AMY BOOK'S LATEST ESCAPADE.

Evening Star, Issue 14043, 26 April 1909, Page 4

AMY BOOK'S LATEST ESCAPADE.

MASQUERADES IN MEN'S CLOTHING. MARRIES A tWOMAN. A REMARKABLE STORY. The meet remarkable and one of the most sensational, not to say unique, cases known, in the annals of crime in this Dominion lias bean skilfully brought to a head by an astute member of the detective force at the Dunedin Central Station. It f umifihes an extraordinary story of a wily woman's escapade and almost seems incredible, eo romantic and fairylike does it all Tead. To some Teaders no doubt it will have its humorous side. Here are the facts as gleaned by a member of our etaff this morning. Amy _ Eock alias Channel, alias Shannon, alias Vallane, alias Skevington, alias Percy Carol Redwood, the culprit in the case, let it be explained at the outset, is a email, trim, little woman, of about forty-nine yeans of age, and was born in Victoria, £:he came to New Zealand in 1884, and since her residence here has been well known to the police all over the Dominion for the number of times she has carried out particularly daring and cunningly conceived "swindles. ' She is quick to act, and just as smart at disappearing and leaving no trace of her whereabouts " when wanted." Early in January of this year she arrived in Duneddn, and setting out on one of her notorious escapades, she obtained a situation with a Boelyn family, by the name of Roy, as a domestic. The family went for a holiday, and left Amy in charge, of the house. Their absence "gave her active brain the opening she was anxiously waiting for. Forging her master's naime to a. receipt purporting to sell the furniture in the house to her, she called on an unwary business man in the Kaikorai Valley, and succeeded in convincing him that the receipt was with the result that she gave him a bill of sale over the furniture and got £3O in return. Next day she decamped with the money for pastures new, to again deceive people by her plausible manner and downright Toguery. From that day until last Saturday the detectives have held a warrant for V her arrest for obtaining the £3O by means of, a false pretence, Irat the " bird had vanished. The next that was heard of her was at. the Nuggets, where she took up her residence in the same month (.January) at the bo-arding-hoiise kept by Mr and Mre George Ottaway, where in a new role—that of Percy Carol Eedwood, the nephew of an archbishop—we corne to the latest ■md most unique chapter in this woman's lengthy and varied career of fraud and dire deception. With* hair cut short- and dressed in the latest fashion, " Percy Redwood " soon became a favorite at the Nuggets. He had plenty of money, a wealthy mother living at Hamilton, in the Waikato, and a nice, gentlemanly manner. " Yes," said a Dunedin resident, in speaking of him this morning, " I knew him, and he was an all light chap. He had plenty of money, and if you wanted anything he was Ihe boy to buy it for you. We went to the theatre with him, and he would have been quite disappointed if my wife and daughter had not gone with him. My daughter once said she liked apples, and he had a box sent to her. I once said I would like a paroquet, and he said he would get one for me from his uncle in Melbourne." ''And, yes," chipped in cabman, who is stjll waiting for the £3O owing to him, "he said he would get me a Persian cat." All so far had gone well with "Mr Redwood"; the coup de grace had yet to come. He found in Miss Ottaway, daughter of the boarding-house keeper, aged about thirty-two, a most desirable acquaintance—they said her people had money. He forthwith made his advances, and *a friendship sprung up, which unfortunately ripened and finally ended with disastrous results for the young ladv. With time they got to know each other better, and it was not lontr before gossip had it that they were to become more than mere acquaintances. And Dame Rumor did not lie this time. "Mr Redwood" had won " the girl of his heart," and with the consent of her parents Jhe wedding was duly fixed for Wednesday, the 21st of this month.

AH this time "Mr Redwood" had Had an abundant supply of cash, and no wonder, for just recently lie induced a Toung lady in Dunedin to part with £4O of her hardearned money, and there was the £3O raised on Mrs Roy's furniture. The Cutaways were suspicious at no time of their new boarder. Mrs Ottaway was more than satisfied with his genuineness, because there was a letter written to her by his mother stating: I have just had a tali; over the marriage with my boys, and am going to town see my lawyer. We have decided to give Carol £3,500, and J will give another £I,OOO for the house and furniture, as he wishes to live in Dunedm.

1 his was signed ""Frances Redwood," brat of course, was written bv "Percv Redwood" himself. Then there" was another letter, bearing the print of the Auckland Drainage Board, and purporting to be from the secretary of that Board, and stating that as he was retiring "Air Redwood " was to be appointed, at a salary °li j a week. "Mother was unable to attend the marriage at the Nuggets, because her daughter was being married the same day, but she would be down in a week.

