AN OLD MAN’S MONEY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1925, Page 8

AN OLD MAN’S MONEY.

SQUANDERED BY HiS WIFE. THOUSANDS GO QUICKLY. SEQUEL IN THE COURT. What to do with the woman, Elizabeth Major, who recently pleaded guilty to ten charges of obtaining goods on the false representation that she possessed £l5OO in war bonds, was the problem which presented itself to Mr. Justice Herdman at Hamilton last week. When prisoner came before the court last week, His Honour postponed sentence to enable the police to inquire into accused’s antecedents. The police later presented a lengthy report. Mr. Tompkins (who represented prisoner ) said she was suffering from delusions regarding the possession of war bonds. NiYie months ago she visited counsel and asked him to arrange to dispose of war bonds, on the strength of which she bought a house in Hamilton. His Honour: “On the strength of her husband’s war bonds, which she d'ibposed of.” Air. Tompkins: “The woman does not realise the gravity of her offence.” His Honour: “People, whether men or women, cannot be allowed to go about the country getting goods by false pretences.” Air. Tompkins: “She does not realise tht gravity of this kind of thing.” His Honour: “That is all nonsense. How is it she came to marry an old man Werth £6OOO, and to. reduce him to penury in an incredibly short time?”

His Honour, addressing prisoner, said he had taken a great deal of trouble over her case. Unfortunately, the information presented led him to conclude that prisoner had been obtaining credit by means of false pretences in other instances than the present one. The Official Assignee had also furnished a report, and from this it appeared that prisoner had married an old man at Cambridge, who was worth £6OOO, and in a very short time, by means of skib ful manipulation, had reduced him to penury. Prisoner, it appeared, had also obtained credit at Rotorua by false pretences. His Honour added that it would be idle and useless to grant probation in this case. It was a pity prisoner had come from Scotland, and Lad commenced a criminal career. Prisoner would be sentenced to reformative detention for two years. Prisoner was first married in Scotland, and her huslband was killed at the War, she being granted, on behalf of her four children, an Imperial pension of £6 10s per month. She came to New Zealand as an assisted immigrant in 1920, and went to live at Cambridge, where she married an elderly man named Wilson, who at that time had accumulated, as a result of his life’s labours, £6OOO in assets. She lived with him about ten months, at the end of which time, so reckless had she been with the old man’s money, buying expensive furniture and clothing, and investing in a big town house in Devouport, that the old man was forced to file in bankruptcy, and to apply for an old-age pension.