RAYWOOD'S RAMP.

NZ Truth, Issue 67, 29 September 1906, Page 6

RAYWOOD'S RAMP.

Rooks a Sheeney Shent-per-Shenter

A swindling scamp, hearing the per culiar cognomen of Raywood Mouseley, got his deserts at Christchurcb when brought before Mi Justice Cooper to be sentenced for a particularly daring piece of roguery. It, was a pretty ' cute business all through, and took a . bit of courage to carry out. Mouseley some time back happened across the path of- a little, youngish woman named Mary Hawkins, and they became unduly intimate. The upshot was that the unscrupulous fellow induced her to live with him as his wife, but he had darned little cash, so he rented a room from Bertram Bay field, a guard on the trams. The couple naturally figured as Mr and Mrs Mouseley, and the Bayfields had no reason to suspect otherwise. Mouseley soon became acquainted with Bayfield's affairs, or some of them, and one matter, related to a quantity of furniture, valued at £58 I.Bs, which Bayfield had taken over from a Mrs Stewart, who was about to leave for England. Mr Weston, solicitor, was deputed by her to look after her interests (she owns a house as well m Moorhouse-avenue). Bayfield became afraid that he wouldn't be able to find the £58 odd, and confided this to Mouseley, who thereupon offered to take ovor the liability himself. This, too, although ihc rascal didn't possess a cent. So Bayfield took him alone; 1o Weston \s office, ami gave him an introduction to ihe managing clerk. There were a couple of interI views ; Mouseley said he would take ; the sticks, but. next day he refused to ratify the agreement •• «-<v*>e pr,e-

text or another. But what did the schemer do ? He and Mary Hawkins, HIS PARAMOUR, laid their heads together and decided to exploit that furniture. Mrs Ruby Bayfield had gone to the country for a holiday ; her husband was at work on the tram, their "bedroom was unlocked, and after fossicking about they came across an inventory of the furniture and its worth, the added up, value, as stated above, "being £58 ISs. ■ To this Mouseley signed the name of Mrs Stewart (spelling it the wrong way), and then they hied them to the little brick building m Cashelstreet, occupied by F. C. Raphael, a moneylender, who has the reputation of being somewhat astute, and who: can't be taken down so easily as a. picture from a wall. There the male' sinner represented that he was .; Bertram Bayfield, and that he was a tramguard. The lady with him, he mentioned with cool assurance, was his wife, Mrs . Ruby Bayfield. He wanted an advance over his furniture m Moorhouse-avemie, and handed over the inventory to which Mrs Stewart's name had: been forged. It looked ' good '-security, and Raphael evidently thought so, . for ,he sent down. a man to make a valuation of the sticks. ; The pair, politely showed tlie "valuer oyer .the; premises, and as ■a result -of his . report to [Raphael •■•the tatted agrera' to advance £36, which was accepted 1 with .unhallowed delight by '* Mouseley and Hawkins. They signed the bill of sale as Bertram and Riiiby Bayfield, and Raphael alsogofc them to,- put their caligraphy to a promissory note, as is usual m these transactions. At anyrate, after this performance was completed, and, the moneylender was about to spill ink on a . cheque, Mouseley-cum-Bayfield said "Give it to my wife ; I must hurry off and get into my uniform and go on duty." Well, the cheque was cashed all right, and there were no docks m the financial garden for, the time being. But discovery was bound to eventuate, and Raphael was as wild as a tiger at havjng been SO EFFECTUALLY DUPED. Mouseley had spun such a plausible yarn, and had acted his part air through, m such a genuine-looking way that the chap m the little brick office never dreamt that there wasanything wrong. He discovered that there was a Bertram Bayfield m the tram service all right, but the latter knew not Raphael, nor could the moneylender collar the furniture. So he whispered his sad story into the capacious lug of a policeman, and then there was a hunt roiimt for the swindlers. Mouseley had by this time deserted Mary Hawkins,- who liafi to, ao to service to obtain' a' living. What became of- the . thirty-six quid . isn't known. However, the woman was arrested first, and later on Mouseley was copped at Palmerston North. He , had A r amoosed from Christchurch under an assumed name when lie knew trouble would be pending, and didn't dare to stop m Wellington, .where he was known. At the lower court both pleaded guilty, the little woman answering to her true name of Mary Hawkins this time. She was represented tj Mr Donnelly, ,who also appeared for her before Justice Cooper. The prisoner Mouseley was unrepresented.; Counsel asked for probation for his client, Raying that he believed the probation officer's report was 1 favorable. She had deviated from the path of rectitude through the influence exerted over her by Mouseley, and js-iie' hadn't benefited by the transaction apparently as when she was arrested she was m service, had only half a crown on her, and was very poorly supplied with clothes. She "had been sent to , THE SAMARITAN HOME by the Magistrate after the hearing; m the lower court, and during the three weeks she was there she had behaved herself m an exemplary manner, and had resolved to lead a different life; She intended cutting herself* adrift from the male prisoner altogether. The Judge : "I think she will have to for a time." This sounded ominous for Mouseley. Counsel said that Hawlrins, if released, would go to Wellington and live with' -her married sister. Mouseley handed the Judge a written statement, and after perusing it His Honor said it was the old yarn— ' THE WOMAN HAD TEMPTED HIM and he fell. On the other hand she had stated that he had tempted her and she fell. " He preferred to believe the female prisoner. The swindle had been concocted after a certain amount of bareful deliberation, and he couldn't, think that .a woman could initiate. Win a plan m such a manner. The probation officer's report showed that miserable Mouseley was no class ; this was certainly his first conviction m the colony (he had come from Australia five years ago), but the Wellington police gave him a bad character. The. officer alluded to the cunning shown by the prisoner m engineering the fraud, which was of an ingenious nature, and his craftiness m being able to deceive and swindle a most astute Jewish moneylender. His Honor animadverted upon the fellow's unscrupulous conduct, his living; Mn adultery with the woman and ■pleading her astray, and wound tip by .■-sending him to ohokey for eighteen months. Tears welled up m the' eyes of mortified, mucky, mouser Mouseley, who had proved himself as cunning as a rat, but he bravely checked them, and stood there while the bench addressed the girl. She was released on probation for 12 months, and goes to Wellington to her sister.