QUACKS AND QUACKERY.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 5

QUACKS AND QUACKERY.

" Dr." Percival John Hughes

Described as a Dangerous Fraud

Comes a Cropper at Dunedin.

The quack charlatan and cure-all, from the very nature of his fraudulent business, is not particular as to what means he employs to bleed his foolish victims. Some Australasian quacks adopt the cognomen of "Professor," against which there is no law ; but the fraud who tacks on the title of Doctor violates the law, which, m seeking to protect the public against medical cure-all frauds, makes it an offence punishable by a heavy penalty. There was unearthed down at Dunedin the other day one of these specious swindlers named Perciyal John Hughes, who had gone through the country styling himself "Dr. Hughes, of Dunedin," and, as seems onl.y natural, the dubious doctor, who is a dangerous quack and fraud, succeeded m victimising a number of country folk, ere -the detectives got their glad grabs on him, the result of which being that one day last week he was- brought before Mr C. 0. Graham, S.M., at the Dunedin City Court to answer a charge of having, on Sept. 13, at Te Houka, Balclutha, wilfully and falsely pretended to be a doctor- of medicine. Hughes seems to be a most plausible individual, and possesses a certain criminal cunr.ing, and a knowledge of legal \procedure, which gives rise toa lot of suspicion about his past career. On one charge similar to the one m question, he 1 got >,off scot free, and when the detectives had secured a stronger and more telling case against him, he tried to bluff the Bench into granting him a long adjournment so as to call people who would swear that they never heard him style himself "Doctor Hughes." The Bench and the detectives, however, were not to be so bluffed, and the latter wanted to waste no time m sheeting home their charge against him, who Chief Detective Herbert said was simply a fraud, who went about the country victimising people. William Dallas, a justice of the peace, and a retired farmer, residing at Te Houka, near Balclutha, said accused came to where he was staying at Te Houka on Thursday, 13th inst. The only other person present at the time was a man who was driving accused m a trap. The driver' said : "This is Dr. Hughes, from Home." HUghes came put of the trap, and said : "I've heard you have heen bad lately," and after some conversation witness took him inside the house. He felt witness's pulse .and said : "1 think your liver is out of order." Witness said :. "I don't think there is anything wrong- with it, but there is a pain mmy muscles." Accused said : "If you give me your confidence and take some of , my medicine you Will be a new man, set up for many years." Witness told him that he had consulted his. own doctor, and that he -would not like to change his doctor ;• that he would take time to think over it. He .said: "Very well," and wrote the following address on a piece of paper : "Dr. Hughes, care of Mr Laidlaw, Temperance Hotel, Balclutha." Witness mentioned that: his son was not very well— that he had a boil on his hand— and told accused where he lived, but asked him not to tell him that he (witness) had sent him. Witness had since learned that the accused, when he went to his son's place, told him that he had been sent by his father. To accused : I was only a short distance from the trap, about 12 or 13 yards away, when the driver said "This is Dr. Hughes, from Home." You did not say you were a doctor;-. you gave me an address which stated that. You stated that I was; suffering from nervous debility. You stated that you did not charge for advice, only for medicine, and you said your charge would be £5 ss. I am quite certain that the driver did not write the address— you wrote it yourself m my presence. The paper has been m my possession ever since, an m the time it was handed to the police. To Detective Herbert : Accused was quite sober. He said he would charge £5 5s for a course of his medicine. Charles Dallas, farmer, at Te Houka, said lie knew accused, who called upon him on the 13th inst. The driver accompanied accused. When the accused called he said he was Dr. Hughes, from Dunedin, and that he would come to Balclutha once a month. He stated that he was to call on a friend .of witness's, who was suffering irom' rheumatism. Witness remarked that he was suffering from rheumatism. Accused then . suggested that he should treat witness. They then went inside the house, and, after accused had. felt . witness's pulse, he said the heart was quite sound.— (Laughter.) He then gave witness four bottles of medicine, for which he charged £2 2s. He- gave witness a dose of the medicine at once. Accused said going into- the country . did him good, as he was a bit out of sorts owing to the death of his wife about 10 months previously. He prescribed a hot bath twice a week. Witness paid accused £2 2s by cheque. To Accused : You did not say to me that you did not charge anything for ad-vice. You seemed to be very anxious to go inside with me. You did, v not give me a receipt for the cheque. I have not one of the bottles of medicine with me. There were only directions on the bottle for taking the medicine ; no other label. You did not ; say you were a botanist, and that you were better than half the doctors m Dunedin. Accused : Did the remedies do you any good ? Witness : I could not say. I have still got the rheumatism. ! Chief Detective Herbert : You are still living. ' Witness : As accused told me it would do, it operated on my bowels. —(Laughter.) Accused : That is a good thing for rheumatism ; it removes the acids from the system. Your Worship, there is no corroboration of the statement that I called myself a doctor. There was a case trumped up against me the other day, and the present, charge has been brought out of malice over that ease. . His Worship : Do you wish to give evidence ?

Accused : No. There is no corroboration of the statement that I called myself a "doctor." His Worship : I can't get away from this : you wrote Dr. : Hughes on the paper.Accused : I remember writing * the name Hughes, but not the "doctor." It is quite possible that people showing me round m the country would call me "doctor." As to the address on the paper, it is quite possible that someone else wr-a^e the word "doctor." His Worship : Quite possible, but not very probable. Acting Detective Mitchell gave evidence as to witness's signature, signed'after arrest, which, when compared, corresponded with the "doctor" m the address given to Mr Dallas. Accused asked that Detective Herbert should be placed m the box as a witness. He. did not remember, writing '"doctor" m anything. William Dallas, recalled, swore positively that the word "doctor" was written m the address when accused gave it to him. His Worship said that he was quite satisfied with the evidence of the witnesses, who were respectable people. Accused would be convicted. Chief Detective Herbert- asked that j the maximum penalty should be inflicted. Accused had been going round the country m a more or less drun- ! ken condition victimising people. Accused said he had no brass plate and no suite of rooms m the city, like two or /three unqualified medical men. His Worship : If there are such men you should inform the police of the matter. Accused : It is none of my business. His Worship said he saw no mitigating circumstances m the case. Accuswent round passing himsielf off on country people as a doctor of medicine and ch^fging exorbitant fees for stuff which might or might not be of any use. Accused would be fined the full amount, £50: . Of- course Hughes is only a man of straw, and whined pitifully for time ' to pay the amount, the alternative being three months' imprisonment, but he had no chance, notwithstanding his statement that he had property at South Palmerston. The information possessed by the police enabled them to say that Hughes was of the vagrant, nomadic class, who had no fixed place of abode, and who, if liberated, would flee the place,*and give great trouble ere he was recaptured. He had absolutely no money and was an adventurer, who diddled landladies of their just dues by skipping hy the light of the moon and dropping out of the window with his portmanteau. He owed money everywhere, and all over the country there were claims against him. So doubtless the "Doctor dear"' will do his full thr.ee moons.