EMIGRANT SWINDLED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1075, 23 July 1924, Page 10

EMIGRANT SWINDLED.

BOUND FOR NEW ZEALAND. CONFIDENCE TRICK AGAIN, Up to May 31, said a London paper of the following day, there remained at liberty a heartless rogne of a peculiarly contemptible type. He is low down enough to deprivo simple-minded persons unlucky enough to cross his path of practically every penny they possess. His object is attained by a variant of the confidence trick cunningly carried out, and in each instance his victim is in a humb’o position in life. The story of the latest exploit of this despicable rascal has its pathetic side, but there was a happy ending. For years a thrifty, elderly Scottish mechanic, had made many sacrifices, had set aside every farthing ho possibly could, so that in due time he had saved, for a man in his position, quite a considerable sum. He was animated by one desire in life—it was to have the supreme happiness of being reunited to his daughter, who long ago left him in his lonely Scottish home, to settle in New Zealand. He accumulated the necessary capital for his passage, and having saved a few pounds more for personal expenditure e» route he became the proud possessor of u through travel ticket from Edinburgh to New Zealand, where his daughter lives. There was no need to send his luggage forward, for, indeed, lie had none. As he boarded the train for the first stage of the journey his personal belongings were contained in a handbag. But in his pocket was the precious ticket, and in his purse all the money he had in the world, something under £7. AN AFFABLE ROGUE. The old man reached London all right, and soon afterwards was standing on the railway platform at Waterloo surrounded by groups of men and women of all ages about to seek their fortunes in the Dominion across the seas. Suddenly u man affably approached the elderly mechanic and started a conversation. “Where are you going?” he inquired. “New Zealand,” replied the Scotsman. “I’m going there, too,” went on the stranger. “Are you taking much money with you?” “No,” answered the aged traveller. “I’ve only got about £G 10s.” “What’s it in— Treasury notes?” pursued the newfound acquaintance. “Yes,” assented the mail from over the Border.

“Well,” went on the supposed emigrant, “Let me give you a tip. Treasury notes arc no good in New Zealand. Let me see—how much have you?”— “About £6 10s.”—“Then,” continued the stranger, assuming a thoughtful air, “I’ll toll you what I’ll do. I can turn your £6 10s into gold, and when you get to New Zealand you will lie able to change that into £20.” Producing what appeared to bo a wad of notes, the man proceeded. “I’m just off to my bank to cash these into gold. You’d bettor come with me.” The old man was cautious, and demurred with the remark. “No, I think I’ll keep my notes.”

“Look here.” the rogue remarked, pointing to the station clock, “we’ve an hour and a-quarter before the boattrain starts, and my car will drive us to the bank in a few minutes.” Lured by the prospect of trebling his slender resources, the Scotsman agreed. The “car” was an ordinary taxi, hailed from the station rank, and tlio driver, acting on instructions, drove to a wellknown hotel in the heart of the west of London. As the taxi was pulling up, the stranger again flourished his “fortune” of notes, and exclaimed, “Give me your £6 10s, and I’ll get gold for it.” THE STRANGER DISAPPEARS. The old man handed the money over, and the stranger entered the building. He never returned, and inquiries showed that he had emerged by another door directly after his arrival. The Scotsman was left without a halfpenny, and in his predicament the taxi-man thought it best to drive him to the police station. By the time mutters were explained, the old man had lost the train lie should have travelled by. The police, however, rang up the railway company. They learned that if the unhappy traveller went forthwith to the station he would each another train which would land him at Southampton with a bare half an hour in hand before the vessel sailed. A detective wished him luck and gave him half-a-crown. Before this, however, the taxi-driver had expressed his sympathy with the unfortunate man, and now he remarked to the officer. “You’ve shown yourself a sport in helping the old gentleman, and I’ll be a sport, too. I've brought him here from Waterloo for nothing, and as a ‘crook’ has done him down, I’ll drive him back for nothing, and see him into the train.” A few seconds later the taxi was whizzing down the Haymarket full speed ahead. The aged adventurer boarded the train and was just in time to catch his steamer.

, The trickster in this case lias victimised other people by similar means, and in one instance lie was content to rob a man of all that he had—a miserable sum of £2.