“Claimed Ability To Transmute Metals To Gold”

Northern Advocate, 16 February 1940, Page 2

“Claimed Ability To Transmute Metals To Gold”

Evidence In £67651 F raud Case

[Per Press Association. —* Copyright l WELLINGTON. This Day. He had investigated a claim by GorI- i-i'c.y As ion to L;e aide to transmute ordinary inetnis into gold, said me secrelary of the Department of Hi.'ienluie and Industrial Research 1 Ernest lVJiir:dcn > in the police Court today. He was giving evidence in the case in which Aston and Harvey Maitland Chrystall are jointly charged with conspiring with each other to defraud Hartley Rcy Sellers of sums totalling j £6765. An objection by Mr Purchase (for Aston) to this evidence, was noted. Mar: dmi raid he hud definitely concluded that the claim was; completely Yesterday Charles W. Tringham. barrislor and solicitor, and a member oi the committee of the New Zealand Racing Conference, said that until Juno 3. 1939, Sellers was secretary to the Racing Conference, at a salary of £I4OO a year. Tringham gave evidence regarding the banking procedure of the conference, and said that on June 16, 1939. at a meeting of the executive committee, it was disclosed that the imprest account had been drawn upon by Sellers without proper authority 1 to the extent of £1167. I The late Mr J. S. McLeod was then president, and on his going into the matter with Sellers the latter offered to bring Chrystall before the committee. Chrystall was brought before the [ committee, and told it he was leaving lor Australia that afternoon, and taking with him certain certified documents, on the production of which at a bank in Sydney, the money due from the Admiralty would be paid over. Allowed 14 Bays To Refund. After questioning Chrystall, Tringham said Sellers was allowed 14 days I in which to refund the money. ! Tringham said that. Mr. D. G. Johnston, public accountant, was auditor for the Racing Conference, and was authorised to make an investigation of the books and accounts of the Conference. It was duo to his previous inquiries that the whole matter came to a head. The shortage of £1167 represented irregular drawings by Sellers covering ! the period from September 29, 1933. to ! June 3. 1939. Detective-Sergeant McLennan: Has the shortage of £1167 been refunded to the Racing Conference? —Yes. Mr. McLennan: By whom? Objection was raised by counsel to the question, and it was not pressed by Mr. McLennan. Chrystall Said He Was Sorry. Tringham continued that Chrystall i said he was sorry i[ Sellers bad been ! improperly drawing on the Racing j Conference accounts, but the money | would bo repaid. i Chrystall did not indicate that he 1 knew that the money had been irn- | properly withdrawn by Sellers.

A Wellington solicitor, w’ho is now serving with the New Zealand Military Forces at Trentham Camp, Herbert Richard Churion Wild, said he had resided with Sellers at his home, ’ 3 Ngaio Road, Kelburn. In August, 1939, acting on behalf of Seller’s relatives, he made a certain communication to the police. He did this as a friend, and not as a solicitor. Wild said Chrystall and Aston sometimes called at Sellers’ home. On a night Chrystall came to Sellers’ home for tea, Wild said he remembered that it was the day on which the Racing Conference had met to consider a cheque drawn by Sellers for £730. ‘‘We were seated at tea, and Sellers was in the very highest spirits,” said Wild. ‘Tie kept on referring to the fact that he had been on the mat, but that Chrystall had spoken up for him. “Chrystall appeared quite willing to accept what Sellers said.” i Seilers Most Depressed. On the morning of Sunday, July 2, 1939, said Wild. Sellers received a telephone call, and left the house and did not return until late that night. When Wild saw him next morning Sellers was most depressed. “He did not see me for a minute ov two,” said Wild. “After I went into ms room he left the house, and that was the last time I saw him alive." • Leonard Coker Blundell, of Blundell Bros. Ltd., said that about February, 1938, he was requested by Sellers to lend him money in connection with an invention. He gave Sellers £3OO as a personal loan. Sellers promised repayment about April, 1938. Blundell received a letter from Chrystall dated April 30, 1938, in which the * writer stated there was not the slightest risk of Blundell losing his money. Promissory Note. On November 15, 1936, Sellers handed Blundell a promissory note for £SOO, the due date being April 30, 1939. The note was payable in London, and endorsed by H. M. Chrystall. Detective-Sergeant McLennan: Has this money been repaid? Blundell: I have never presented this note. I did not ask Sellers for it. I was getting nothing out of it from Sellers.' . Thomas Coltman, licensee of the Grand Hotel, Wellington, said Sellers approached him for a loan of £2OO in April. 1939. , He was given a cheque for that amount as a personal loan, and some days later returned- with a promissory note payable on April 30, 1939. j Sellers called again on June 16 and : asked if Coltman would advance him I £2OO odd as a personal favour. He said lie would be able to liquidate both cheques in a few days, and lie needed the money to help somebody who was going to Australia. Loans to be Repaid in London.

