AMY BOCK'S CAREER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14980, 28 April 1909, Page 9

AMY BOCK'S CAREER.

THE NUGGETS WEDDING

EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPADES

ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT

INTENTION TO PLEAD GUILTY. [FBOM Our CoRRESI'ONDENT.] DUNEDIN, April 27. Amy Book's adventures continue to provide .excellent " copy " for the newspaperSi and the main topic of conversation for firesides. " Percy Redwood" tried to insure a-property which he alleged he owned in the Tapanui district and also made application to the Australian Mutual Provident Society for an insurance on his life, It was a great disappointment to the large crowd who packed the Police Court this morning when Amy Bock, dressed in female attire and heavily veiled, stopped into the dock to answer the charge that she did on tho 6th of January last obtain a sum of £3O from Arthur Ellis by means of a false pretence. Chief-Detective Herbert explained i that the offence waft committed some months back, and immediately afterwards accused disappeared. Nothing was heard of her by the police until last Saturday,, when Detective Hunt proceeded to the Nuggets, and arrested her there in male attire and passing M " Mr Percy Carol Redwood." From inquiries that had been made the police , had reason to believe that there would be other charges of false pretences, and in order to complete those inquiries ho asked for a remand. The Magistrate (Mr Widdowson) remanded accused until Monday, and remarked that if it was too short the police could get a further remand. To accused: Have you any objection? Accused: No. I intend to plead guilty to it rail. Accused's full name, according to the police record, is Amy Maud Bock, and she. is described as a native of Victoria, a teacher by profession, born in 1864, sft Oiin high, slim built, dark complexion, dark brown eyes, religion Church of England. She arrived, in New Zealand in 1885, and it was in May, 1886, that Amy Bock first came under the notice of the police. In that month she served a sentence of on© month for false pretences, and has since served sentences in' Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Oamaru and Timaru for false pretences, forgery and ' larceny. Her last sentence was three years in Christchurch in 1905. ; A lottery was found, on accused, stamped and ready to be posted, showing clearly that she was preparing to escape. It was signed " Frances Redwood " (the supposed mother), and was addressed to the proprietor of the Albion Hotel, Wellington. It was dated The Nuggets, April 22, and stated that she (Mrs Redwood) would be stopping at the hotel. Enclosed was a telegram, which she asked to be Sent to her son at the Nuggets. The telegram read: ', ' Carol i Redwood, Nuggets.-^-Meet; us Lyttelton, Friday.—Mother." ; The first letter received by Mrs Ottaway from Mrs Redwood read:—"Dear Mra Ottaway,—l have received a letter from my dear son saying he wishes to marry your daughter. I hav© not . the pleasure of knowing her,- but I am sure eh© is all my boy says she is or he would not love her as he teUs me he does, and as I hope and trust she will be loving and good. I suppose Carol has told of his having been once engaged before, but it was some years. \ ago, and it was merely a boy and girl affair. The dear girl was drowned some twelve years ago/and Carol has never thought of anyone else till now." In another . letter "the mother" writes to "her darling boy," apologising for not being able to attend the wedding on account of her daughter being married the same day, and stating: "We shall be with you in spirit, as you will he with us, and our ceremony shall be at three o'clock, as yours will he. I will go down with them as far as Wellington, where they take boat for Sydney, leaving, there tho following week for America. I shall then go to the Nuggets and remain with Mrs Ottaway to wait your return from Melbourne." In the came letter " Mrs Redwood " states that the, members of his club had presented him with a beautiful dinner service, and mentioned other present* given by friends. The cabman, who was engaged to drive -the pair from the Nuggets to Dunedin ia sorry for the day he met "Mr Percy Redwood," who ho reckons owe* him £3O. The cabman left Dunedin full of hope and prospects, and after a three days' journey reached the Nuggets, but the game was up by

this time, and he had to return to Dunedin a sadder but wiser man.

A Balolutha tradesman, with an account for £lO, called on "Mr Redwood " at the Nuggets and asked for payment. . " Can you change a £IOO note?" asked the wealthy "Redwood." " No," replied the. astonished tradesman. " Well, then, I will see if Mr, Ottaway can change it," and away "Redwood" went to see Mr Ottaway. The latter, who, like all the others, never had the slightest suspicion as to the genuineness of his future son-in-law, Tianded him £lO with which to pay the account,, and " Redwood," pocketing the money, coolly informed the tradesman that Mr Ottaway could not change the £IOO note, but that ho would be in Balclutha the following day when he would pay him. Accused, when arrested, was wearing a gold medal with the inscription, " Presented to Percy C. Redwood by his friends." This, it had been learnt, was purchased by accused when' travelling from Dunedin to the Nuggets by train. He was photographed in Dunedin a couple of weeks ago, as were his intended bride and her mother. The pictures have been copyrighted, and are being eagerly sought after as mementos of a remarkable case.

[Per Press Association.] DUNEDIN, April 27. Amy Bock was brought before the Police Court this morning and remanded until Monday. She intimated her intention of pleading guilty to everything. Tho Court was crowded, and she had to be smuggled out to avoid the crowd waiting outside. It has been ascertained that Amy Bock was, when about twenty-seven years of.age, temporarily employed as a teacher in tho Caversham Industrial School. She was then a good-looking, bright, vivneious lady, well-educated and apparently very ambitious. She made a number of applications to the Otago Education Board for employment,, but for some reason these were unsuccessful. It also appears she communicated with the Auckland branch

of tho Australian. Mutual Provident Society, with tho object of insuring her lifo, and with a fire insurance company in this city witli a view of securing a policy for £IOOO on an alleged property at Tapanui. SOME FURTHER ESCAPADES. From incidents in the career of Amy Rock it appears that she has from tlio first had a genius for clever fraud, and some of her ideas have been daringly original. Twenty-five years ago, in Wellington, when she was " hard up " at one time, she netted £SO very easily, and principally owing to the fact that her dupe did not wish to appear as such, she was never brought to book for the offence. The story goes that, finding herself short of cash, she went to a lively stable and hired a saddle horse. Then she rode out of town a few miles and came spurring back at a great pace, arriving in the city with the horse in a great lather. She pulled up outside tho shop of a certain ironmonger, who, she knew, was well acquainted with a widow living some distance out of AVellington, who had a son in a Wellington bank. Amy went in to see the ironmonger in a great state of excitement, and produced a letter addressed to him, purporting to come from the widow. It stated that her son was in difficulties at the bank, and to avoid a showing-up when the inspector went through the books she required immediately tho sum of £4O. Miss Bock simulated great distress, and stated that she knew all about the trouble. The ironmonger was very urbane, and immediately wrote a cheque for £lO. Miss Bock cashed it and, after a little while, realising how easily she had come by the money, went back for moro. This time she was more moderate, and stated that Mrs found that she would require a further sura of £lO. This was forthcoming, and tho whole sum was never recovered. Tho reason of the woman's latest escapade was surmised by a Christchurch police officer, who remarked that sho had once been heard to say that she was tired of defrauding men—they ■ were too soft and easy to w;ork upon, and that women were much more difficult to deceive. The inference now .drawn is that the air of novelty in deceiving one of her own sex into a marriage ceremony with her appealed to her" moro strongly than the duping of men.