Police Court, Cambridge.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXV, Issue 3849, 1 August 1908, Page 2

Police Court, Cambridge.

—An Undesirable Immigrant.— At the above Court, before Messrs Forrest, Ferguson, and Wilkinson, J.s'P., a respectably dressed and well spoken young woman named May Hallett, alias Curtain, alias Baker, alias Collard, was charged with haying obtained from James Watters, of the National Hotel, by a false pretence, board and lodging to the value of 4s 6d; and on a further charge of obtaining from James Watters, board and lodging for one Evelyn Pease to the value of 10s 6d. The charges were taken together. Accused pleaded guilty. Chief-detective Marsack prosecuted, and explained that the false pretence was partly by inference and partly by word. Tha accus-ed arrived at the National Hotel last week, accompanied by a young woman, whom she termed her maid. She represented to Mr Watters. that she was one of a tourist party touring New Zealand, and that the other members of the party would follow her to Cambridge later. She engaged rooms for these imaginary friends. Had it not been for these representations Mr Watters would not have provided her with accommodation. After leaving Auckland the Saturday before last, accused stayed at Hamilton as a Miss Baker. She left Hamilton without satisfying the hotelkeeper, and went to the Thames, where she stayed at the best hotel and mixed with the elite of the town I under the name of the Hon. Miss ColI lard. At the Thames she made the acquaintance of a young lady who was in a shop. She induced her to throw up a good position and go on tour at a salary of 25s per week and all exI penses paid. She told the young lady Miss Pease that she intended to tour New Zealand and Australia. Both stayed at Watters' hotel in Cambridge. Shortly after arrival accused went to the railway station with Miss Pease and told the latter that she was going as far as Ruakura to meet her tourist friends. Miss Pease was practically left penniless, and to desert her as had been clone was the worst feature of the accused's conduct. There were three previous convictions against the woman thefts of jewellery, for which she had been treated leniently, and sent to St. Marv's Home, under a bond of good behaviour. This she had broken. Accused arrived in the Fifeshire from England as a domestic under engagement to a Gisborne lady, but instead of taking up the position she remained in Auckland, where her life had been one of theft and immorality. The accused explained that she had been too familiar with a steward on ; the vessel, and that was the reason . why she had acted as she had done. Accused was sentenced to a month's imprisonment.