FALSE PRETENCES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 4880, 4 February 1903, Page 3

FALSE PRETENCES.

A DRAGOON’S ADVENTURES. , At tho criminal sessions yesterday, before Mr Justice Edwards, a respect-ably-dressed, middle-aged man was charged, under tho name of William lluncieman, with having obtained tiie sum of £3 Is in mouoy by false pretences from Herbert William Pownall, at Masterton, on tho 4tb December, with intent to defraud tho same, and tho sum of £3 in a similar manner from Francis John Dignan, on tho clay following, with intent to defraud the Bank of Now Zealand. Mr H. D. Bell, Crown Solicitor, prosecuted, and the prisoner was defended by Mr Hindmarsh. Tho evidence for tho Crown showed that tho accused wont to stay at the Central Hotel, Masterton, of which Pownall is licensee, on the 3rd of last December. On tho following morning tho prisoner informed Pownall that ho was Major lluncieman, an officer of Lancers in tho Imperial Army, and that ho had been through the Egyptian war with Kitchener. About middqy tho same day, ho asked Pownall if he had seen the morning paper,' at the same time producing a paragraph in a paper which he had folded up in his hand, which stated that Major lluncieman was about to ho appointed to the cha'rgo of tho ■Defence Stores Department. Such a paragraph did not appear in tho ■‘Times,” hut Mr Bell read one from tho Auckland “Herald” of tho 10th November, which said it was stated that Colonel Porter had succeeded Sir Arthur Douglas as Tinder-Secretary for Defence, and that Major lluncieman was mentioned as Colonel Porter’s successor. The prisoner subsequently told Pownall he had pot tho appointment, which was worth £350 a year, and that he was wanted in Wellington next day. On tho strength of tho representation made, Pownall cashed bis ebenuo' for £2 Is, but the cheque was subsequently dishonoured.

Francis John Dignan, manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Masterton, who had made prisoner’s acquaintance in tho Club there, deposed to having cashed a. cheque for ,C 3 under similar representations. It was shown by the evidence of William McGoldrick,“record clerk in tl*c Defence Department, that tho prisoner had never received any appointment in the department, and that no communications had passed to indicate that anything of the kind wns_ in contemplation. William Frederick McMnrray, clerk in tho Union Bank of 'Australia, .at Auckland, proved that Knocioman bad £OO to his credit on tho 2nd of October and only os 4d on tho 24th November. Several cheques were presented and dishonoured before tho two in question. Prisoner had issued a largo number of worthless cheques totalling abbut £79, which there no funds to moot.

Prisoner elected to give evidence on his own behalf, and staged that ho served as an officer in the Royal Dragoons, from the 14th December. 1870, to tho year ISBG. Ho then retired on a gratuity, and joined tho Egyptian army, in which ho remained until the beginning of 1899, holding tho local rank of major. Ho came to Australia in tho Ophir last year, and thenco to New Zealand in tho Mokoia, arriving in Auckland in July. Originally, ho intended to take up land. Ho brought letters_ of introduction to tho Premier and Bishop Wallis. When he arrived. Mr Seddon was in England, but he met him at tho banquet given on his homecoming at Auckland. He spoko to the Premier about a position in tho Defence Department, and recoiled their meeting at tho Hotel Cecil. Donden. on the occasion of the late* Oneen Wictorio’s D’nmond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. Mr Redd on apneamd f/> T .„ TrlolT ,> l ,» r the interview. Ho did not give him anv definite promise, saving ho could not talk nhent that Sent of thing then, as ho was very husv and would ho dnrinir hi= s'tav in Auckland. Prisoner left seme daws afterwards. On the Bth November ho saw the bank manager there.

and told him accurately tho .slate of his finances —that there were cheques out, but net for a very largo amount, and that tho money would bo paid in during tho following week. The hank manager said that would do. On -'Tonday, tho 10th November, lie, saw the paragraph alluded to in tbo -Auckland “Herald,” and determined to go to Wellington. On tho 11th of tho .same month ho wrote a letter to tho hank manager, enclosing one from Anthony Dixon Oreenway, whom ho described as “the hearer of an honoured name.” and tho agent of freezing machine manufacturers at Cleveland, Ohio, T7.S.A. The contents of Green way’s communication wero that ho had wired £2OO to tho credit of defendant’s account at tho hank at Auckland. Oreenway bad owed him that amount. Prisoner considered that tho money was to his credit when ho issued the cheques. In cross-examination by Mr Dell, tho prisoner denied having become engaged to a young lady at Oamaru. He never suggested that ho was on Ids way to stay with Iris Excellency the Governor at Ashburton. He had never seen Captain Alexander, private secretary to tho Governor, nor signed 1 1 is name. His rank in tho Hirst Jtoyal Dragoons was captain and brevet-major. Ho was gazetted out of tho regiment in the summer, of 1880. Ho admitted that the iiiiiio of Kuncicina.il did not appear in tho army list up to 1880. Ho had homo another name in the regiment, as his father had changed Ids name by a deed epole. Ho declined to give tho name by wideh ho had been known in tho army, hut when pressed to do so, and warned as to the inference tho jury would bo asked to take from his refusal, the prisoner stated that the name was William Charles Hubert Burn. Ho joined tho Egyptian army as a major, and served under Grenfell and Kitchener in various parts of Egypt and tho Soudan. Ho took part in the advance on Khartoum as an officer in tho Second Soudanese Regiment, and was at the battle of Onulurman. The Bishop of Wellington iiad been using Ids good offices on prisoner’s behalf to get him employment under tho Government, and there wero various letters from him in,his (prisoner’s) trunk in Auckland. Ho denied having inspired the paragraph in tho “Auckland Herald,” or having the remotest idea as to how the statement got into print. Counsel on both sides having addressed tho jury, and Ids Honor having summed up, tho jury retired, and after an absence of an hour and forty minutes, returned into Court with a verdict of guilty. Tho prisoner was remanded until Thursday morning for the report of tho probation officer.