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Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 145, 17 June 1909, Page 6

At the Auckland Supreme Court on Tuesday, James H. McClure, nephew of the late Lord Overtoun, was charged with having, on April 14th, obtained £10 by false pretences from John Thomas Turner. Prisoner went into a clothier's shop and asked Turner whether he had enough money to cash a cheque for £10. The cheque wa§~duly cashed, but when presented at the bank two days later it was dishonored. Mr Lundon addressed the jury at some length in opening the case for the defence. He explained that for a considerable time accused had been living at the rate of about &J5 a week. He was in receipt of a large remittance, which he spent extravagantly. He had been the owner or a large plantation in Fiji. Accused said he was twenty-four years or age. He received his last remittance from Lady Overtoun, his aunt. He had drawn from his mother's estate some £1400 since January, 1908 Witness gave a detailed account of his doings during the last four or five years. He -admitted having been imprisoned m Hobart for uttering a valueless cheque When he cashed the cheque with Turner, he thought he had money m the bank to meet it. Ihe jury returned a verdict of guilty. Ihe prisoner was sentenced to imprisonment for twelve months