day to forging and uttering a cheque | for £9O and to two charges of theft. The offences were committed whilu prisoner was at liberty. Mrs Meiklejolin, boardinghousckeeper, gave evidence that the accused went to her house under the name uFo«'den and said he had no but showed her a post office bank boo-v with a credit of £o2 odd. On July 1 h she asked him to fix a handbag, which was broken. In it was her cheque book. Next day the accused obtained a specimen of her writing and signature by getting her to write a Jettc. to the City Council ."refere.,ceto be hot water system. On July -l&t she discovered that a cheque tor £9O bad gone through her account, the ture being practical y identical « > her writing. Accused left on July l-3tb. Detective McPhee said that when accused was interviewed after Ins recapture, he said he wanted to clear up everything and made a statement in which he admitted taking two blank cheque? from Mrs Mciklejolm's book. He bought a motor-cycle with some of the money and played pakapoo with tho remainder, winning £82.. Accused was committed for sentence. On a charge of being an incorrigible rogu<*, in that he had escaped troin Mount Eden prison, he was remanded to Auckland. For two offences against the Arms Aet in connexion with unregistered rifles, committed in 1929. lie was convicted and discharged.