A GOOD YOUNG MAN

NZ Truth, Issue 94, 6 April 1907, Page 4

A GOOD YOUNG MAN

WHO CHORTLED IN THE CHOIR

Bilks Boardinghouse-keepers

And Steals from His Sweetheart.

William Henry Glover, at present doing time m tlie Terrace Gaol, is a godly young man of the Methodist belief, who m days gone by used to chortle ever so sweetly m the Webbstreet Methodist Church, of which the Rev. Mr Dawson is the good, kind shepherd. What awfully wicked things a godly young man can be capable of were told to Dr. McArthur. S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday v/hen. for forgery, he committed Glover for sentence to the Supreme Court, and for theft, a dirty, despicable, mean, contemptible theft, he sent him to gaol for a month, which is to be added to a sentence he was, and is, serving for equally dirty and contemptible, and certainly un-Methodistical tricks at Wanganui. The charge of forgery against Holy Willie arose out of the fact that m last November he billeted himself on a good, kind landlady named Mrs Caroline Smith, who keeps a boarding-house m Molesworthstreet. He managed by all sorts of shifts and dodges to pay his board and lodging bill up till after Christmas, when he fell into arrears. Of course he was pressed, and shifted and dodged some more, and as a

last resource to allay the lady's fears of being bilked, he produced a document, which gave Willie

AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER. It described him as having been successful m some examination, that his salary was being held back, and that the writer would be responsible for Willies honesty (what a contract !), and that he was about to embark.as a town traveller for the firm purporting to have signed the document. The firm was that of Searle, Joy and Co., type-writer Importers, and Mr Searle. when he saw the document, described it as an impudent forgery. On the strength of the document, Willie got three weeks' board and lodgings on the cheap, and, of course, being an arrant knave and humbug, when the time came to make good his promise of payment, Willie vamoosed ; he left hurriedly just at the approach of midnight. He had been employed as a canvasser by the type-writing firm, hut had been a miserable failure, and probably left the firm to save himself being kicked out. He next appeared at Wanganui, where he bilked more landladies. He used just as specious pretences as he did to the Molesworth-street missus, and an unsympathetic Court of Justices at Wanganui gave him a month.

He told Detective Cassells, who arrested him, that he admitted the charge of forgery, and announced his intention of pleading guilty. This he did yesterday, and the "Magistrate committed him for sentence.

On a charge of stealing a postalnote, valued at ss, the property of Winifred Rash, Glover also pleaded guilty.

Detective Broberg, who ill-fits the temporarily vacated shoes of Chief 'Tec McGrath, who is having a spell, plays a lot

TO THE G-APING G-ALLERYITES, and heaved off his chest the opinion that it was the meanest, contemptible, dirtiest theft he knew But he did not tell the real strength of the theft, no doubt because dear, kind Mr Dawson was m Court and did not want it made public property that one of the celestial ohoir would be capable of doing such rascally acts as Willie was guilty of. Miss Rash is a member of the Webb-street flock and perhaps drawn to Willie by his sweet tenor voice, became his girl, and was on walking-out relations with him. About Feb. 1 last she had a letter, containing a postal-note for 5s which she was going to post to a friend m Levin- Willie, gallant swain that he is, offered to post it for her, and Miss Rash, rashly as it turned out, mentioned to the chorister that the letter contained money, and exacted from wandering,-bilk-ing Willie the promise that he would be careful with it. He took it, opened the letter, extracted the "dollar" note and promptly cashed it at a Chinese store, and converted it to his own use.

Mr Cook, who appeared for Willie, admitted that he could say nothing for such a worthless wretch, and only hoped that the Magistrate would deal as leniently as possible with him.

The Magistrate said he was very sorry to see any young fellow m trouble ; but it looked as if he had repeated his offences. He therefore sentenced him to. a month's imprisonment.