ALLEGED BLACKMAIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15223, 22 May 1920, Page 6

ALLEGED BLACKMAIL.

I WELLINGTON YOUTH ACQUITTED. George Herbert Winder, sou of G. Win der, hardware merchant, of Wellington appeared at the Supremo Court, Wellington, on Tuesday, to Btaud his trial on a charge that, with intent to extort money he accused or threatened to accuse one Clifford Peel of committing an indecent assault, The principal, witness for the Crowu was a typiste named Edna May Dixon, employed by Peel, who said that she bad known tho accused for about two or three months. The accused accosted her by inquiring if she had seen a tall, dark girl m a green costume. Witness said that she had, > Accused then made it known that he had tickets for a picture theatre, and ho requested her company. Witness accepted. ; After the pictures, accused and witness went to supper at a restaurant m Courtenay Place where accused made a proposition. She could not remember what was actually said. He m effect, that if they interfered with witness m any way he would come up and demand a Bitra of money. •' • Witness safaris it anything like the picture 'Do Lu*o*Annie'?" Accused said: "Yes, that is the style of the scheme." Accused further suggested that witness should scream and then start to cry. He would do the rest. He was to enter tho room and pretend to ring the police. Then he would demand £500 each from the two men there. Accused said he had made £3000 a year "at tho same game" m Canada, He also said that he had shot a. man m selfdefence, and for that reason lie; had to leave Canada. Accused said further that if the scheme came off they could play it on the manager of the Midland Hotel; and if that succeeded, they would go to Auckland. Witness then got frightened, and told Fee). ■ A letter was typed and given to aoouaed m Willis street, during the after' noon. She met him m Manners street and asked him what they were going to do about the matter, He asked, witness what time she h»d to be at work. She replied j "At 7.50 p.m."He said that about 8.15 p.m. witness wa& to scream, and "not before." He would then dash into the room and say; "This is a nice thing," or "a nice state of affairs.'.'. , Witness was to/jcry aftd accused wpujd nretend, to VJOi tfte police, ppjitijiuing, wj^egs said that at 8.15 n,m, pn th> night arranged, while she >vas, m the office with Pee|, she cried out "Don't!" and "Help,' 1 and also ' screamed. Acemetf promptly entered the room. Witness retjrpfl- tp a cprnpr, and accused said; '"Fhja jsa.nieo thing to happen." 'Hp furthpr qaid thnfc he had had suspicions, of Poel for a Jong time^ and that hn should be shown up for the good of the country. Accused moved to the telephone. Peel said: "Whn f can I do to hush this up?" The aroused said that it was not for hia good, ' but for the good of witness. In reply to Peel, accused said he required £100, but Peel offered £50. Winder said he wanted the sum m cash; but he agreed tp accept a cheque, and desired it tp he lfiadp out m witness* name. Papl would, not do this, but made a cheque out for £50, payable to, "Q. Brown'Vthe name Winder gave. Accused said that witness was tp accompany hi»n, hu,t .peel would not allow this. Then thp detpptjves, came in.* Pvidencp wag; ■ also given hy Clifford Peel, and Detective (Jarney, Bvidonco that the aeouscd had borne ft good reputation was tendered by the following: C. M. Luke, a former Mayor of Wellington and 'an ex-member of tho Legislative Council; W. H. Atack, manager of tho N.Z. 1 Press Association; W. Brldaon, Wellington' manager, of ' Briscoo and Co., Ltd. \ J. H.. Brinsden, manager for the Dunlop llubber Co., and P. C. Watt, contractor. Winder, m the box, said Dixon approached him and x '»aid she was scared because she had fcwgo back"" to work the following night. r He suggested that she tell her mother, but she said she did not ■want to refuße Peel. He thon offered to meet her the next night. She observed that it would be rather funny if witness arrived "while Peel was m the middle of doing something." Witness assented, but pointed out that she would lose her job. She said, "Oh, no, I wouldn't! I would have him (Peel) under my. thumb then." J'-Yeß,?? witness replied, "you would be a FQgulap ]jtt]e De Lujje Anijie," She gpen>

ed to understand. Then witness told her he was a- "De Luxe Annie expert," and had worked that game many a time m America. He believed he told her he had made, money nl it. Witness had uevor ' beeai out of New Zealand. What suggest- • cil all this was the girl's saying that she would have Peel under her thumb. The 1 girl seemed to believe all witness said, I and therefore -witness, just for his own 1 amusement, "piled it on" to see how j 1 much she would take m. Witness really j 1 believed on the Friday night that the girl ' | was m danger. He had not made up his mind that he would try to obtain money, . though he suggested that Miss Dixon i ought to get £20 as compensation for los- '. ing her job. I L Addressing the jury, Mr Gray subj mitted that( the evidence revealed nothr ing more than an escapade of a foolish ; youth and an unsophisticated girl. ' ' His Honor said that if Winder accused Peel of a crime m order to put money , m his own pocket, he^ was guilty ; and , if he accused Peel for the purpose of gettinar money for the girl he was equally . guilty. If, on the other hand, he made , no accusation of a crime, or if he made j an accusation but had no .intention to I extort money, he must be acauitted. | * The jury returned a verdict of not i guilty. Winder was discharged. I