CRIME AND CRIMINALS

NZ Truth, Issue 602, 30 December 1916, Page 6

CRIME AND CRIMINALS

The Foolish forger A Couple of "Habituals" j Christmas Boxes for the Crook - At the Wellington Supreme Court on Saturday last, Mr. Justice Edwards booked, up a few late boarders for the "Government boardinghouse" on the hii!. He announced that there was no lack of accommodation, and the terms were exceptionally moderate consider-, ing the Christmas season. Mr. V. R. Meredith assisted on behalf of the Crown. H6LI DAY'S HOLIDAY. % Ernest Harold Holiday had been on a holiday expedition. He had been flying kites to the country people, and claimed that he was a returned aviator ; from the land of frogs dnd snails. He told the simple teat-tuggers that he had been acting as a hawk of death, and great was the consternation m the camp of Fritz and" Co when he came sailing over. His Honor asked, him seriously if he had ever been a member of any expeditionary force, and Ernie earnestly assured him that he had. Then A LITTLE ANCIENT HISTORY jvas gone into, and it was discovered that Ernie had been boarded before after doing a little false pretence business; ditto theft. But there was no false pretence about onb of the charges for which Ernie was up. He had to account for a charge of indecent; assault. This he was unable to do. Then there was a charge of taking that which wasn't nis'n. He had been .; hoarded by a patriotic potato patcher,' and, m return for the kindness extended, he had stolen the . mortgage ,or overdraft/ of the farmer, or something equally valuable. His Honor remarked that it was a particularly mean kind of theft and a discredit to the prospective boarder. The assault was an exceedingly disgusting one. While pretending to be V A GALLANT "SOLJAH" he had committed these mean and disgusting acts, and ho. would bo boarded for two* years on the major one, and, for the last-named performance, he would be accommodated (at usual rates) for. three years.. Terms to be cumulative.. i ' ■■■ : . In addition to these he would ac "declared" and would be boarded for a period of, five years' reformative detention . Down* stairs went tho Ernest /young aviator. • . DROSDOWSKI'S DOINGS. Andrew Benedict' Drosdowski is a nipper 17 years of age,; and his particular reason for wanting board, was that He wroto names, on documents which had no legal value. His Honor Jnformedhim that the Law looks with a serious' side glance on this particular kind of business, arid never agrees with it at any time. This particular merry Andrew had started out very young, and his Honor told him of the j ultimate consequences of . "forging" ahead through life m this manner, and warned him that gentlemen were nosmiod for long periods for this PARTICULAR KIND OF OFFENCE. MV. G. Samuel, who appeared as a eoWUoi- of the King, pleaded for tho yoiiMi and his youthfulness, and A. rU'ttoriict (who had pleaded guilty) was !n formed that ho had qualified as an 'onHhle boarder only for two years. Wo was ordered to pay a sum of £3 l2p a;; costs of booking, etc., and told tho l ho was on probation only for the luTlnd mentioned.' Aml row hoavod a sigh and seemed wore than satisfied with .the job. DOCKERY DOCKED. Thomas Dockery was then docked fur a little false pretending. It was shown that Tom was an adept at thi« particular occupation. It appears that he Kf.-t up m business m 1911 as an export pretender, and that, since the. period mentioned, he had made flfteerf £i<p;trale attempts to forge his way through life. He had been boarded at tUfi'erent Intervals for ;tho stunts mentioned, nml here he was ngain for the fitunc kind of offence. In addition to tho f.p. charge, there was a little account of , FOUR FURTHER CHARGES OF FORGING. The Judge seemed to think that it would bo usoless to waste a good Chrlstrnos holiday In attempting to reform Tom, bo ho booked him up for two yenrs on each of tho sot of charges, terms to bo concurrent, ami, m addition, he Jntimatod that he might as woll have him "doclared" an habitual bo'irflf«r or forger. Then Tom Dockery was undocked nnO went down to sample the Christmas faro provided by a benign and beneficent Government.