“THE HOISTER”

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1929, Page 8

“THE HOISTER”

A CROOK'S CONFESSIONS EASY TO CASH CHEQUES. credulity of the public. “You've only got to have a bit of confidence and you can put it across the public hands down.” That is, or was, the creed of a man who in eighteen months netted £264 by floating valueless cheques. He ha« told how he did it, and his story is printed here because it throws light not only on the mentality of a criminal, but on the credulity of traders (says the Auckland Star). Judges and magistrates have said time and again that they marvelled that business people trusted strangers so completely. Here is the story of how easy —and profitable—one man found it to cash cheques, even for large amounts, in Auckland. The man recently came out of “the cooler” after serving sentences on eight convictions for floating valueless cheques, but it must be borne in mind that the number of cheques he issued was more than eight, and his profit was probably more than £264.

Let us know the perpetrator of these frauds as “The Hoister,” for “hoisting” cheques, and that alone, was his game, lie was a “con.” man, as Auckland's Crookland termfl a man who works mostly on gullibility. For supreme confidence and a very useful knowledge of human nature, “The Hoister” must be given credit. One will realise, also, that he must have made a deep study of psychology; and his following description of his activities will bring his over-bearing personality into a vivid light. “EASY MONEY.” “The Hoister” was a jockey who once won a classic at Ellerslie and heard the plaudits of the multitude as the redrobed clerk of th course led him to the judge’s box. A few years ago he fell out with the owner of the horses he was riding at the time and just started “on the drunk.” One day he decided to make a bit of easy money. So he wrote a cheque in the name of a well-known New Zealand racehorse owner, went to the hotel where the man stayed and cashed it without any trouble. That was the start of “The Hoister’s” reckless career.

Back to Auckland came “The Hoister” after floating a few more valueless cheques in fictitious names. He had returned only a short time when he began to send off cheques regularly. He was a perfectly respectable jockey who gave his horses a work out at Ellerslie each day soon after the sun'was up.

GIVE-AWAY KIDDIE’S CAPE. Every morning one of “The Holsters 5 little girls, who was then four years old, went with her daddy to the racecourse. She was put in an enclosure away from the horses, and there she played while work outs were in progress. Just before a race meeting a shrewd man of the latv from the Ellerslie police station watched the training operations. He got to know the little girl quite well and spoke to her as he passed in the mornings. Always the kiddie was meticulously dressed by a fond mother in. a pretty blue-knitted cape, but this child and her smart appearance was eventually to send her daddy away from home for two years. About this time worthless cheques were being hoisted round the city and suburbs of Auckland with persistent regularity and the police were . completely baffled. One day “The Iloister"’ went to a shop in Newmarket, where he bought some small-article, presenting a fair-sized cheque. With him on that occasion was his little girl, and she was greatly admired by the owner of the shop. Away went “The Iloister” with a few pounds easy money in his pocket, and he smiled complacently as he thought of the ruse. Next morning the cheque was dishonoured at the bank and detectives went to the owner of the shop, asking if he could describe the man who had presented the useless bit of paper. Yes, he was fair, was short and was wearing a brown suit with a dark felt hat. He seemed quite a decent fellow. And, by the way, he had a beautiful little girl with him who was wearing a .blue cape sort of thing. That was all the shopk per could tell them, and he hoped that the man would soon be apprehended.

A few days later the astute policeman at Ellerslie was reading his departmental reports when he came across a description of a man who had issued the valueless cheque. Carefully he read, searching his brain for a memory of the man who w T ould answer the description. He could think of nobody. Then he read the little piece which was typed at 1 the bottom of the sheet—-the pen picture of the pretty little fair-haired kiddie in the blue cape. That was the child on the racecourse. “The Hoister” wag his man! So “The Iloister’ was arrested for the first time after an amazing run of nearly eighteen months, during which time he had passed cheques all over the North Island. And for that he got’ two years’ “hard."’

