MAORI WILL STORY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13945, 28 April 1909, Page 4

MAORI WILL STORY.

THE TRICK OF A PETTY SWINDLER.

At tho Reisate County Bench, Ens., on Saturtlitj*, March 6 a man giving tlunamp of Captain W. R. Thornton, alias Stephen Bevaij, was charged on remand with obtaining 30s by false pretences from Mrs. Bevan, of Lower Kingswood. A remarkable story of the supposed death of a son and a will was told hy the witnesses.

Prisoner paid a visit to Mrs. Bevan, aged 78, and represented that he had just returned from Australia, and had news of her son. The old lady, who if very deaf and infirm, described to tho Bench how prisoner broke the news of the supposed death of hor son Stephen and his wife Mary, who- reside at Bridgetown, Freitmntle, Western Australia. H& was entertained, and to the members of the family he said he had £10 and a box of valuables to hand ovci to Mrs. Bevan, which her son i had entrusted to him. Speaking in broken English, he said he was a half-bred can nibah and had resided near tho son. His knowledge of the family was st great that tue old lady believed hit storj\ .When satisfied as to her iden fcifcy, accused said ho would hand ovei wo money and valuables. v Producing what purported to be r will, he read it over to the family circle I The sum of £123 2s lOd and the estato i was bequeathed to the mother. The document was handed to the Bench, and it was covered with hieroglyphics, and bore the signatures of Mrs. Sevan, her daughter and granddaughter. Mayor Kingsley Poster askod how it was that they had signed a paper with such rubbish on, and Mrs. Bevan replied that the prisoner told her that tho trill was made out in the Maori language. Mrs. Bevan gave accused instructions to realise tbo estate for her, and handed him over 30s, when he rushed out of the bedroom and decamped. The son-in-law, in a motor" car ? captured the prisoner as he was entering KingsWood railway station. / On the application of Inspector Jar rett, the accused was remanded, to enable him to complete his inquiries as to the antecedents of the alleged adventurer.