A COUNTRYMAN FLEECED OF £700.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3737, 23 September 1886, Page 3

A COUNTRYMAN FLEECED OF £700.

» At the Sydney Central Police Court recently before Mr Buchanan, S.M., two tnon, named Frederick M'Ca'oo and Robort N. ! Blanchard, both middlo-aged, and of very respectable appearance, wero charged under the Vagrant Act with being idlo find dis- . orderly porsons. They wero arrested m the r afternoon at the coiner of King and Sussex . streets by Detective O'Sullivan and Seniort constable Johnson. In the forenoon they , had succeeded m fleecing a man from Bourke i of £700. Their victim was an ex-publican, : but turned the tables on the sharpers by t locking the door of the room m which they i had been playing cards, and threatening to [ murder them if they did not return him his I money, which they oventually did. When 1 arrested yestesday afternoon they had upon t them a quantity of dummy £5 notes aud . cheques, and several ingenious " catches," ono ) m particular, known as the "matchbox j trick," whereby guileless countrymen are induced to lay wagers, which load on to a , friendly garoo of cards. The arresting coni stables said that both prisoners are notorious i monle men and card sharpers, and mako a ; regular practice of watching the bunks, post- > ollice, and steamboats, fur tho purpose of robbing country peoplo. They have both been \ eonvjeted. repeatodly, aud are the associates

: of tho very worst character. Their respect- ■ able appearance, and both being elderly-look- ) ing men, is of gvcat eervico to them m carry i ing out their mal-piacticcs. In the caso of > Blanchard, tho bench granted a remand m i order to ascertain tho bona fides of a cheque • iov £18 which was found upon him. Many ■ of tho dummy notes were splendid imitations, l and most ingeniously engraved. M'Cabo, ) whoso record ia an uncommonly bad ono, I asked for a remand for the purposo of proi ducing witnesses as to his means, and the i bench remanded him.