WHOLESALE FORGERY ALLEGED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3100, 2 June 1917, Page 8

WHOLESALE FORGERY ALLEGED

£2500 INVOLVED

CHARGE AGAINST NATIVE : * .../'/I;..WOMAN • ;; By ( Telegraph.-Press Association. ','.;';• Giibome, June 1. Some remarkable evidence wns given in ft case: against a Native woman, Tepaea iTait, charged with allegedly forging orders 'purporting to be drawn on tho MangatuNo. 1 account, trustee of H. 0. .Jackson, totalling Accused's husband, who is manager of the property, deposed that, ho had authority to sign, orders in connection with work oh the property, which in turn had to bu pro- 1 .6«nted <to the trustee. The orders produced were forged. Accused had no authority to sign in his. behalf. Detective M'Leod produced a. statement Bigned by accused, in which the admitted forging her husband's signa"turo to orders which/she linuded over (o various tradespeople in return for goods purchased. In her accused admitted making tluvorders payable to menengaged on the station bushfelling, and she endorsed them'accordingly. Sho alleged that sho did not want tho goods she purchased,, but tradespeople pushed them on 'to her. The' Magistrate, Mr. Barton, S.M.: "I can only say that if these things are true, these people, have been offering a premium for dishonesty. It is a shocking state of affairs." . ' Arthur Gordon Gunn, in evidence, said the acensed presented orders for over iCSOO to pay an account of just over JE7OO. Cross-examined, witness said he did not think, it extraordinary accused boing in possession of the orders. One order was wrongly endorsed, and was returned by the bank. i ■ .' Mr. H. B. Lust, of Napier, for accused: I put it to you that the accused in your shop reindorsed it as required. ' Witness: I believe so. "The Magistrate: And yon say you did Bot know it was a wrong- thing to do? Witness: No. '.The Magistrate: Well, I would not believe it. I will say no more about it, brit someone else probably will. Thomas Robert Gordon, jeweller, deposed that ho sold accused a diamond ring for JCI2O. - ' Mr. lusk: We liad it valued at .£37. What did you pay for it? .Witness: I believe .£BO. . : • Mr. Lnsk: Was the ring worth .£s.o?'. ■ Witness: Itis hard to say: Diamonds went up 20 per cent, last year. Herbert ,Tame 3 Grieve, jeweller, in evidences said accused, made ..purchases amounting to several hundred pounds and payment partly in cash and the Balance some of the orders in question. He wns under the impression that accused and her 'husband' wero wealthy people. • "I Cross-examined, he said that before he gave her extensive credit lie had an interView with' accused's husband. The Magistrate: Did yon tell him how much she owed you? Witness: No. He assured me she hod any amount of her own, and he would pay if she failed to do so. / To Mr. Lusk: On that sfe could have iad the wliole shop. ■ Later, .in cross-examination, witness Raid: Tour questions suggest we were lambinpr lier' down. .Mr. Lusk: The caso looks as if that ivnsso. Witness denied selling a watch' to accused for .£l7O. He would swear "the price was only .£7O. Ho never 6uspected anything wrong with Uhe orders A fter further evidence of other tradespeople, accused reserved her defence, and was committed for trial. :