"LIKE 'DE LUXE ANNIE'"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 183, 29 April 1920, Page 4

"LIKE 'DE LUXE ANNIE'"

ALLEGED SCHEME TO EXTORT

BLACKMAIL

A GIRL'S STRANGE STORY

GEORGE HERBERT WINDER -IN

COURT

George Herbert Winder a clerk,, aged M, was eharecd in the Magistrate s Comt yesterday with having endeavov.rei tort money from Clifford by accnsin!? him of a crime punishable by imprison ment for five years or more. Mr. K Vase, A.M.. was on the bench. Chief Detective Ward prosecuted, G. Watson represented the acsvnetf. ana Mr. D. Jackson wnt"hci nroreeawje on nehalf of tho accused's father. A. typiste (aicd IT) employed by llu <vmplainant Peel, said that die had ..no n the accused for about two or three 'p"" 11 '-- having first cmt him at I'erret„s Lorijer. The accused accosted her by 'J 1 ? t „ , if she had seen a tall, dark ffirl m green costume. Witness Eaid tnat she n. • Accueod then made it lmosyn that he h tickets for a picture theatre, ana,i-o renuested her compnny. ltness ncc-Pim • Witness recounted a conversali'ii s' lß bad with accused at a subsequent ntectj She staled that one night she tern Winder she would have to no to woric on Iho following evening. She had lojto to O'Neill's office. At this ofiice there veie to be present Mr. Peel, another _ eentleman, and another typiste. Accused, on hearinc this, said he thought it was ratlltr funny that there should be two typ:-te« there. He susirested that lie had better come round and wait fov witness. told him not to wait. After the picture-, accused and witness went to suppu a» a restaurant in Courtenay 1 iac« ""erf accused made a proposition. ™ic couin not remember what was actually faid. lie said, ill effect, that If they interfered with witness in any way he would come .up and demand a sum of money. n l ' n , ,^ s said: "Is it anything like the picture Do Luxe Annie'?" Accused said- ice. th.it is the style of the scheme. Accused further suigeste3 that witness should rcream and then start to cry. Ho would do the rest. He was to enter the room and pretend to ring the police. Then he would demand £500 each from the two men there. Witness asked what she would no after it all happened, because she would have to leave hor employment at the office. _ Witness met the accused again and went to tea. where he Ehowcd hor a revolver and suggested that sho might take it, but she refused. .Accused told her that he ha dbeen in Oanada and had made £3000 a. year "at, the samo game." He worked the echenie with a girl in Canada, but this eirl not married and that was tho end of ihc scheme, lie also said that he had shot a man in self-defence, and for that reason he had to leave Canada. Accused said further that if the scheme clinic off they could play it on the manager <'! the Midland Eotel; and if that succeeded, they would go to Auckland. Witness then eot frightened. She went to work that night, and on the following morninu told Peel. A letter was typed and given to accuacd in Willis Street -during the afternoon. On Friday afternoon last she met accused in Manners Street, and they went to the Jtialto for afternoon tea. She asked accused what they were Roinsr to do about the matter, lie asked witness svhat time slie had to be at work. She replied: "At 7.30 p.m." lie said that about 8.15 p.m. witness was to scream, and "not before." He would then dash into the room and say: "This is a nice thing." or "a nice state of affairs." Witness xi-s to cry and accuscd would pretend to rinif the police.

Continuing, witness said that at 8.15 p.m. on Friday last, wlii'p che was ill tlio oflka with Peel, she cried out "Don't!" and "Help!" and also screamed. Accused promptly entered the roam. Witness retired to a, comer, and accused said: "This is a. nice thins to happen." lis further said that he had had suspicions of Peel for a lone time, and th?.t. lie tl:< uld Ijg shown up for the rood of tho country. Accused moved to the telephone. Peel said: "What can I do to hush this up?" The accused said that it \vas not for iiia eood, but for the (rood of witness. In reply to Peel, accused said he required £100, but Peel offered £50. Winder ■caid he wanted the sum in cash: bat he agreed to accept a cheque, and deEired it to bo made out in witness's name, l'eel would not do this, but made s chequc out for £50, payable to "G. Brown"—the l aiua Winder pave. Accused Eaid that witness was to accompany him. but Peel would not allow this. Then the detectives canio in. Under cross-examination, witness explained that the letter elic oave to Winder was typed at Peel's dictation. ?'he idea was to set a reply in Winder's liamhvritiue.

At tliis staje the hcarVnir was adiourjjd till to-morrow morning.