CONFIDENCE MEN

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 119, 23 May 1932, Page 6

CONFIDENCE MEN

STX MONTHS’ GAOL. MONEY FRO Al OLD Al AN. WELLINGTON. Mav 19. Two confidence mon, Thomas Patrick Cutt'c, aged 45, ami John Rupert Lawrence, aged 39, each with nrcvioiis convictions, were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour by Air. Justice Ostler in the Supreme Court to-day. They had pleaded guilty to stealing £220 from Robert Poston Ritchie, an elderly I labourer When the case was before tho Magistrate’s Court recently, the story was told of how the two prisoners “shepherded” Ritchie from Christchurch to Ashburton, back to Christchurch, and tnen to Wellington, and in the course of the journey relieved him of the money mentioned in the charge. Counsel for Cuttle said that although his Honour might disagree with him, bo did not regard the offence as being as serious as suggested by the charge or the evidence. Ritchie had gone to Christchurch with the express intention of “blowing” his money, and the position was that the two accused did it for him. Ritchie first handed over £2O ami then £2OO to put on a horse. If the money had been

put on a horse and the horse, had lost, Ritchie could have had no complaint at all. Although Cuttie had not got a good record, for the last ten years he had behaved himself and had not come under the notice of the police. His Honour said he did not think there was very much to choose between the two men in regard to their previous convictions, although as far as Lawrence was concerned he had not been convicted previously for dishonesty. The majority of his convictions seemed to relate to plaving games of chance and to gambling. Cuttie hail a number of previous convictions, some of which, two at any rate, wore for dishonesty. However, he appeared to have kept out of the hands of the police for ten years. His Honour said he did not agree with counsel that there was not much in the offence for which the prisoners were now before the Court. Tho old man appeared to have been a fool and would have spent his money in any case, but tho two prisoners had awakened in him a sense of cupidity, and most of the money they had obtained they s had spent on themselves.