A SHARP TRICK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22259, 11 May 1934, Page 10

A SHARP TRICK

. OLD MAN ROBBED ACCUSED SENT TO PRISON. (Peb United. Press Association.) i. ; AUCKLAND, May 10. Alexander M'Crae and Royal Desmond Capner were i sentenced to-day for the "gold for notes" trick which they successfully practised on a man who was staying in Auckland before leaving on-a trip to Scotland. '■■■"■':''■ Mr Justice Herdman said it was a very clever piece of trickery. - The prisoners had found an old man in the lounge of the YvM.CA. One told him he" was a clerk in a bank, and the other that he was employed by a shipping company..'The old man had handed over £7O in note*, expecting to get 62 sovereigns. . Capner was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour, and M'Cra* to two years' reformative detention.

Nearly 1,000,000 ducks gather annually in a great bird sanctuary on Open bake, near Stuttgart, Wurtemburg, where George S. Wilcox maintains a haven for the birds which gather in October Jot his protection and care, and leave in January. The owner of the property and two aids patrol the sanctuary to keep hunters away, and also war on eagles and hawks which prey on the ducks. Nearly 5000 of these are killed yearly by the guards, who use lofty trees from which to observe the ducks.