FORGING BANK CHEQUES.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2711, 26 March 1866, Page 5

FORGING BANK CHEQUES.

Anotheb case of forging a bank cheque came before the Resident Magistrate, 'T. Beckham, Esq.). ° n Saturday last. A young man, named William L. Morrenee, was brought up, charged by J. Williams, Onehunga, with forging and uttering a cheque on the Bank of New South Wales, for £7 15s., purporting to be drawn by Captain McPherson, Paymaster, Commissariat Transport Corps. The prisoner had been only apprehended that morning, and the case was adjourned until Wednesday next. His Worship expressed his astonishment, after the repeated warnings the public had received from the. Beach and through the Press, that persons should be found to cash cheques for individuals unknown to them, without their suspicions being aroused as to their genuineness. They deserved to lose their money, as a punishment for their gullibility ; as their carelessness in the matter was an inducement to persons to commit the offence. In some cases the cheques are very slovenly filled in by the writer. The cheque received by Mr. Steers from the prisoner who was tried on the previous day was .very imperfectly filled, the amount not being stated in the usual way, and the whole appearance of instrument was calculated to create suspicion at first sight as to its being a forged cheque. We hope the public will take warning in future, for besides holding out a premium to persons in needy circumstances to commit fraud, they put the province to a great expense in enforcing the law and punishing the offenders. The above is the second case of the kind which has been sent from another place to be investigated by Mr. Beckham this week. We should have imagined that offences committed within the jurisdiction of the respective resident magistrates in the country districts would be heard and disposed of by them without sending them to the court at Auckland, thus putting the prosecutors and witnesses to inconvenience to attend, besides increasing the business of Mr. Beckham'* court, which we should have thought was already heavy enough, the regular business that comes before it being more than sufficient to task the energy and attention of our worthy chief magistrate.