"CONTEMPTIBLE COWARD."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15999, 18 August 1915, Page 4

"CONTEMPTIBLE COWARD."

YOUNG HUSBAND'S CRIME. CHARGE OF FALSE PRTENCES. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Tuesday. " Yotr are one of tie meanest sort of characters, and one of the most contemptible of cowards, who has ever come before me," declared Mr. D. G. A* Cooper, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court- to a young man named William Charles Groves, who was charged with false pretences and pleaded guilty. His - wife was also charged with him. The facts of the case were that Groves gave his wife a cheque for £3 to purchase some goods from the store of Henry Lenhart, and the cheque was afterwards found to be valueless. Chief Detective Boddam applied for permission to withdraw the case against Mrs. Groves.

Mr. O'Leary. who appeared for Mrs. Groves, said Mrs. Groves, was born and had lived in the Wairarapa the whole of her life. About three, or four -months ago Mrs. Groves met Groves at Masterton. Groves had l an ' air of respectability, and was introduced to his wife's parents at Carterton. Later he got permission to marry the young lady and it was not until after her marriage that Mrs. Groves discovered her husband's true character. The- marriage took place three weeks ago. The couple came to Wellington on their honeymoon and it .was. while in the city that the accused made use of the bogus cheque. He led his wife to believe that he was in receipt of money by drafts; Groves gave has wife a cheque for £3 and asked her to procure hiav some goods from-, a- tobacconist. This his wife did, and when, asked by Mrs Lenhart > from whom the goods were procured, who was the C. W. Groves who had signed the cheque, said that it was the name of her husband, Later when the cheque was presented for payment at the bank, it was returned marked "no account" and the matter wasplaced in the hands of the' police. T.he case, said counsel, "is a very unfortunate one as far as. the young woman is concerned, and she is compelled bv this unscrupulous individual to suffer to* a far greater extent from false pretences that is occasioned by the small amount of money- involved. j sent 'to gaol for nine months. I Mrs. Groves," m the magistrate,^ leaves the Court without any stain of ' wrongdoing on her part." i