A GOWN OF GOLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 5

A GOWN OF GOLD

“MR A’S” MILLIONS

WIIAT WERT CAN TEACH EAST. SIGNIFICANT REMARKS. BX GABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. (Received Dec. 6, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 5. The newspapers tell romantic stories of Sir Hari Singh’s (“Mr A”) wealth. Some declare it is £40,000,000. When eight years of age he attended Lord Ciirzon’s Durbar at Delhi in 1902 wearing a gown of gold and a rope of pearls worth £1,000,000. He wore at the Durbars in 1911 a shimmering gold embroidered . dress and pearls, diamonds, emeralds and rubies worth £8,000,000. When he received the Prince of Wales at Strinigar in 1921 he. wore in his: turban a replica of the Prince of Wales’ feathers, for which his agents searched the world to match the stones. He hails been twice married. After the Robinson episode he hastily departed for, Kashmir, saying significantly: “I have learned how much the West can teach the East.”

AIDE TO “MR A.”

PROTESTS HIS INNOCENCE

EXTRADITION PROCEEDINGS

STORY OF THE CHEQUES

LONDON, Dec. 5. Handcuffed to detectives, Captain Charles Arthur, the arrested aide-de-camp involved in the Midland Bank case, was brought before the examining magistrate, states a Paris message. lasted three hours. Arthur declared that not he, but another member of the Rajah’s entourage, arranged that two women should come to Paris. Maitre Gide (Arthur’s counsel) informed the . magistrate that if the case is heard in Paris he will require the Rajah and suite and the two women to attend.

. The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post says Gide states .that Arthur’s story is that Sir Hari Singh (who figured in the English court as “Mr AT’), being intensely anxious that the escapade should not reach his family in India, gave' him two blank cheques and ri©gged him to make the best possible settlement with Newton and Hobbs. The latter first demanded £500,000, but later came down to £300,000. Sir Hari Singh’s under-secretary actually filled in the amounts on two cheques for £150,000 each. The payment of the second was stopned when it was discovered that'Newton was not Mrs Robinson’s husband. It was understood the second cheque was destroyed in London, but months later Newton showed the cheque to Arthur, together with photographs which would haive caused trouble if they had reached India.

As Sjr Hari Singh was then back in India and Newton was pressing him, Arthur borrowed 1,000,000 francs, with which he bought the second cheque from Newton and sent it to Sir Hari Singh’s London bankers, with instructions that it should be given to Sir Hari Singh •in exchange for the 1)000,000 francs he had borrowed. Arthur never, received the 1,000,000 francs when he wrote, hut received a curt letter demanding that Sir Hari Sihgh’s written authority for his intervention should he sent to India.

Arthur has decided to fight the extradition proceedings, as he claims to be tried in France, where the crime was • committed.

The director of Public Prosecutions conducted a long interrogation of Mrs Robinson to-day. Later Mrs Robinson stated that Her husband had decided to appeal afteF.exeeuting a formal deed of assignment; making over all his rights in £125,000 (if he wins it) from the bank to the Public Trustee, who will hold the money for Sir Hari Singh: Mrs Robinson adds: “I begged my husbfmd to fight the case to the last ditch, hut he refused to enter an appeal until this deed was signed. He fells it to he his duty to see that the bank should not bo allowed to keen the money. ’ ’ •The Daily Herald states that Sir Hari Singh has already sailed for England, and is expected to arrive before Christmas.