Coltman gave him a sheque for £l2O, and, at the suggestion of Sellers, entered into an agreement for the loans to be repaid in London. Details of Sellers’ financial position at the time of his death were given by Wilfred Hugh Robertshaw, who retired on December 16. 1039 from the position of manager of the Bank of Australasia, Wellington. Robertshaw produced a statement, relating to Sellers’ private account from October 1, 1937, to July 3, 1939. On the last-named date there was an overdraft of £2418. Nine cheques on which the names of H. M. Chrystall and G. P. Aston figured, and drawn from this account, had been traced. The total amount involved m the nine cheques was £2570. On March 9, 1938, said Robertshaw, Sellers. Batt and P. W. Jackson called at the Bank of Australasia in Wellington. Batt offered to guarantee H. R. Sellers' No 2 account to the extent of . £ 3000. Chrystall was also present. Overdraft Reaches Maximum it was stated that this guarantee was to enable a syndicate to pay certain expenses in connection with the patent l’ights against torpedo attacks. Arrangements were accordingly made, and a No. 2 account was opened that day. Robertshaw added that Sellers’ last operation on the No. 2 account was on June 21, 1938, by which date the v/hole cf the £3OOO was fully drawn from the account. On that date there "was an ovei-drai't of £3OOB, and as the maximum allowed was £3OOO, Sellers paid in £8 on July 1, 1938. Batt was ultimately called on / to honour his guarantee, but this was not until after Sellers’ death, said Robertshaw.

With the exception of two cheques, one for £734 and another for £l5O, both payable to cash, the names of H. M. Chrystall and G. P. Aston figured in the transaction. Asked for Extension Robertshaw said that on June 17. 19S8, Sellers and Chrystall called at the bank and said they had been unable to lift money due to them, and asked for an extension of two months. He told Chrystall these repeated delays were unsatisfactory, both to the bank and to Sellers. After this date there were further delays and repeated extensions of the guarantee. Aston and Sellers called at the bank one afternoon in the second half of 1938 and Sellers said he had brought Aston along because of repeated delays in receiving their money. When Robertshaw said the delays were 'very annoying and most unsatisfactory, Aston became angry, and said something about “all this damn fuss over a lousy £3000.” Robertshaw told him it was all very well to talk like that, and that Sellers had pledged everything he had to give assistance to the syndicate, and had induced Batt to guarantee the account. Aston Makes Gesture. He also told Aston that if either the bank or Batt demanded payment Sellers would have no option but to file a petition for bankruptcy, and would possibly lose his position. Aston then made a gesture, of taking out his cheque book, said Robertshaw, and said he would give a cheque for the whole lot, less 8 per cent. Sellers said he was not.prepared to lose 8 per cent, on the transaction. On June 6. 1939, Sellers told Robertshaw that £27,500 would be paid into his

account in London in about a week’s time.

Chrystall confirmed the statement. On June 13, 1939, Eobertshaw had the first notification of irregularities in connection with Sellers’ operations on the Racing Conference account. The hearing was adjourned until today. “Absolutely Impracticable.” Asked by Detective-Sergeant McLennan for his opinion, as an expert, as to the practicability of the alleged anti-torpedo invention, Marsden said the weight and speed of a torpedo were such that the idea was absolutely impracticable with plates prepared and used as suggested in the evidence. It was true that infinitesimal forces might be exerted in the manner suggested. Such forces would not, in practice, deflect the course of a torpedo by as much as an inch. Detective-Sergeant McLennan asked Marsden his opinion of demonstrations carried out on a small scale at the Centennial Exhibition. “As 1 have stated,” said Marsden, “demonstrationst could be made by forces between small objects electrically connected, but in practice that does not affect the opinion I have just expressed." Would Expect Laboratory. Detective-Sergeant McLennan: In any practical experiments concerning an anti-torpedo device of the nature suggested you would expect a laboratory and very extensive gear and apparatus—Yes, decidedly. Marsden continued that he considered the claim of Chrystall and Aston that they were in direct touch with the Admiralty through the earth by telephone as impracticable. Mr Leicester (for Chrystall): Do I

understand you to say, as a scientist, that there neither is nor can be any process or invention for deflecting torpedoes? Do you go as far as that? —No. Marsden continued that, owing to his connection with the Admiralty and naval activities, he could not divulge any further information on the matter. “No More Time To Waste.” Mr Leicester: Would you agree with the statement that before passing final judgment on the practicability of the alleged torpedo process it would be desirable to hear the evidence of the inventor? Marsden: I think the answer is “Yes.” but if the case were to put me outside the court as to whether I have any more time to waste on the case. I would say “No.” Big Roll of Notes

Thomas Sutherland Cornwall, formerly employed as a barman at the Carlton Hotel, said he saw Chrystall and Aston in Sellers’ company prior to Sellers’ disappearance. The three were drinking in his bar. Sellers on one occasion seemed terribly perturbed over something. Cornwall saw him sign a cheque or similar document. He went out with Chrystall, Aston leaving alone and saying he was “going to cash it." Aston returned to the bar alone later in the afternoon. He threw two £SO notes on the bar counter and asked for a pony shandy. He had a big roll of notes, mostly £5 notes, and said he was not “ broke” but had plenty of money. He said he was sending his car over to Australia by the Awatea and was going to leave “the other two mugs” to do it for him. (Proceeding).