WHY SMITH LEFT HOME!

NZ Truth, Issue 216, 14 August 1909, Page 6

WHY SMITH LEFT HOME!

A Pug. m Trouble.

Welter-weight bruiser John William Smith, who succumbed to a bad attack of Jim Griffin m Christchurch recently, left the Holy City under embarrassing circumstances, and now finds himself m considerable trouble. He was arrested, m Auckland on a charge of false pretences by making an untrue declaration before a J.P. It would appear from the evidence given subsequently by Peter F. Dunne, who runs a billiara-room that he was training Smith for the match with Griffin, and they even went to the gaudy expense of taking a house at New Brighton. Smith ran short of cash and pawned some medals and a chain. On the night before the fight Smith went to Dunne and borrowed £2 10s, giving the medal pawn- . tickets as security. The mill eventuated, with disastrous results to Smith, and on the following night Dunne went to the. up-the-spout establishment of William John Grand to collect the medals. What was his dismay, however, to find that Smith, half an hour previously, had produced a sworn declaration to . the effect that he had lost the tickets, and lilted the medals on that representation. When SMITH WAS SOUGHT WITH GREAT EAGERNESS ' he was found to be non est, and his usual haunts knew him no more. Fred Pl u miner, assistant to Wm. John Grand, pawnbroker, said that on July 9 Smith called .' at the shop and said he had some medals hypothecated, the ticket of which he had lost. Plummef said Smith couldn't get 'the medals unless he signed a declaration before a J.P. A form was provided, filled m by the witness, and Smith left, returning shortly with a declaration signed by Barnard, J.P. The" medals were then handed over. William John Grand, pawnbroker, stated that on July sth and 7th Smith pawned medals and a chain, for which he received £2 10s. 1 William Barnett, chemist and J.P., testified that Smith called at his shop on July 9 and induced him to sign^ the declaration, Smith appeanding his signature also. Mr Donnelly, for Smith, held that the declaration was absolutely bad, but as that involved a question of law, he would not raise, the point before the two.J.'sP. presiding. Smith pleaded not guilty and was committed for trial, bail m the sum of £25 being allowed.