LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3129, 13 April 1883, Page 2

LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

THE MATCH-BOX TRICK

Some of the evidence against Syms, the worker of the match-box swindle, heard yesterday in Dunedin, is transmitted by telegraph. The prosecutor, W.Agnew, deposed— On the 4th of April I was walking up Princess street, when I met a redwhiskered man whom I didn’t know. He spoke to me about the weather and accompanied me in the direction I was going. He asked me where I came from and what my employment was. I told him, and he said he was going to buy a farm and that he was a stranger in Dunedin. He finally asked me to go into the Oriental Hotel to have a drink. I refused, but, he insisted on going into the hotel as he wanted to write an address. He took me into a room off the bar, and I had some ginger wine. He asked for pen and ink, just then accused came in and commenced to talk lo my companion. Apparently they were strangers. The accused told the red-whiskered man, in the course of the conversation that he had been left property and money by his uncle, and that he had very large properties in Auckland. He produced what appeared to be a roll of notes as thick as my arm. The red-whiskered man asked how many notes were in the roll, and the accused replied “five hundred.” Accused then showed what he said was a Maori coffin. The article was of wood, shaped like a'heart and two inches wide. He said he had the likeness of a half-caste girl in it, and he was taking it home as a curiosity, also that there was a large reward offered to any mechanic who could open it. He had been in company with Mr and Mrs Denniston, particular friends of his, and Mr Denniston had broken his nail trying to open it. The coffin was afterwards passed round, but was not opened. The red-whiskered man did not attempt to open it, and passed it to me, asking me to try and open it. I refused, as I thought there was no use in trying to open it if Mr Denniston had failed. The prosecutor then went on to explain how he had been induced to try to open it and found he could do so easily, how accused, with his £SOO roll of notes (a bogus one) left the room, how the redwhiskered individual encouraged him to bet accused when he came back that he, the prosecutor, could open the box, adding that he would himself wager £SO or £looon it; how the accused did come back and they did wager, Agnew patting his £8 in a hat along with £8 from the red-whiskered man and two of what purported to be £6O notes from the accused; how the accused was to count fifteen while Agnew tried to open the box and how, failing to do so he threw the box on the floor and how the accused collared all the money in the hat. Agnew, however, went to see a solicitor, with whom be made bis way

to the police office ; but on the road a. black-whiskered individual accosted Agnew and took him to another hotel, where he got his money back. It was the first time, lie said, he had been tricked, and it would be the last. He added that the accused had told him he got the box in Auckland, from a Maori chief, and was taking it to England, where a large reward was offered for the opening of it.