"BEST IN THE SHOD.'’ He told of bow he completely “put it across” two detectives. With a cheque which he had written out for £B4, he went into ft big Queen Street shop and asked to be sold a hat —“the best in the shop, please.” A famous American felt W36 produced, and he made his selection. “Two pounds fifteen, please,” said the assistant. “The Hoister” pulled out two pound notes and three shillings in silver. “I’ve run a bit short of change, but here's a cheque,” he said, and handed over his worthless bit of paper. The salesman took it to the office, came back, and asked the perpetrator to go along to the accountant. “Well, I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I thought they might have rung for the ‘demons,’ but" I decided that I would have to give it ft go. You can guess what a shock I got when the fellow counted out over £BO change.” With the new hat under his arm and a good roll in his pocket “The Holster” went home. Next morning early there was a knock at the door. His wife answered, and from the first words spoken from the stranger’ he recognised the voice of one of Auckland’s detectives. He realised it was useless tryingto get away, so he called out “Come in. I knew it was you. I recognised your voice.” So the detective went in, and, with a suggestion that “The Hoister’s” wife might let Detective Z in at the back door, he started to talk business. “I know what you’ve com© for,” said

“The Hoister,” “but I’m going to plead not guilty. I h- en’t got the money.” “Well, we are going to search you, and wc are going to take you over to the station,” said the detective. “Wait till I put on a decent pair of pants and get my boots on,” said “The Hoister.” While the two detectives watched he pulled on his pants and laced his boots, but in the process he managed to slip from his pocket the roll of £B2 and conceal it under the pillow of his bed! The detectives searched and drew a blank. Guarded by the two, “The Hoieter” went to the central police station, and, although the money was ’ never found, he was well and truly j caught. He was committed to the I Supreme Court on eight charges, from i which he netted £264. . WILD GOOSE CHASE. There was a wait of nearly two and a half months before the sessions started, but “The Hoister” had been given bail, so that he was almost a free man. One day he had “a brain wave,” as he called it. He had several previous convictions, and he thought it was quite on the cards that he would get five yeaTs’ “hard.” There was also a big chance of being declared an habitual criminal. Well, his wife and kiddies “had to have a few bob to go on with,” so while on bail he “hoisted” five more valueless cheques! He had a little too much to drink one day, became a bit more reckless than usual, and blundered into a shop where he had once before passed a valueless cheque. The woman recognised him, and she was very shrewd. While his order was being made up she rang for the local constable, and round he wejit at the double. With a clever scheme of bluffing, “The Hoister” had the constable in a tangle, but' eventually he was arrested on eusipicion and taken to the central police station. There luck was with him, for the only detective in the station at the time was one who did nob know him.

" “They asked me where I lived, and the first thing that came into my head was Greenlane,” said “The Hoister.” “What part of Greenlane?” asked the detective..

“Whcturangi Road,” he said. So, after getting an elaborate description of a brown Bouse with a red roof and white window’ sills, a well-kept lawn in the front, with a border of pansies, a constable set out to verify “The Hoister’s” statement. In two hours the man came back and reported that he could not find the place. “You couldn’t have looked very hard,” said “The Hoister.“ “Anybody around there will tell you where I live.” And again the constable went out and made a search. Here was a curious position. “The Hoister,” who lived miles from Greenlane, had a constable searching the district for a house which was purely imaginary, a bungalow conjured up on the spur of th” moment by a very vivid and tense imagination. Then fortune’s wheel turned several points against “The Hoister” in a trice.

A detective who arrested him on the previous charges came into the station, and it was all up. “Well, you had better make another statement,” said the detective. “Go ahead, then,” said “The Hoister.” While the detective typed, “The Hoister” slipped hie hand in his pocket and rolled two blank cheques, obviously incriminating evidence, into a small ball. So si ully was it done that he was able to conceal the little incriminating bits of paper between his thumb and forefinger, and when he was searched, his arms outstretched, nothing was found. ile the detective typed, Ji dropped the cheques in the wastepaper basket. For the second time within a few weeks “The Hoister” had “swung it aeros/” the Auckland detectives.

“We've got you this time, and you’ll get it hard. Probably five years and ‘declared,’” said o: e U the detectives to “The Hoister.”

When “The Hoister” came before the judge of the Supreme Court to hear his sentence he expected to go for a long term, but he got yet another shock, for he was given only two years. Then he grinned across at the detective who had arrested him. Two years! What a let-off!