ALLEGED BLACKMAIL

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1920, Page 3

ALLEGED BLACKMAIL

A SERIOUS CHARGE. WELLINGTON, May 1. . George Herbert-Wilder, a clerk, aged 24, was charged in the. Magistrate’s Court yesterday with having endeavoured to ox tort money from Clifford Peel by accusing him of a crime punishable by imprisonment for five years or lhore. Mr E. Page, S.M., was on the bench. Chief Detective Ward prosecuted, Mr G. G. Watson represented the accused, and Mr D. Jackson watched proceedings on behalf of the accused’s father.. A typist® (aged 17) employed by the complainant Peel, said that she had known t.lio accused for about two oi® three months, having first met him at Perrett’s Corner. The accused, accosted her by, inquiring if she. had seen a tall dark girl in a. green costume. Witness said that she had. Accused then made it known that he had tickets for a picture theatre, and lie requested her company. Witness accepted. Witness recounted a conversation she

,ad with accused at a subsequent meet-

ing. She stated that ono night she told Winder she would have to go to work on the following evening. She had to go to O'Neill’s office. At this office there were to he present Mr Peel, another gentlemen and another ' typiste. Accused on hearing this, said he thought . it was rather funny that there should be two typists there. He suggested that he had better come round and wait for witness. She told him not to wait. After the pictures, accused and witness went to supper at a restaurant in Courtenay Place where accused made a’ proposition. She c ould not remember what I was actually said. He said, in effect, tha t if they interferred with witness, in any way lie would come up and dej mand a sum of money. Witness said: j “Is it anything like , the picture ‘“De Lu'xc Annie’?” Accused said: "Yes that is the style of the scheme.” Accused further suggested that witness should scream and then start to cry. He would do the rest. He was to enter the room and pretend to ring the police. Then lie would demand £SOO each from the two men there. Witness asked what she would do after it all happened, because she would have to leave her employment at the office. Witness met the accused’ again and went to tea, where’ he showed hgr a revolver, and suggested that she might take it, but she refused. Accused told her that he had been ip Canada and ( had made £3OOO a year ••at the same game.” ’ He worked tile scheme with a girl in Canada, but this girl got mar--l ied and that was the end of the scheme. He also spiff fhaf he had shot a - man in self-defence and for that reason he had to leave Canada. Accused said further, that if the scheme came off. f hoy efluid play it on the manager of the'Midland Hofei, and if that succeeded, they would go to Auckland. Witness then got frightened. She went to work that night and on the following morning told Peel. A letter was typed and given to accused in Willis Street during the afternoon. On Friday afternoon lasf she met accused in Manners Street and they went to the Rialto for afternoon tea. She asked accused what they were going to do in the matter: He asked witness what time she liad to bp af, work, ghe rtjpjj::" HAt 0 n.ni.’l He .said that aboirp 8.15 wifness was fo scream and “not- before.” He would then dash into thp rpom and say: ‘‘This is a nice thing” or “a pice state of affairs.” Witness was to cry and accused would pretend to ring the police. Continuing, witness said that at 8.15 p.m, on Friday last, while she was in the office with Peel, she cried out “Don’t!” and “Help!” and also screamed. Accused promptly entered the room.. Witness retired to a corner, and accused said: “This is a nice thing to 'happen.'” He further' said that he had had Auspicious of Pee j for'a long time and fliat- lie- JjhduW be »hpwn up for the good of file country. Accused moved to the telephone. Peel said: “What can I do to hush this up?” The 'acciispd said that it was'not for his good hut for flip good of witness. 11l reply to Peel, accused jaid lie required £10{), but Peel offered £SO. Winder said he wanted the sum in cash ; hut he agreed to to accept a. cheque, and desired it to be made out in witness’s name. Peel would not do this, but made a cheque out for £SO, payable to “G. Brown”—the name Winder gave. Accused said that witness was to accompany him, but. Peel would not allow this. H'Cll the detectives came in,

Under cross-examination witness ex plained that the letter she gave to ’Winder was typed at Peel’s dictation. The

idea, was to get a reply in Winder’s handwriting. ' At this stage the hearing was adjourned till to-morrow morning.