DEFRAUDING A BANK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12036, 7 May 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

DEFRAUDING A BANK.

A SMART TRICK. AUCKLAND, sfav- 3. Over £200 was stolen from the Uank of New Zealand last Tuesday by means of a cheque that had been tampered with. The robbery appears to have been systematically planned. A young man opened an account with the bank under the name of Samuel Marshall about a month ago, describing himself as an artist, and giving an address which afterwards proved to be fictitious. He operated on this account several times, and Inst Tuesday he presented a cheque for £7 drawn on his own account, which then stood at £50. The cheque was initialled by the ledger-keeper, but when it was presented soon iiftenvnuls to the teller a "ty" had been added to the seven and "two hundred" written in the blank space in front of it, and £270 tras tho amount paid out by the teller. The man apparently did not lika to ask for the amount in t;old. and took (he money in fllO-notcs. No far the rttaio wovkcii most successfully, but in his subsequent actions the man gave himself away. His ■first step was to hke a cab to the Newton branch of the Rank of New Zsatowl, where ho presented live of the SlO-notc-s, and asked for gold in exchange, taking 49 sovereigns and a pound in loose cash. The man's demeanour attracted the attention of tho toller, for he teemed excited, and left in a grr.t hurry after j.'<--tling his chance. The same thing occurred at the National Rank. Newton, some marc notes being changed there. The case was put in tho hands of Detective Bailey, and as the tfller of the Newton branch of the.Rank of New Zealand was confident he could identify the man again, be accompanied tho detective to Oneiiunga yestefday afternoon, lo see if the «entlenian who was wanted was oh hoard the Mapourika. Among the passengers leaving by the steamer was a clean-shaved vow);; fellow, of

— —— ■ —■— r respectable appearance, evident \y an Amencan, and the teller identified this man as the'person who had changed the notes at the bank. Detective Bailey accordingly arrested the man, who gave the name of Walter Lock, and 'states that he was a tea merchant, travelling on his own ac count. The only money found upon him was £1 7s. Lock appeared before the' stipendiary magistrate this morning, and Mas charged with stealing £220 of the moneys of the Bank of. New Zealand. Qhief'Detective Grace applied for a remand till Wednesday next, and, the prisoner offering no objection, he .was manded accordingly. • "