MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 536, 17 June 1909, Page 11

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

(Before Mr,W. G. Riddell, S.M.) '

> POSING AS INSURANCE MAN, FORGERY AND A BONUS. ■ A . young man, Stephen Kotze, who, judging from outward appearances, had not long passed his majority, ;was charged with forging the name of Josejph Clmrlto-n to a form of application and receipt on policy No. 7397, issued by tho GovernmentLifo Insuranco Department. Chief-Detective Broberg conducted the prosecution, ; and Mr. P. Jackson appeared for accused. . . .. . - . Joseph Oharlton said that on May 4 accused, who had represented himself to bo an agetit for the' Government Life Insurance De-

partment, 1 callcd ot his 'house in Oriental Bay and asked for his insurance policy and his .. . marriage certificate, stating that tho reason , for,this was a provision of a' law enacted in 1908. At the sanio time accused produced a form, which ho requested Mr. Charlton to .sign. Tho signature "Joseph Charltcn" on tho form of application and receipt • (produced) (was not his',' iior" was it made by his authority. y-' ' . jNorman Arthur Vercoe, clerk in tho Government Lifo Insuranco Department, identified the bonus certificate produced as.<xno sent 'f out .to Mr. Charlton and afterwards returned: i to the olEcc. After 'tho .certificate had been returned vaccused called at .the'" Government' •Lifo Insuranco Office- and rtafel cither that . ho,.was ;Mr. Oharlton, or came from hini.Ho asked for a chcquo for the value of a'bonus issued to Mr. Charlton. Tho bonus amounted to about £52, full ■ value. or £35 152. cr3 ! onar y value. Subsequently a letter' - was ; , sent ...to •accused , enolos-, lng. a form which ho was . requested to , , fill .in and return, together with Mr. Charlton's policy and marriage'certificate. • Alfred Barry,, letter carrier in the-,Post and Telegraph Office, said that at tho end of April "/Jjjj* letter to Mr'. Charlton.. from tho Lifo InsurMce. Department, representing' that ttere : had be«n a mistake in addressing the letter in tho office. .

Arthur Walls, clo'rk fin- the ■ Mount Viow Asylum," gave eFidoiicG. , DQteotive iWilliftins, who, in company with Detective Kemp, effected .the arrest*. read a .statement; signed by; aroused wherein he admitted forging tho name'of Joseph Charlton. Accused plfMl# 1 guilty, and was: commit-' ted to.the SiljSreme Court for sentence. As ho stepped (IftwiL'frpra tho dock to sign t'he statement ho sttggered and fell as if faint- ■ Jng. A CANVASSER FROM CAPE TOWN. The- same accused - was also Charged with obtaining sums of. money from several persons by means ;of- a certain false pretence. Ihe particulars wero: On June I, obtaining £1. from Mary Wlhito and £1 from Mary Lawson •oh June.s, obtaining £1 from Thos. Costello; and on' May 29, obtaining £1 from J. .B.vMpjfbray,-and los. from Bebocca Resen. guilty .was entered,in each case. ... r.Uhief-Deteclave Broberg stated that ac,cusca, J !had represented himself. to be agent for certain;insurance companies,, and' had pretended to insure the goods of the people named, 'obtaining .tlhe sums mentioned as delfts.; At the_tjjno that he had, committed earning on an averfro°m Lut'h a Alrit; H ° WS3 " rCC6nt Wival

,9'', h ?tJ.vL .Mr. P. Jackson stated • that.. Ketze was., a native of Capo Town, t South Africa, and belonged to a SlSl tt™ y i ~? e e rew tired of the . miserable v state of things existing in Cape Town, and, : attracted by.pictures of great came to. New fcerfland, brineine with him his .wife; and baby. On arrival here t/T thl ? e ? were almost as bad as at Cape Town, but, after some, time, .he man-' aged to obtain work as insurance canvasser <?nh"m V V Workingon commission he. oould not make enough at-this to keepr; his wife and child, and, driven to . desperation, ho committed the offences with Mictta-was-now charged. He had/not intended to permanently deprive the people of the sums; wluch lie obtained from them, but had thought to return them when he- was more prosperous, .Witll; the explanation that the policies had.not been accepted. Mr JackMn asked his Worship to consider these .as, extenuating circumstances, arid, deal with acoused under the. First Offenders Act <His Worship said that, so far as first ottenders were concerned, he was always prepared to give them another chance, but this caso was not one of a person who had made a nrst .shp. . Accused had committed'several offences, with intervals of days between. He' was not absolutely destitute; His • Worship treated offences committed on tho same dav : 1 o» sm M h off , en « ! >: and inflicted .three fine's of'£2,. £ly and ,£2 for each.date, also ordertho :money obtained to.be. returned. In each: case the default was fixed "at 14 davs' jmprisonment. . .. . !

THEFT FROM A SHOP-FRONT. 7.. An'-old''offender, named - Edward Arnold; added to a long list of previous 'offences V a . charge of stealings shirt, value os. 6d.. from the. shop of Woolf Schwartz. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment.

■ TO THE MAGDALENE HOME. ■" < Violet Paton, alias Frazer, who waa charged on remand-with insobriety, was convicted and ordered to conio up for sentence when; called upon, on condition' that she went • into the Magdalene Home ■ for • twelve, months. \On'a. charge of entering licensed promises during the currencv of a prohibi-tion-order accused was convicted and discharged. .Emma - Wright, with five previous convictions; for drunkenness, .find 'Caroline Smvdth, .with one, were, - similarly' dealt

: INSOBRIETY. One female .first offender,"charged with insobriety, was convicted and-; ordered to pay 17s. 6d. medical expenses,' m'/'defanlt 48 hours' imprisonment. CIVIL BUSINESS. ~ (Before Dr. -A. M'Arthur, S,M.) DEALING WITH "A HIELANDER." peculiar case was heard in tho Civil Court yosterday' when Charles Thoi*po of. Wellington, -labourer, sued Wm. Finlayson, also a labourer, for tho sum of £30. Tho statement of claim set out. that, on May 3, 1909, defendant, without the authority of plaintiff. or anyone acting oil his behalf, wrongfully entered, plaintiff's cottage on Thorndon reclamation and lit a fire therein'. The iame .day the cottage was destroyed by fire, together with the wholo of the furniture, offects, and wearing apparel, the property Vofj plaintiff, whoret'oro an action was brought to recover the sum of £30 damages from defendant. , ,

■Mr. Jackson, on' behalf of plaintiff, called evidence to prove the statements made. • Defendant then went into the witness-box, and stated that he had no money to pay the claim were given against hini. -His earnings hardly averaged £2 per week, and, .out of this, he, had to pay 17a. 6d. a week rent. •

. His Worship: But I must give judgment against you, Vail the samo. - DefeWdartt: But I can't pay, your Worship. His; Worship: Well,,you have heard tho old proverb, You can't take the breeks off a Hielanderl" i . Judgment wasgiven; for the amount claimed, and £4 15s. costs. FURTHER ADJOURNED. ' The.caso Aaron Samuels and Wm. Gray, tailor (tra<ling as tho WholMalo Woollen Co.), r. F. W. Vare and others, was again called on. Mr. Levvey appeared for plaintiffs and Mr. I/uckin for defendants. _ After 'hearing more evidenco a, further adjournment was granted.