The representatives of two Dunedin firms also appear on the scene. " Mr Redwood " had been to them with documents giving detailed accounts of the sheep and horses owned by him in the Waikato. He wanted a mortgage fixed up, and one firm advanced him £lO on the strength of the supposed proof which was forthcoming. The representative of the other firm proceeded to the Nuggets with a cheque for £IOO but he became suspicious, notwithstanding that Mr Redwood" could give the names of his horses and a full descritpkm of the sheep, ear-marks, etc. Mrs Ottaway, however, still had faith in her future son-in-law, and. gave her house as a security, and this satisfied lawyer No. 2. But Lawyer No. 1 threatened violence, and "Mr Redwood," considering discretion the better part of valor, returned the £lO he had borrowed from him: It was a great day at the Nuggets the day that Miss Ottaway was married to " Mr Percy Carol Redwood," as the following extract from the 'Clufcha Free Press shows : ~. THE WEDDING. The wedding was solemnised on Wednes-" day last at Albion House, Nugget Bay. Port Mdyneux, the residence of the bride"'s parents. The ' Free Press' reporter, whose sympathies had gone out to the happy couple, says that the weather was all that heart could desire. The balmy breeze, he says, was full of the odors of flowers, and as the festal hour approached neighbors and friends from afar began, to " roll in" as the sto's reflections from sand and sea made u.p a bright picture, and so on. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. G. Calvert Blafchwayt (Anglican), with the Rev. A. M. Dalrynrple (Presbyterian) assisting. Aiter describing the dress of the bride and ten bridesmaids, the reporter tells of how the bride stood beside 11 her betrothed "to receive the ring which is the symbol of requited love." Then follows a description of-the wedding feast. "This," he says, "was no Arcadian repast, such as old Omar Kayyan loved—'a loaf of bread . . . - a flask of wine . . . and thou beside me in tihe a f east to suit t<he palate of the epicure, washed down with the spa&ling vintage, of Reims, .champagne which bad beenaine years in cellar." Then came ike toasts. The Rev. Mr TMlrymple, in proposing "The Bride aad Bridegroom," said aQ -were glad 4o \relcome Mr Redwood, who came anaing ihem as a stranger, but he was quite satisfied that i the union would be a happy one if it was in Mr Redwood's power to make it. And now "Mr Bedwooa? Mrl

Malcolm, M.P., also spoke, and gave "same ""good advice to the bridegroom," the gist of •which"'was'■to "hand the management- of affairs over to his partner when in doubt. The bridegroom's gift to the bride was a set of silver-backed brushes.' ■> _' - THE HONEYMOON. " Fortunately for the sake of the girl who 'deceived, the honeymoon was ■ abandoned at a timely moment. A Dunedin resident, who was suspicious of the bridegroom's sex, wisely spoke of his suspicions, with the' result that the couple did not leave o ntheir proposed tour to Melbourne, for which the tickets had been purchased out of his own pocket by a friend who subsequently returned them, to the shipping company and had his money refunded. THE ARREST. "Mr Redwood" little thought on that eventful Wednesday that his end was so near at hand. The detectives were on his trail, and five-days later he was safely, lodged in the Dunedin lock-up. On Friday, acting on information received, to use a police colloquialism, Chief-detective Herbert and Detective Hunt paid, a visit to a boarding-house in Dunedin where it was known that Amy Bock had stayed, and there they found woman's"" clothing. On Saturday Detective Hunt hurriedly took his departure for the Nuggets, and there that night arrested " Mr Kedwood," whom the detective had previously surmised was no other than the one 'and only Amy Bock. He was not mistaken. Detective Hunt, calling at the Ottaway's house, asked to see "Mr Redwood," who came down the stair smoking h|s pipe. " The game's up, Amy," said the detective, and Amy merely answered "All right." The Ottaways were afterwards told of the whole business. MJss Ottaway is reported to be ill in 'bed. She is said to be a tall, strongly-built woman. Bslclutha was reached on Sunday night, and Dunedin at eleven this morning AS SEEN BY MEN. This morning, as she walked between two detectives from the railway station to the detectives' office, men without knowledge of her identity would not have taken the dapper individual in bridegroom grey to be a woman.' Many women, iadeed,_ have turned eager eyes on less attractive men than this woman attired as a man. A front view showed a diminutive man, well dressed, neat of limb, with neater feet, and. rather good-looking. The way she had her hands sunk in tie pockets of a light grey overcoat was the way of a man when the wind is raw and his undergarments thin. She seemed to be holding the coat cjbse to herself, as if to hide her figure. Her face was neat rather than pretty. A pallor enhanced its attractiveness. A back view made it impossible to believe that the little man between the detectives was a woman. She seemed a man. She walked with the slight stoop of the scholar, but with"'a firm tread. Her builil was quite ordinary to anyone who did not now the truth. When one knew the facts there were obvious peculiarities. The back* of her "head was a man's, from the back rim of a lightcolored cap placed jauntily on the head to the collar of Hhe overcoat her hair was shorn like that of a guardsman on parade, ! or that of a man who gets his sixpence worth from the barber every time. In a word, the woman was a man! Her walk was not womanly, which must not be taken as having anything to do with decorum. Most men" know how women walk, and this woman walked more like a man fond of easy-fitting trousers. Altogether, one could' easily understand why women have been deceived by this woman. As showing how men were deceived, it hj interesting to mention that the bridegroom was measured and suited at the. New Zealand Clothing Factory, and although her petite form required nothing more than size 13£ for collars and shirts, no one suspected anything " amiss." Not even the measurer. THE CHARGES. The warrant on which the prisoner was arrested charges her with about the middle of January obtaining £3o'from Arthur Ellis by means of a false pretence. Accused, it is understood, has made a clean breast to this charge, and also the other charges on which she is liable to be prosecuted. She is anxious to get the whole thing over as soon as possible. It is said that a local: firm of jewellers parted with £IOO worth of jewellery, but that they have Mr Ottaway's name as security. . *. The accused, it might be mentioned, is a _ very temperate woman.; , She "never drinks, but on the day of the wedding, in order _to play her part, she took seven whiskies, which, she says, nearly killed her.

It is understood that it was her intention to give Miss Ottaway the slip at the Bluff on the way to Melbourne on the supposed honeymoon, and leave a letter explaining all. The one word "fraud" explains the charge in connection with the " wedding."