A "SCALER"

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 6

A " SCALER "

How Brown Dadged Work An Impudent Impostor. (From TTruthV Chrißtchurch Rep.) Crooks down Christchurch way practice many strange and clever devices In order to extort money from the credulous public, but for Ingenuity and originality the stunt of Ernest Brown, who was paraded In the Police Court last week, takes some beating:. Brown, who la a young fellow, with the remnants of a good appearance, was landed by 'tec Sergt. Hunt for A FALSE PRETENCE, which has evidently kept him from blistering hia palms by solid work for some time. The charge on. which he was landed was that ho obtained by a false pretence 7s 6d from-, a Christchurch coal merchant. "When charged. Brown registered a plea amounting to a plea of guilty, and the sleuths revealed the plot of the little picture. Tho Chief- detective, after saying that the present offence was not an Isolated one so far as, tho accused wr.j concerned, told the court that Brown, representing himself tut an assistant of the* Inspector of Weights and Measures, demanded access to the scales and, after fiddling about with them for a bit, charged 7s 6d for "adjusting" them. In the cose under "discussion, tho scalos wero correct before be touched thorn, but after ho had done tho "adjusting" they were well on the "light" Bide and the proprietor of the concern might have got Into trouble* as v result, had not Brown been LAID BY TIIE HEELS. In mitigation, Brown said he had moroly adjusted the scales without mentioning who he waa\ » The S.M., however, reckoned the excuso "was a bit thin and Brown was jflvon fourteen days to think things over at Gaoler Scanlaa's seaside hostel.