FALSE PRETENCES.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 314, 20 September 1888, Page 2

FALSE PRETENCES.

At. the Police Court yesterday morning, before Messrs T. Redwood and N. T. Prichard, J.’s P., George Grey, alias Daniel Spence, alias R. M’Neil, alias George Clark, alias Sharp, was charged with obtaining the sum of 10s from one Richard Webb, by false pretences.

Constable Franklin conducted the prosecutioTi for the police. He called Richard Webb, jockey, residing at present in Blenheim, who stated that ho remembered Monday, 17th on which

occasion he met the accused at the Marlborough Hotel. He asked witness for a Oink, and witness gave him one. He called witness into a parlor when he said be was going away the same night and that- he was hard up, and would be glad if be would lend him 10s on a watch and chain, which were at Mr Priddle’s Grosvcuor Hotel. Witnoss gave him the money because he was going away that night, and he appear, d to he hard up. H.j gave witness an order (produced) on Mr Priddle for the watch and chain. Witness presented the order to Mr Priddle the next day, but he said he did not know the man, and ho was riot aware that he owed him anything. Witness did not get the watch and chain. He tvoiild not have •riven Grey the 10s unless ho had given him some security in return for it. Accused wrote the order out Ml witness’ presence. He got the envelope and paper from Mr Maher.

To the Accused : You gave me 10s in cash.

Accused : Are you not frightened tq stand it. that box and say that ? 1 would not it bo for LI 00. To the accused : You took a sixpence off the bur window Accused: Now, be careful; was that not. the only money I ever got from you ? "Witness: No, it was not. You got the 10 from me. After I gave you it, I asked you to have a drink. We had a half-pint each, which cost sixpenco. I put. one shilling dow.i on the bar window and you said, “ I might as well have that.” I replied, “Oh yes, that’s all right,” Accused: Tie is telling a complete fabrication from beginning to end. I will tell you the coirect versions of the affair later on. I have no rm re questions to ask.

To the Bench : I n ver saw the accused uijiii list Monday nvru.iug. 1 admit that T g, ve the money to a stringer. Mr [Vi I,lie looked su.prised when I presented tie order to him.

The Bench thought it very eu ious that witruss should have given a strange man tin t u shillings. Accused here passed some remark about . being in another hotel with the witness, ! to which the latter rep’ied, “I do not want to go tou far. I wi 1 not op n ray moot i any further on you.” Constable Franklin said the witness avid' itiy l .iew more than ho was wij’iug to f 1 ab.-nr.. arid asked th .t the Bench ghoul i orde- n ; m to relate the'circumstnuco connected vita the ->t er hotel referred *o by ae :usM. Tr ; Bci: -h pointed out to witness that he w s on 1 is oath, and i.e would have to toi ■ - whole truth. . .. i no lioue.i : i did not examine ths •wav ■ b>-torn i gave a iciis..-., the rr.uiior ih -; , •(* I could see that tie was hard up 1 •- a light hea.t, and I cannot see iu- i i fn .n - : stuck up.” I aju til ways s to assist a man when he is hard up A lien the accused wrote out the nl; he said, - ; I can depend on you. We b : I got that watch from Higgs’, at Ren i v iZ' wn.” fie was sober when he gave me ton order. I never asked him whetL-jr the watch whs a gold or a silver one. He said its value was about LL i

thought ho -watt a decont man, ami I to >k j his word for it. Considered I had go id security for my money. I did not know ■what ho owed Priddlo. Accused: Docs a decent man buy a watch off a stranger for 10s, * specially when the lnttor says that ho got it from Renwicktown ? Witness : I don’t know. To tho accused: Mr Priddlo told mo that you did not owe him any money. I was in tho Masonic with you, but I do not think wo were in any other hotel together, with the exception of the Marlborough. Accused: Thou I mast hero dreamt that you and I were iu another public houso.

Robert Priddlo, laudiord of the Gnisvenor Hotel, also gave ' videtice. fie know tho aoousid by his coming to his houso with a swag about three or four woeks ago. Ho asked witness if he could leavo bis swug, and the latter replied in tho affirmative. Accused then walked out, witness remarking that he would not bo responsible for tho swag. He never paw the accused until four or five days afterwards, when ho came for the swag with Constable Sheary.. He never slept or had any meals at witness’ place. He never left any watch or chain or money at the hotel. Webb pte-ented an order to witness about noon on Tuesday. He rocognised the order (produced). Witness told him that lm did not know any man of the name of Grev. He then described tho man, and witness said lie had left a swag with him on one occasion, but that he did not owo him (witness) any money. To tho Pouch : Tho accused is quite a stranger to me. I first saw him about three weeks ago, when ho loft his swag. Ho not know where ho stayed, or how ho conducted himself. Could not say that he had ever been intoxicated. Coustablo Franklin : Ho was locked up some time ago, and got a sentence of 14 days. Tlmt would have kept him away for some tiruo.

To tho Pouch : It is a common occurrence for men to leave their swags at the hotel, even when they stay at other places. Constablo Sheary gave evidence as to arresting the accused in High-street tho previous day on tho warrant (produced). Witness told him the charge, and ho made a statement, after being cautioned in tho usual manner. He said : “ Webb was a bil-ger fool than myself to enter into such a contract. What a fool Webb must be to think I had such a thing as a watch.” Accused acknowledged writing the order, To Constablo Franklin : I arrested the accused on the third of this month for being illegally on the premises of Maher and Byron. Ho sorved a sentence of 14 days for tho offence. On that day I accompanied him to Priddle’s hotel to get his swag, which we found in tho bar. This was the caso for the police. In reply to tho Bench, accused said would prefer to be dealt with summarily. He pleaded "not guilty ” to obtaining money from Webb. As God was his judge, he never obtained ono single farthing from tho man. Accused was then sworn, when he made the following statement: Inis raau Webb ran up against me on the street, and asked me if I had got back from Picton. I said “ Yes, I have got back.” Tie said “ What have you done with your watch,” to which I rep’ied that I had not got a watch. Ho said that I had ono when I went away to Picton, but I replied that I had not. Webb seemed as if he did not believ o me. The next time I saw him he asked mo to go down to the hotel and have n drink. Wo had two or three drink* there, and after that wo went down to Maher and Byron’s. Wo had sortie more drink there, when YYebb started on to me again about the watch. He said he would buy it from me. By that time I was pretty well the worse for drink, and told him that if he would give me lOs I would give him an order to get it Ho said if begot tho watch ho would give mo 10s for it. Wo were having a drink at, the bar window, and Webb got a sixpence change, which he gave to mu upon my asking for it. Those are the true facts of tho ease. He never gave mo the 10s. To the Bench: I cannot say that I gave him tho order. I supposo it was out of pure stupidity. To Constable Franklin : My proper name is Hauiel Spence, I served a term of imprisonment in Lawrence, but, not for vagrancy. I served a sentence in Oamaru, and one in Invercargill—both for larceny. I did a term in I'imaru Gaol. Accused : But this has got nothing to do with tho present case. It does not prove my guilt. Constablo Franklin : Tho man has been having ft turn in all tho gaols. Tho convictions mentioned are recorded in the Gazette, nud I believe I could find several Others against him if I only had time to look them up. The Bench considered the offenco had been proven, and sentenced accused to three months’ imprisonment, with hard labor, in Terraco Gaol, Wellington.