SHOWMAN GAOLED

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12077, 22 June 1932, Page 3

SHOWMAN GAOLED

HOSPITAL IMPOSED ON. Electric Telegraph—Press Association WANGANUI, June 20. Charged with having imposed on the Wanganui Hospital Board by falsely representing that he was a married man residing at Wilson Street, thereby obtaining a railway ticket valued at £2 os fid, John Valentine Praetor was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment at the Police Court to-day. On a charge of having stolen an overcoat and hat valued at £6, he was remanded to New Plymouth. On a further charge of having obtained board and lodgings to the amount of £35 13s 4d for'himself and > wife and child by fraud. Proctor was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, and on charges of obtaining money bv falsely representing that he could get money, by the sale of his wife’s property at Stanley Bay, Auckland, he was convicted and discharged. “He is a showman by occupation,'’ said Detective Walsh.. “There are two classes of showmen; the one class is composed of decent citizens, and the other type that can only be described as confidence men and ‘spielers.’ This mail is among the latter. He went to the Whangarei Show, and it was more than coincidence that the Hamilton Winter Show was on when he obtained a ticket from the Hospital Board. The board is hard up against it at the’ present time; assisting local cases of distress, and cannot afford to be taken down by men of this kind Proctor has three previous convictions.”