RIFLEMAN'S FRAUD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 989, 2 December 1910, Page 5

RIFLEMAN'S FRAUD.

■ ■ « —.'■■ FORGED SCORE CARD. ' r SENTENCE OF IMPRISONMENT. By Tslejraph—Press Aseoeiatidn—Copyriehl- ■ (Ree. December 1, 8.10. p.m.) Sydnoy, December I. W. Piggott has been found guilty of false pretences in obtaining .£IOO and a badge in connection with tlio shooting for i- the King's l'rizo at the'Randwick rifle shooting meeting. ■ , The jury made a strong recommendaj. -tion for mercy, on the ground of the acI cuscd's, previous good character. s .-The Judge' sentenced Piggott to 12 p months' hard labour, the sentence to be deferred on the finding of sureties for tho tt prisoner's good behaviour during the next : twelve months. ■'; "... ' . The sureties were immediately forthcoming. [Piggott was declared, on the afternoon of Friday, October 14, to be the winner n of the King's Prize, the chief event at (. the meeting of the National Rifle Associao tiou, New South Wales, at Randwick, his if 'score being 286, as-against tie 285.0f C. e Morris, of Goulburn, who was neit on, , 9 the list. When it was stated on the 1000 yards' mound in the final stage ef r the match'that Pirgott had put up a score of 49 out of a possible 58, and d thereby had scored an. aggregate ef 286, j' and .was .leading by a-point from Morris, is of Goulburn, some, doubts were expressed if concerning the score, owing to the-fact e that nobody was forthcoming ■ who had seen el the shoot, or seen tho score on one of tho o boards. As; however, the card was' found l- in the box with the initials of a.checkscorer, and.the apparently genuine signaIβ ture of a rejistrar, showing the score of i- i9 r Piggott's.club mates ef the Tramway c Bifle Club "chaired" him at. the.-conclu-ie sion'of the shooting, and he-was , hailed p as the King's prizeman. Next morning, is owing to certain statements made regardi- ing his movements" on the previous after- ;. noon the' executive instructed Piggett to iy produce two persons who witnessed his shoot at 1600 yards, and cancelled his selection as a member-of-the-New South Wales team leaving the next evening for Melbourne. . At a subsequent inquiry the score was declared a bogus one, and Pig- ■ gott was disqualified for life. ' He admitted that he did not shoot at all at ■ the 1000 yards' range.]. ...