RINGING THE CHANGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13834, 20 February 1909, Page 6

RINGING THE CHANGES.

A TRICKSTER TRAPPED. For some little time past the police have been on the look-out- for a man who, on the 13th January, victimised some of the local business people by means of the trick known as '' ringing the changes." His method was an ancient and mosey one, and probably succeeded by reason of its sheer simplicity. His modus operandi was to march into a shop, make a small purchase, and lay down half-a-sovereign in payment. When the change was laid on the counter, he would suddenly pretend to find that he had a small coin in his pocket, and tendering it in payment, he would ask the shopkeeper to give him a sovereign for the amount lying on the counter, explaining that lie did not wish to carry a lot of change about with him. Probably a bit confused by this time, the shopkeeper did as lie was desired, only to find out sooner or later that he had been swindled out of a sum, amounting to approximately ten shillings. This trick is said to succeed particularly well, when the shop assistant happens to be a girl, but one would think that however brazen a person the cheat was, lie would hesitate to try the game on an ordinary business man, who is usually supposed to have his wits about liim, when transactions in cash are going on. A few days ago a man named John Lee, who was particularly prolific in inventing aliases, was arrested in Dunedin by Detective Ward and yesterday lie appeared before Mr C. A. Wray, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court to" answer two charges of stealing sums of 10 shillings from Bella Pyke, and G. Cox. The accused pleaded guilty to both accusations. Sergeant Bowman conducted the case for the police, and alter describing the nature of the offence, said that with regard to the swindle worked on the girl Bella Pyke, it had had a particularly unfortunate result for the girl, who worked at Green's lollie shop. She had been suspected of stealing the money from her employer and her parents bad had to refund the money to the proprietor of the premises whereon she worked. She had ultimately left the situation. The accused had also victimised Mr George Cox, a fruiterer. The accused pleaded in extenuation nf his offence, that lie was under the influence of liquor and did not rightly know what he was doing. His Worship: "Your plea- is a poor one. You could not have been verv drunk, for you were cunning' enough to practice an intricate piece of trickery. that needed some brains to necon>plish with success. The probability is that von had just taken sufficient drink to fortify yourself for the performance of a particularly brazen swindle.' 1

Detective Fitzgerald, who was called by tlie accused to give evidence as to bis character, said that as far as he knew the accused was .111 honest man as long as he kept away from di'ink. He thought that drink was chiefly accountable for Lee's fall from virtue. Sergeant Bowman said, "the accused, had had several previous convictions. His Worship sentenced lum to three months' imprisonment, with hard labour, the sentences to run concurrently,