AM ELDERLY FORGER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4378, 8 June 1901, Page 3

AM ELDERLY FORGER.

IN AND OUT OF GAOL. An elderly man named George James Eden, alias Dr Reid, came before the Chief Justice in tho Supreme Court yesterdav for sentence for forgery. The prisoner had forged cheques at Fetonc, Lower Hutt and Hastings, using the name of tho former Surveyor-General, Mr Percy Smith, which he misspelt. Mr Myers appeared for the Crown. The prisoner handed up to the Bench a written statement. His Honor, addressing the prisoner, said: I have read jour statement. You say that you have been unable to got work. I do not think that Is any excuse for your committing a series of forgeries. It is not as if you had committed only ono forgery, but there is a series. One of the forged cheques was for £l2 17s; another for £l3 8s: and yet another for £l2 17s. It is perfectly plain that this sort of thing cannot be permitted—cheating people by issuing forged documents. These are not your first offences. In 1893, at Napier, you were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for theft and false pretences. At Christchurch, in 1896, j-ou received a sentence for false pretences. In Lj’ttelton before that j-ou received a sentence of three months; prior to that, at Christchurch, one of six months; and prior to that, again, one of two rears. In Dunedin in 1893 j’ou were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. So that for the last eight years you seem to have been in gaol for most of jour time. I cannot pass anything like a light sentence on j t ou. The prisoner was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with hard labour. Mr Myers said the Justice Department had given instructions that tho Crown was to he represented in these cases, in case any question should arise. In the present case a question did arise., A quantity of goods were found on the prisoner, in addition to a good deal of monej 7 . The goods had been identified by the storekeepers from whom they wer e obtained. His Honor I think they can be given back to the etorekeeners. Mr Divers: Then there is the monej’. I understand that about £9 was fount! on the prisoner. The question is whether it should be divided nro rata among the persons who cashed the forged cheques. His Honor : I think that would be a fair thing. I shall order that.