BANK ROBBER’S PAST

Grey River Argus, 27 November 1931, Page 7

BANK ROBBER’S PAST

CLEVER ROGUE Aviation and Film Play Projects (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.\ SYDNEY, November 25. Interviewed at his home, in Arncliff’e, a suburb of Sydney, to-night, Oswald Coulton, father of the Remuera bank vjctim, said the news of the tragic affair had only reached him this afternoon. The mother was prostrated with grief. Their son had never miss-i ed a mail with a letter. He was a particularly bright boy at school, but became visionary, and wanted to set the world aflame with his name, as a writer Or ait man. lie was always writing verse, or little plays, but seemed to have no fuecess. He turned his attention to flying and secured a second class pilot’s certificate, but “I was uuabe .to finance his long flights. He possibly became despondent, and now he has paid a terrible penalty for a mad-cap thing in New Zealand.” CONVICTION FOR FORGERY. SYDNEY, November 25. The police headquarters at Sydney, referring to the victim in the Remuera bank shooting, say that a man named Oswald Lawrence Coulton was convicted at Singleton, in New South Wales, of forgery and uttering, on July 24, 1929. and was .sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. He had no other convictions. The police are unable to account for Coulton possessing an airplane pilot’s license, issued at, Melbourne in 1929, which was the same year as his conviction at Singleton. WELLINGTON, November 26. Writing to the Press Association on January 27 last, and giving the address of c/o O. R. Slack, Beach Road, Papakura, L. Coulton gave particulars of a proposed attempt on the then existing Kingsford Smith record from England to Australia, and continuing direct on to New Zealand. He said he was held up at the moment for a certain amount of financial assistance. His proposition was to sell the story of the flight, the offer only to hold good if the existing record from England to Australia were broken and he reached New Zealand with : n fourteen days after his departure from London. The flight was to be done in a specially-built machine, which was planned to reach Australia in five days and New Zealand in ten.

In reply to the request for further information. Mr Coulton wrote on February 9, enclosing a rough sketch of the route he proposed to follow. He was trying to raise £2OOO, which he •estimated \\;ould cover the cost, of the plane, a collapsible boat, wireless set and about four months’ training in England in the finer points of navigation and wireless operating. He said that he was 21 years of age, and had learned .to fly in Perth (Western Australia) two years previously. He had done practically all his flying in Austraba. He had the flight under consideration for about eighteen months and had every confidence that the flight would be successful. Later on, he visualised a flight from England to New Zealand via Bermuda, Colon and Pitcairn Island AUCKLAND, November 26. The police suspect Coulton may have been the murderer of the aged chemist, Blomfield, in Auckland, on October 30. His description also tallies with that of the mystery burglar, Slippery. Sam. In Coulton’s room there was a piece of iron, IS inches long, and threequarters of an inch thick, and a pair of trousers he had worn had a short piece off the bottom of each leg. The photo of a League football team was also found. Coulton was kneeling in the front row. It is not known whether the picture was taken in Australia or Papakura, where he played for the Papakura Club last season. The letter which Coulton handed to Youngs to read is written in ink on a piece of cheap writing paper It is as follows:—“3s, Arney Road, Remuera, the Manager, Bank of Montreal, Vancouver: Dear Sir, —In regard to the money standing f,o my credit in the Vancouver branch of the Bank of Montreal, which I believe to be in the vicinity of £5OO, would you kindly forward £250 of it to me care of the Bank of New Zealand, Auckland, together with a specimen s’gnature. Thanking y »u. —I am yours faithfully, D. Harding.’’ The envelope was addressed to the Manager. Bank of Montreal, Vancouver, Canada. Inquiries at 35, Arney Road, where Coulton’s apartments were indicate that the man was unknown to the occupiers. The signature, as well a s the address, is believed to be fictitious. No person named D Harding ha s an account with the Bank of New Zealand. Qoulton wrote a scenario named “Scotland Yard and the Underworld,” which details a bank hold-up, the binding a nd gagging of an official, and .the police flying squad. Another scenario of his was entitled il Letting the Cat Out,” a comedy, dealing with a young couple who were engaged, and to whom an ,old man left a house in Rotorua after they assisted him when injured by a motor-car. The couple had meantime a quarrel, but patched it up and were reunited. Since Blomfield’s murder, Coulton ha.l received a phone message the day after (October 31) to go to Christchurch, and he left on November Ist. Three days later he left Christchurch, travelling back and returning to his Auckland apartments ,on November 6. Coulton’s Forgeries £3OOO INVOLVED. AN INGENIOUS CRIMINAL. (Received November 20 at 9.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, November 26. The aviation authorities here and at Melbourne know nothing of the Remuera victim Coulton as an aviator. A message from Scone, in New South

Wales, to-day states that Coulton’s conviction for forgery and uttering, cabled yesterday, involved £3OOO, being the funds of a local grazier, the result of which was that .the grazier sued the bank, and obtained judgment for the full amount. This case was rather a notable one in banking litigation. Coulton d'splayed remarkable ingenuity in forging the grazier’s signature. His method of opening and operating accounts at different banks astonished those investigating the case, as he then was only a mere youth.