BAD CHEQUES

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1925, Page 3

BAD CHEQUES

, J ■ -o CONFIDENCE MAN ARRESTED. e At least one Greymouth tradesman l- heaved a sigh of relief when news aid rived that the arrest had been effectn ed of a “friend’’ who left him a, vald ueless cheque for £lB in exchange for goods and coin (as previously describ- .. ed in the “Star”). A warrant for his 1 return to Greymouth was dispatched by 1 the police this morning; and he will s probably face the Magistrate at GreyI mouth when the Dunedin police get B through with him. Apparently he is an expert at the game and his “stock-in-trade” includes a plentiful supply of aliases. The following message from Christchurch gives additional details of his career : — ‘ Flitting, gaily round the Dominion, 3 Clive Argyle Wood has been demon--1 strating that it is possible to' live comTi fort ably with a few blank cheques and > a bottle of magic ink eradicator. The police on Wednesday morning showed •’ that it is possible to live that way for > a limited time only? Wood appeared 5 in the Magistrate’s Court before > Messrs A. H. Holmes and P. Davidson J.’sP. He’ was charged—(l) That on or about February 9, 1925, at Waikari, he made a false document by altering a cheque for £B/1/5 to £3O 1/5; (2) that on March 4, 1925, at Christchurch, he forged a cheque for £l9/10/. with the name of; “Harold Johnstone” on the Bank of New Zealand at Te Awamutu; (3) that •on March 4, 1925, at Christchurch he fraudulently obtained £lO from Thomas George Lewis by means of a valueless cheque drawn on the Bank of New' Zealand at Te Awamutu. Thomas .George Lewis, proprietor <x ’ the Hotel Federal, Christchurch, said that Wood stayed with him in Febru- " ary and March. On March 4, Wood asked the witness to cash a cheque for ’ £lO/0/6 which he. v had drawn in the > Bank of New Zealand at Te Awamutu. 1 Witness understood that accused was a commercial traveller, and gave him ' £lO, the cdd sixpence being exchange. ■ The same day the accused cashed another cheque. The amount of his account was £l3/19/-, and he received change. Both" cheques were returned to witness marked “No account.’’ C. D. Anderson, farmer, of Waikari, said that the accused worked for him for' five weeks, and that on February 11 witness paid him off with an order on the National Mortgage and Agency Company (Ltd.) for £B/1/5. Witness found that the money drawn on the order was £3O/1/5. The order had been altered to that amount. Thomas P. Hampson, licensee of the Great Northern Hotel, Waikari, said that Wood stayed one night with him under the name of Stevens. Accused tendered a cheque or order for £3O 1/5 for payment. Witness remarked that he had left it late to put over a cheque for that amount, but he knew Mr Anderson quite well, and so accepted the cheque. The police produced a statement made by accused in which he admitted that he had travelled about the Dominion cashing valueless cheques at various towns. When arrested Wood had on him three cheques all filled in and ready to be cashed, and also a bottle of magic ink eradicator. He admitted that he had used this for eradicating ink on cheques. Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme iCoua’t for sentence. On a further charge of issuing a false cheque for £22 at Dunedin, accused was remanded to appear at Dunedin. OTHERS WELL DONE. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, May 21. In the Police Court John Edward Weldon was sentenced’ to three years’ reformative detention on eight charges of obtaining goods valued at £B6 and cash £45 by met'ps of Valueless cheques.