A GREEK IMPOSTOR.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14978, 21 May 1914, Page 2

A GREEK IMPOSTOR.

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN BROUGHT

TO A CLOSE.

SCLENTED TO ONE MONTH'S

IMPRISONMENT

(special to "the press.")

AUCKLAND, May 20.

A remarkable comes from Opotiki. A man named John Lavitchande, a Greek, claiming to be an officer and a patriot, has been reaping'a golden harvest in many centres of New Zealand. The "East Coast Guardian" tolls how he canio to grief in that town. Lavitchands arrived at OpotHn, armed with excellent credentials, one of which indicated that he was an accredited agent of . the National Society of Greece. His object, he asserted, was to collect money for alleviating distress in the Balkan Peninsula. . »

Arriving at Opotiki, he first interviewed the Mayor (Mr F. J. Short), and presented to him convincing credentials> and the Mayor, deeming the object a worthy one, headed a subscription list with a donation. It was when the Mayor suggested that the collection list should be left at the Council Chambers that the Greek demurred, and the Mayor's suspicions were aroused. Ho accordingly communicated with' theGreek Consul at Wellington, and received a telegram in reply that confirmed his suspicions. Meanwhile the Greek wad busy campaigning round town., but an interview with the police, brought his career to a close. Sergeant Ferguson had a talk with the man, as the outcome ■ of which Lavilchands was arrested and searched. On his person was found' documentary evidence that all his credentials had been cancelled. Further enquiries indicated that he had visited several towns in the south, and that in each town,, at the close of his campaign ho had been drinking heavily. He admitted that he had collected £100 at Palmerston North, £IDO at Nelson, £90 at Masterton, and large sums at other places. At Gisborne. he had received one donation alone of £5.

As a sequel to these operations Lavjtchands came before the Opotiki Court on a charge of being a rogue and a vagabond. He pleaded that he was an accredited agent qf the .National Gretl; Society. Drink, he said, had Leen at th» bottom of his trouble, and as a stranger in a strange land, he appealpd for leniency. The Bench stigmatised the accused's action as contemptible, prohibited him, and sentenced him to a month's imprisonment with hard labour.