INNOCENT ABROAD.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 194, 16 August 1912, Page 2

INNOCENT ABROAD.

WHAT HAPPENED: TO JONES

"NEW ZEALAND GENTLEMAN

OF MEANS."

(N.Z. Times Correspondent.)

LONDON, July 5. Here is the most complete story I have yet heard concerning the adventures of the "New Zealand gentleman of means named Jones," who was alleged to have been fleeced of £600 by London confidence tricksters recently. Mr Jones; it appears, arrived in England about the jniddle of June, took up his residence at an hotel in Gower Street, and proceeded to "see London." It was not long before he fell into the company of a stylishlydressed young man, who volunteered to "show him round." The Zoological Gardens and Madame Tussaud's were duly inspected, and all the time the accommodating cicerone was worming himself into the good graces of his victim. This was all the easier when he informed Mr Jones that he was acquainted with many people—of whom he spoke as though they were bosom friends—and places in that part of New Zealand from which he had come. Singularly enough, Mr Jones know most of these people, and from a.casual acquaintance the pair became'most friendly. It was upon his guide's advice that he converted his portable wealth, a, matter of about \ £6oo, into banknotes, which ho kept in his pocket wallet. This done, Mr Jones hied him to a place of appointment, where he again met his new-found friend, and here, while over "a friendly, glass v a stranger to Mr. Jones, but evidently a friend of'his companion, arrived. After introductions, the stranger, an elderfy man, -was not only able to furnish confirmation of the guide's various "stories," but supplied Mr Jones with other information. Mr Jones's,confidence in the trustworthiness of his new-found friends was put to the test, which consisted- of handing over his wallet containing the banknotes to the strangers.

As Mr Jones afterwards confessed, they made him feel *'ashamed of himself because he was inclined to^.demur to the arrangement, and it was only after the most plausible scheming of the two confederates and through his own faith in their honesty, that he agreed that they should take care of his wallet till they met again. This meeting, of course, never took place, and it is not very likely to, for though the police are said to be aware of the identity of at least one of the tricksters, their search for him has thus far •'proved in vain, and Mr Jones, considerably the poorer and something wiser, has. it is understood, shaken the dust oi: London from his shoes.

From the description Mr Jones gave the police of the elderly stranger, it seems that a very old friend is still going strong at the game. The description tallies pretty acctirately with that of a man named Cooper, who came into police notice as a member of the. so-called "Australian Gang" aboiit the year of the Diamond Jubilee, and worked for some years with a party~of sharpers which included; at various periods, sportive i ogues who were .well-known to the police as "Hamilton," "Thompson," "Boers," "Sepih," "McNally," ".Robinson,"- "Connor." "D'Arcy Middleton," "Forrester/' "Oaßsels,"

"Lovelock," and "Sergeant Macdonald." Of course, they were not constant to these names,,and on the appearance of any of them before a magistrate the police could generally favor the court with a string of aliases used by the prisoner in business hours. Most of this interesting group have "done time" in the Old Country, and several of them are "old friends" of the Australian police, and have worked the game the world over.