ALL IMAGINATION

Evening Star, Issue 19025, 21 August 1925, Page 5

ALL IMAGINATION

A SYDHEY IMPOSTS Castles built In the air crashed about the ears of Miss Emily Carkeek, of Roseville, Sydney, when a man she had married, believing him to ho the possessor of an ancestral home in England, houses in Loudon and Vaucluse (Sydney), and unlimited money, wan arrested in Sydney on a charge of false pretences. An amazing story was told by witnesses for the prosecution when Norman Ramsay Murray (55), a carpenter, was charged with falsely pretending to Juille Eckhoff that a cheque on the Bank of Now South Wales for £250 wad of that value, by means of which lid attempted to obtain goods worth £250Juille Eckhoff (according to the Sydney correspondent of the Auckland ‘ fjtnr ’) said she conducted a costnmiore’s business at Roseville, and that she first mot Murray when ho came to her homo to visit Miss Emily Carkeek, who was living with her, and, to whom he was engaged. 1 He had told her he was very wealthy, and intended to taka Miss Carkeek round the world on a tour commencing on August 31. ... Before they loft he said he Intended buying a motor car, in which they would tour Australia, aad her husband; had agreed to mind the car while they were abroad. , . I He had a room at the Hotel Australia, hut he stayed with Mrs EckhoiS for some weeks. _ I He instructed witness to prepare a | trousseau for Iris wife, to cost £2so* < In fact, ho told her to spare no expense' whatever, as lie was possessed of mi- { limited capital. Ho oven asked her to purchase for his wife a fur coat and silverware. About £3O worth of good* were actually delivered to Mbs Carkeek by witness, including a fur coat worth ten guineas, velvet and marooaiu frocks, and stockings, hats, and gloves. Mass Carkeek was duly married to Murray from her homo, and in v#il—ness’s presence ho gave his jvife , e a cheque for £250, which was handed to Mrs Eckhoff to pay for the trousseau. However, the Commonwealth Bank, Sydnov, would not accept the paper, and when she told Murray ho appeared to go into a towering rage, and said lie could not understand it. Two days later lie gave her another cheque for £250 in exchange, for the first one, saying that ho had a large account in Melbourne which would ho transferred to Sydney.

She was suspicions by that lime, however, and took an early train to Sydney, where she found that (ho bank would not accept the second cheque cither. Her husband had an argument with Murray, and demanded an open cheque in exchange for the dishonored ones. Mnrrav gave it, explaining that it would 'not he met for some days, as tho Melbourne money would not have arrived until then. Ho left her home the dav before tho open cheque was due to be men, and she did not sec him again until he was arrested. His now wife returned homo y few days later.

A sensation was caused in court when the police prosecutor announced, that the accused had a wife and. live | children in Adelaide, and had a record j“as long as jour arm.” His tales i about his homo in England and Ins I fabulous wealth were all figments of hut I imagination, which had carried _ ffim so I far "hat he had purchased a. ticket to , England with a valueless cheque ami begun negotiations for tho purchase of a motor car with the same insecure teiairilics. He was committed for trial. Bui, on a second charge of false proi fences, hv means of which he obtained j an m-er<-oat worth £2 13s, the property ! of Jacob EckholT, ho was sentenced to six mouths’ imprisonment. Mnrrav is a "remarkable personality, : for he is small, unprepossessing, and nrcy. He would be the last person ; one would lake to be one of tho landed. ’ gentry of England.