"A BAD BREAK" SAID POLICE

NZ Truth, Issue 1263, 13 February 1930, Page 2

"A BAD BREAK" SAID POLICE

Drinking Bout That Led To Gaol

"DUD" CHEQUES

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Dunedin Rep.) "THIS is rather a bad break," observed Chief-detective Cameron, m the Dunedin Police Court, when Herbert Edwards, a man past middle age, pleaded guilty to two charges of false pretences, involving cash and goods to, the total value of £27/10/-. ■ "He is an Invercargill resident, and has been contracting nea-F-- Gore. To carry orv^w-ith hts..aontract,.he obtained a guarantee- of— -&2Q from a business man. :^ r ™Z' '-,-* T .'*'.. "-Later;— in-.Tune, he asked the same man to.-guarantee „'.£ so overdraft at the. bante — Edwards paid m £45 and £]2, thus enabling him to operate on the bank. "It was understood that the money was to be used m connection with the contract, and not for the payment of other debts. These cheques were issued m the Invercargill district. About New Year he came to Dunedin and continued issuing cheques." . > ' Several instances of valueless cheques having been presented to shopkeepers for goods purchased, and the change being handed over to Edwards, x were related by the chief-de-tective. "He is a married man, but seems to have had come domestic trouble," continued the prosecuting officer. "Edwards and his two sons were last heard of m Gore, where the father subsequently cleared out and left his sons stranded. "He also cleared out "*and left the men who were working for him without payment or stores." Mr. J. Smith said. that Edwards had been on a long drinking bout. On the day of his arrest he was m such . a state through excessive drinking that he htfd not/ known- what he was dofne. - After receiving the Probation Officer's report. Mr. H. W. Bundle, S.M.. sentenced Edwards to three months' imprisonment on one charge and admitted him to three years' probation on the second*- ■• '■;•'•,