FALSE PRETENCES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXII, Issue 9628, 17 March 1910, Page 6

FALSE PRETENCES.

A confidence trick played upon Mir J. A. Farmer, trainer for Mr .W. E. Bidwill, the well-known sportsman, is eugpging the attention of the police. On December 80th Mr J. Ames, of Wellington, received a letter purporting to come from Mr Farmer, aud requesting him to leave the sum of £10 at the offices of Messrs Izard and Weston, solicitors. If he agreed, he was to place the £10 in auother envelope, enclosed, addressed to "Mr T. Hatton, care of Izard and Weston," with a request to that firm to pay over the money, on being called for. Mr Ames, being out of town, did not receive tho letter in time, and therefore could not comply with the request. The memorandum to "Mr Hatton" instructed him to nominate Provocation for the Douoaster Handicap, Sydney Cup, Newmarket Handicap, Australian Cup, Champagne Stakes, aud Esseudou Stakes, and Tribulation for the Champagne Stakes aud Produce Stakes. Mr Ames next day communicatod with a friend of Mr uidwill in Welliugtou and the nominations were duly cabled to Sydney. The friend, in turn, wrote to Mr Bidwill, telling him he had complied with his alleged request, only fco discover that Mr Bidwill and his trainer, Mr Farmer, knew nothiug whatever about the matter and had given no such instructions as indicated in the letter. A cablegram was accordingly despatched to the secretary of tho A.J. C, cancelling the nominations (which happened to be in a couple of days too late) and explaining the reason. The police are now in a position to lay a charge in couuectiou with the fraud against a man who is awaiting trial ou a series of similar charges. He will be further charged that on December iJOth last, he sent a message purporting to come from Mrs O'Hallorau. licensee of the Porirua Hotel, asking that £5 be left at Mossrs Izard aud Weston's, to be called for by "Thomas Hattou." Tho money was duly left at the solicitors' office and called for by a person, said to be the man now in custody, who gave a receipt. A boy was sent for the money in the first iustauce, but he failed iv his missiou, being told to send the person who had given him the instructions.