BRADY AND THE LICENSEE

NZ Truth, Issue 1145, 10 November 1927, Page 10

BRADY AND THE LICENSEE

Former Political Opponents Meet In Magistrate's Court FALSE PRETENCES CHARGE DISMISSED

(From 4( N.Z. Truth's" Greymouth Representative.)

Away back m 1919, William Meldrum and Francis Patrick Brady met as political opponents m the contest for the Rangitikei seat, but they were both beaten m a threecornered campaign by W. S. Glenn.

THEY met again at Greymouth last week, but the encounter ooourred .under vastly different' circumstances. Magistrate Meldrum was on the bench, while Brady appeared m the dock. Pat. Brady is well known to Wellingtonians as the erstwhile licensee of the Cambridge Hotel In the capital city. The story unfolded m court was of more than passing interest. One bright morning m September, Pat. blew into the bar of the Union Hotel, Greymouth, and extended the glad hand to Percy James Patterson, the licensee. Patrick expressed his great pleasure at again meeting Percy James and recalled incidents conneoted With the meeting of the licensed victuallers In conference m Wellington. . Percy. James did not remember the incidents, but, as he remarked m court,, had no reason to disbelieve Patrick's statements, particularly when two other men came into the hotel and recognized Brady. The latter was so glad to find a friend that he transferred his headquarters from Revington's Hotel to the Union and remained at the latter hostelry for thirteen days. On the unlucky thirteenth, however, he was alleged to have disappeared without saying good-bye, and, incidentally, without paying his account. ■— The police were put on the trail and the hand of the law fell upon his shoulder at Hokitika. He was remanded to appear at Greymouth. He faced Magistrate MeldrAim on Friday, Ootober 28, and, on the appli- / cation of Detective Murch, was again remanded, spending the interim as a

guest of His Majesty. f When he appeared once more m court, he was charged with having, on September 26, obtained goods to the value of 30/- by means of false pretences, from Alf. ' Harrison, draper, Greymouth, and, further, with having, on the same date, secured board and lodging to the value of £5 4s. from Percy James Patterson, proprietor of the -.Union Hotel.

Brady, who was represented by Lawyer W. J. Joyce, .pleaded not guilty and elected to be dealt with summarily. Detective Murch said that it was not proposed to 6ffer any evidence concerning the charge with reference to Harrison. Patterson, In the course of his evidence, stated that Brady told him he was staying at Revington's Hotel, but had- no friends there./' As Patterson was "a' decent sprt of chap," Brady would prefer to stay at the Union. . > There was a young man with Brady, whom the latter said was droving for him. He said he owned fivo farms and was trading m cattle. 'During* his stay at the hotel, Brady remarked that he sold out at Wellington for £15,000, that his wife was dead and that his twin girls were m the Wellington Convent. He stated that he was once worth £30,000, but now was not worth v more than £4000. ; When he mentioned the bank draft, witness offered to "endorse it for him — to save him the trouble of going to the bank — but Brady said ,this was not necessary. The witness suggested a trip to. the bank on the following morning, but Brady said he was too shaky to sign anything that day. •The. witness had no reason to disbelieve Brady's statements and did not press him to pay his board. He did not know he .was going until after he "disappeared. He lent his guest about £2 during his stay. In reply to Lawyer Joyce, Patterson said he believed that Brady was a licensee at Wellington at orie time. He said he had met Avitness at licensed victuallers' meetings there; witness did not. remember him, but did not disbelieve him. "There are so many people who come to us and.walk away leaving us without a pound or two, that I 'thought Brady was just one of 'them," added Patterson.

/ "It would have been much better had he come to me and told me he was leaving. It, could have been fixed up easily. I did not know he went to Hokitika to get some printing done. Lawyer Joyce stated that Brady was, delayed at Hokitika through being laid up with an attack of Influenza. Detective Murch (to . Patterson) : He could have told you without any trouble at all about his position and made some arrangements before he went? — Yes, easily. . ' The S.M.: Do you wish the court to believe that if he had spoken to you before he went to Hokitika, it would have been all right? — If he had given me some sort of reasonable security, I don't think that I would have had any doubt about him. Had he any luggage? — No, none at all. ; You would not Infer from this fact that he was a man of substance, would you?— l had no reason to disbelieve his statements. A couple of other men came into the hotel and recognized him as Pat. Brady. . Detective Murch said he Interviewed Brady on October 26 m connection with Patterson's complaint, when he said he was not a cattle dealer and had no farms; also that his wife was alive. He admitted that no draft waa coming through the bank for him. He agreed that he had told Patterson he was worth £ 80,000 before his wife died, but denied saying that he was now worth £4000. Lawyer Joyce pointed out that Brady had been held In prison for seven days on a false pretences . charge, which was not being proceeded with. He had been arrested at Hokitika

ana remanaea to Greymouth. There was nothing i n the false pretences charge. Detective Murch: "I> would not go so far as to say that. Inquiries made at the Bank of New Zealand, Greymouth, show that Brady is unknown there." Submitting that it: was only a case of obtaining board ' and lodging, Lawyer Joyce . contended t h a.t the proceedings should have taken ■ the form of a / civil action.

There was no that any of the alleged pretences were false. Brady was arrested 1 and held on one charge; then something was found out about what he had told Patterson and another charge was preferred against him. * It -was only an attempt by the police to obtain by criminal proceedings what should be obtained by civil action. As soon as Brady was released, he would be able to pay 'his board. The S.M. remarked that the . question arose as to whether board at the hotel was obtained by Brady solely or mainly on the grounds of the representations he , made to the licensee as to his means. ■ ' . A certain statement he made about haying been a licensee at Wellington was not disproved. Brady at one time held a prominent position and contested an election twice. He was a man of his own knowledge. That he had been In a position of some influence m his district was probably perfectly true. He might have met with financial trouble later. "The facts that • have come out In evidence do not disclose, m my opinion, that the sole reason why Brady got board on credit was through his having said that he was worth £4000 and that he had a cheque coining through.. "Patterson appears to have treated him m a friendly way. He lent him money when he wanted it, as he thought Brady was temporarily embarrassed. ■■ \ 'Tatterson seems to have been easygoing with him and he also said that had Brady told him he was going to Hokitika, the matter could have been adjusted. "That being so, I cannot hold ft has been proved that the board was obtained by means of false pretences. "The action should have been a civil and not a criminal one. The case is dismissed."