CONSPIRACY ALLEGED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20385, 14 October 1929, Page 13

CONSPIRACY ALLEGED.

BETTING ON HORSES*

TELEGRAPHISTS IN COURT.

PROSECUTIONS AT GISBORNE.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.'] GISBORNE. Sunday.

Tho story of how n racing man was tricked by an alleged forged telegram was told in tho Gisborno Magistrate's Court yesterday when two telegraphists and an indent agent faced charges of attempted fraud.

William McKinnon, indent agent, and Wallaco Fountain, telegraphist, were jointly charged with conspiring to defraud Arthur Yeo, of Napier, an alleged bookmaker, of £99 by means of a forged telegram on August 13, and with similarly conspiring to defraud him of £BO on August 15. McKinnon and Charles Thomas Clifford Hands, also a telegraphist, were charged with having, on August 24, attempted to defraud Yeo of £l5O by moans of a forged telegram. Evidence was given by George Symons, owner of tho horse Malahat, that, as a result of a conversation with McKinnon, ho wrote to Yeo and arranged to use a "no reply" code. Permission was granted, with a limit of £2O, on condition that tho telegram bo lodged before the advertised starting time of the race. McKinnon asked that the code be left at his office, and twice asked if he could use tho code, witness agreeing on tho condition that ho let him know when he was doing so. On no occasion, said witness, was he notified by McKinnon that he was going to use it. Witness denied that the telegrams produced were written by him or were sent by his authority. Ho also denied sending several other telegrams, which were produced, making bets on various horses, or receiving money either from Yeo or McKinnon.

Cross-examined, witness admitted that he had endeavoured to communicate with Yco at McKinnon's request. He said ho had addressed an envelope to him and left it with McKinnon, and had used McKinnon's box for receiving a racing letter. McKinnon was continually telling him about the betting after it was done. Elsie Kathleen Morrel, a telephone operator, gave evidence as to making connections between McKinnon's telephone number and the telegraph counter Whore Fountain was working, hut said she was too busy to hear the conversation.

The hearing was adjourned until Mon