BITTEN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 April 1925, Page 6

BITTEN

SUBSTITUTION OF CHEQUES

SHEEP F AR.A fER TAKEN IN

Eight month® after he had torn up a cheque, firmly believing tlhiat.it was his own, a North Canterbury sheepfanner discovered that it AA-ias. a forgery, and; that he Aval,® the poorer by £l5O. It AVas a. clever piece of work on the part of those aa-lio had committed the forgery, tor they got dean away to Australia, perhaps to execute a similar fraud there. Though it happened sonte time ago, the .story is Ayell worth tolling (says the Sun), blit like all happenings of this kind it was. not made public at the time In aui-Avet to an adA r ertisement to do some contract fencing, two Australians applied to the North Canterbury eheepfarmer for the job. They were capablelooking felloAV®, strong and ihealtby. and suitable for the hard Avo.rk of erecting bounidaiy fences oil the hill countin'. After negotiations, the men settled the price at £l5O, and set- out on their lonely, difficult, job. They worked up in the hills, occasionally coming doAvn to the station for supplier and to chat over the news of tbe day. Perhaps, too, they were hatching the little scheme which was afterwards to. be such a success. Month after month; went- by, and the fences stirring themselves out across the quiet hills. At last the contract was finished, and the tAvo toilers returned to the homestead to. draw their cheque. In. the, sbeenfarmer’s office at the house a cheque for £l5O in the names of both men Avas passed over. Early next morning one of the fencers approached .the owner of the sheep run. “Would you mind makino- out two cheques-instead of one? ’ he asked. “On© of us is going north for a .boiliclaV. and the other south. Sorry to, trouible you. The £l5O cheque Avas returned to the oAAmer. “Certainlv,” replied the fanner. “Two of £75 each, I suppose?” Two cheques were made ont, # the mo one Avast torn, up end tli.ro, avu into the fireplace, and the fencers AA*eut tlieir way. Eight months aft©nvarc!s the farmer received his pa,ss book from his bank. Three items were contained in, it, one for £l5O and two. for £75 each. It wa« not until then that the truth dawned on him. He had torn up. the forged cheque ! Nothing more has ©A r er been heard of those smart forgers,_ except that they had gone to Australia.