SWEEP TICKETS RUSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21076, 9 January 1932, Page 3 (Supplement)

SWEEP TICKETS RUSE.

NEW KIND OF " CHOCOLATE." BOXES ON A STEAMER. MASTER AND MATE FINED. Sweepstake tickets, packed in 13 wooden boxes labelled chocolate and envelopes, discovered in the chart-room of an Irish 6teamer docked at Liverpool lately, led to a prosecution of the captain and first officer. . Defendants, who appeared before a Liverpool magistrate, were Timothy Augustine O'Hannahan, master of the steamer Clonlara, and Eugene o'Sullivan, first mate. They were accused of illegally importing the tickets. Prosecuting counsel stated that the Clonlara belonged to the Limerick Steamship Company of Liverpool, and when the vessel arrived on September 28 a customs officer who had received certain information proceeded on board. In the chartroom he found a number of boxes marked " Savoy, New Milk Chocolate," and two other cases marked " Manilla Envelopes." The mate stated they were cargo placed in the chart-room for safety, but the officer was- not satisfied with this explanation, and opened the cases. The cases contained a quantity of stamped envelopes addressed to persons in England and the United States. Each envelope contained two books of sweepstake tickets and a covering letter setting out the object of a Limerick, sweepstake. There were in all 7600 stamped envelopes containing 15,200 books, each book containing 12 tickets, there being, therefore, 182,400 sweepstake tickets. When the captain was spoken to he denied knowledge of the packages. O'Sullivan accepted all responsibility, and declared that he had been asked by_ his brother to bring the packages to Liverpool. The tickets, explained counsel, were for & Limerick sweepstake, the prizes being of tickets in the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake on the November Handicap, the five first prizes being 60 tickets. " One might therefore almost describe this as being a sweepstake within a sweepstake," added counsel. "It might be a sort of snowball process, going on without end so long as one could get people to venture their money." The captain now denied any knowledge of the boxes being on board. O'Sullivan told the magistrate, " I took the stuff in without letting the captain know. I make So excuses for myself. You have said T aVO deceived the captain. Well, did deceive him." _.~ a pt v O'Hannahan was fined £2O, and 0 SuMvan £5.