ARMY, OFFICER'S DEFECTION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10441, 29 April 1910, Page 4

ARMY, OFFICER'S DEFECTION.

DEALINGS IN JEWELS. [By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.] (Per Press Association.) Received April 29, at 10 a.m. ■,■'.* _ London, April 2S. Captain James ' Holford, recently charged with obtaining a considerable amount of jewellery under false pretences, has pleaded and sentence has been postponed. [At Marlborough Street Police Court on March 17 hearing was begun of a case, in which Captain James Henry Edward Holford, D.5.0., was charged witli the larceny as a bailee of £4OOO worth of jewellery from Messrs Edwards and Co., Ltd., Piccadilly. Prosecuting counsel, Mr R. D. Muir, stated that defendant, who was a distinguished soldier living at Mount Pleasant, Bedfordshire, had had small transactions in jewellery with Messrs Edwards prior to 1909. The allegation of the prosecution was that Captain Holford got the jewellery from the firm with the intention of immediately raising money upon it, for lie was not in a position to pay for it. Counsel detailed how defendant in July, 1909, obtained a pearl and diamond collar worth £750 from Messrs Aitchcson, and pledged it for £250. He then obtained two diamond tiaras worth respectively £I2OO and £ISOO, from Messrs Percy Edwards and Co., pledged tlicin, and, with the money thus obtained, paid Messrs Aitchison. Later on, the pretence that his wife wished to exchange one of the diamond tiaras, he obtained a pearl and diamond collar worth £I4OO from Messrs Edwards and pawned it for £250. When pressed for payment for the various jewels obtained defendant put the firm off, making and breaking appointments, promising cheques, and representing falsely, counsel contended, in an indirect manner, that lie had a valuable estate. Eventually defendant's relatives wore communicated with in order that the matter might bo brought to a head. After the matter was dealt with at the Police Court, the articles of jewellery were handed over. At that, the firm had desired to withdraw the prosecution, but the Public Prosecutor decided that the case must be proceeded with.]