VICTIMISING OAMARU TRADESMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 37

VICTIMISING OAMARU TRADESMEN.

PASSING FORGED CHEQUES. (Fhom Oub Own Corhespondent.)

' OAMARU, October 2. Oaraaxu tradespeople had the most excit- • ing experience they have .had for; some time on Saturday afternoon. An individual w.ho calls himself John Wilson arrived by one of the trains, and starting at fch© north end of the town he visited some 20 shopkeepers, cashing what now prove tobe cheques of doubtful value. These were, for amounts varying from £5 to £12, and purported to be signed by - three settler* well known on the north of the Waitalu River— viz., Donald Ross, James Breen, ami Donald' M'Lean. The method adopted every case was to purchase a ocr amount of goods, which in most cases to be called for later, and then to pr«.. a cheque to be cashed, which, the obligu. tradesman did with only one or two excep tions. In this way he negotiated- cheques to the total amount of £176, the purchaseseffected amounting to £43 10s 3d, so that he at least received cash to the extent o c £123, a very respectable haul for one aftor noon's work. "Had the individua' -v ported his representations with a six oii«jo ing revolver he could scarcely have beetmore successful. As for the confiding tradesmen, they are to-day wiser" mer* One mistake this enterprising gentleman made: he attempted to make his departure rather late, thinking he had a socd start. He waited in Oamaru over the Surdav, expecting to get away on MonrV morning. His expectations, . however, w*. only partially successful. .An employee ri one of the shops visited, on being slic'.vi>. the cheque after the visitor's departure. ? ; once exm-essed doubts about the sigualiuc Inquiries were instituted at the bank wh 1 ; were not eminently -satisfactory, and police office was sought. By tb" tradesmen were becoming aware situation, and by Saturday evening t were half a dozen angry tradesmen seekn their customer. AU the hotels were visited, but one boarding-house was omitted from fie- search, and that omission necessitated inquiries further afielc. Sunday was spent in cycling in all directions—Weston, Kakanui, Maheno. Sampden, Ngapara, and Glenavy all beingi visited by the police and several energetic Iradesmen, one of whom covered at least 70 miles on his "jigger." But the game lay low in Oamaru, and waited till Monday, when he boarded the morning train at Waiareka for D,unedin. There he found a constable and two tradesmen, whose scrutiny became embarrassing, and he left the carriage, to be followed by one of the tradesmen. A barefaced bnt unsviccessful effort was then made to silence this tradesman ; but he called on the constable, who took charge of the suspect, and brought him back to Oamaru, where he was searched with good results. He was found to have £134 17s about him in ; notes, gold, and silver, together with I several articles of jewellery. The accused had considerably altered his appearancs : since Saturday. By this time cheques for I £127 had bee a reported, and others avcto ! reported till the amount reached the £176. The cheques were all on the Union Bant | at Oamaru, and had all evidently been taken from a book of at least 60 forms, which had been issued by the bank in July 1 to a. settler (not one of the three named! above) at Glenavy. Five numbers from, the/ sequence avo still missing, so fchs'd more cheques may yet come in. .on i the cheques were five for £12. oue for £IC,? five for £9, and so on. The man. who gives his name as J. W. Mac Donald, says he has a wife and family in Dunedin. Hp. was brought before the magistrate thi-. "■morning and remanded till Thursday. Th*;' amount of £2 7s 4d was recovered ii ' excess of the amounts so far reported to. have been given ia change..