A MAORI AND A CHEQUE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 26, 15 September 1911, Page 6

A MAORI AND A CHEQUE.

THEFT AND FORGERY. At the Magistrate’s Court this morning a native named William Renata was charged with having on or about July 18th at Rat'd hi stolen a cheque for £7 10s, drawn on the Bank of New Zealand by B. Prior in favour of E. E. Prior. Sergeant McNoeley said accused was employed by Prior at Whangamomona. He was asked to post a letter to E. E. Prior, but he stole the cheque enclosed. Bcrty Henry Thomas Elen Prior, farmer, Whangamomona, gave evidence that accused was previously in his employ. On July 11th he gave accused a letter to post, addressed to E.E.Prior, Dannevirke, witness’ father. The letter contained a cheque for £7 10s, which was in payment for a dog and for legal expenses. The envelope was sealed. Accused was not authorised to deal with the cheque. Edward Elen Prior, chemist, Dannevirke, father of the previous witness, said he had been expecting money from his son, but had not received it. Joseph Alfred Fletcher, storekeeper, Raetihi, said accused came to his store about July 18th. He bought a few pounds of butter and paid by a cheque drawn by B. Prior. 1 Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme i Court for sentence. Accused was further charged with having forged an endorsement to the cheque which was the subject of the previous charge. B. Prior gave evidence that there was no endorsement on the cheque when it was put in the envelope. E. E. Prior said the endorsement on the cheque was not in his handwriting. He had authorised nobody to sign his name. He knew of no other E. E. Prior beside himself. J. A. Fletcher said the cheque was endorsed when ■ he cashed it. Accused said his name was E. E. Prior. Witness was an old resident of Raetihi and know of nobody of the name of E. E. Prior residing there. Sergeant McNoeley gave evidence and produced a piece of paper on which the name E. E. Prior was written in witness’s presence by accused. Wilfrid Allen Ronnell, accountant at the Bank of New Zealand, Stratford, expressed the opinion that the endorsement on the cheque was written by the same person who wrote the name on the slip produced. He had considerable experience in comparing signatures, having been with the bank for fifteen years. Accused pleaded guilty to this charge also and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.