EXPOSURE OF A SWINDLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5437, 29 March 1889, Page 3

EXPOSURE OF A SWINDLE.

A most impudent attempt at fraud has , been disclosed .it Sydney. A man named George Richardson, recently arrived from j Melbourne, where he was employed sweep- , ing out tlio Courts at the Exhibition building at Jtos per week. On arriving in Sydney lit waiteil on the Attorney-General, Mr Burton, j mill cxphiiiicd api eject, of a grand national fair in rail of the hospitals of New ttoutl: Wales. He desired to get up a sort of arl union in connection with it, offering ,<!soUii valuable prizes. He received a eomnmnl cation from the Crown Law authorities inti mating that the Government would noi interfere. The Governor gave his patronage t and from this out progress was easy. H< - constituted Lord Carrington, Sir Alfrei Stephens, Hon. E. Barton, M.L.C., G. H

Reid, M.L.A., Alfred Allen, M.L.A., ; patrons, a committee. of management, bi it appears that he did not. invite them f take over actual management. He forwarde circulars to all the leading citizens in ever y town throughout, the colony, accompanie , by a book containing 20 tickets for the lot ' tcry. Tliese tickets bore the injunction tha cheuqes and P.O. orders were to be mail i" payable to the secretary, Geo. Richardson. . Richardson then took a sumptuously-fur r nished office and arranged for meetings of tin Gentlemen's and Ladies' Committees in tlit J distant future. In the meanwhile the > tickets were most eagerly purchased, and th< i the fair was to take^place at the end of May, 5 Lord Carriugton was to preside over the Gentlemnn's Committee anrl Lady Carring ton over the Ladies'. The affair was most successfully worked, but fortunately Detcc- \ tive Hind walked into the office one morning and found Richardson engaged in opening remittances. Hind wished to knowhow the moneys received was being checked, and found that there was absolutely no system of checking, and, on examining the book found that each day was credited with a receipt of £2 or £3, and never move than £7. Against this were items for stamps, stationery, printing, &c, generally absorbing the whole. On Wednesday, he remained two hours in the office, and insisted on seeing the letters opened. No less than £47 was received, and a similar amount is now being received each day, and sometimes more. By the statements of the postal authorities, there is reason to believe that the money received by Richardson was from £20 to £30 a day in excess of the amount credited in the books. Richardson has disappeared. Mr Allen, acting for the committee, has advertised that no further sums are to be forwarded towards the fair. At present it is utterly impossible to find out how much money has been subscribed as no record has been kept of how many books <md tickets have been issued, and how many butts received. WRECK OF AN ISLAND VESSEL. The labor brig Para has returned to Brisbane from a cruise in the South Seas. She brings 73 recruits. The voyage lasted nearly four months. On the 25th February, whilst the vessel was lying at anchor at one of the islands in Banks Group indications of a storm were rjoticed, and on the follow ing day the captain put to sea, when the brig fell in with a heavy gale, which lasted two days. The vessel labored and strained herself a good deal ; the starboard boat was knocked out of the davits, and several sails were also blown to shreds. After the hurricane had spent itself the P-ara sailed for Buaka Bunka. While there information was given that the schooner Northern Belle had become a total wreck. on that island. It appears that the storm which the Para weathered was also experienced by the Northern Belle, which wtis lying at anchor. The gale was first felt on the night of the 27th of February, when the wind suddenly changed to north-west, and, blowing Avith hurricane force, caused a heavy sea to run in, and although the vessel had two anchors out she was gradually blown towards the shore. Early on the morning of the 28th February, the wind and sea both increased, and the port cable parted, and the starboard anchor was not nearly sufficient to keep her out. At about 6 o'clock the schooner struck on a coral reef with tremendous force, and ylmost immediately foundered in 5 fathoms of water. At that time there were fifty islanders iv addition to the captain and crew on board. When the roll was called, it w,^ found that sixteen islanders and four white men were missing, Those who escaped with their lives were much cut and bruised through being thrown against the rocks. Captain Spenco, who stuck to a portion of the vessel for nearly five hours after she struck, had his right aim terribly lacerated. The captain of the Para took the survivors on board and brought them to Brisbane.