GROSS PERJURY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1447, 23 May 1912, Page 9

GROSS PERJURY.

LOVE AND FINANCE. JBy Tslocraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, May 22. An unusual case came beforo Mv. C. C. Kettle ut the Magistrate's Court this morning in which Miss Hul'll Breach sought to recover from Anthony Melns ,£11! 17s. 10(1.. money lent nml for jewellery pawned. Tho defendant alisolntcly denied ever having borrowed any money from plaintiff. The plaintiff stated in her evidence that .slit was a single woni.-iii. She fii'.-t saw- <hi? defendant on n ferry boat when she was in company with a lady friend. lie followed them after they got oil shore and took (hem for afternoon tea. She had not then been long in Auckland. Meias hail taken her out for a drive and paid hi r other attentions. fLe told her he had started in business ns a wine merchant. He had olYereil to marry her.

Jlr. Kettle: Wei's you <Mi^ai:cil, Wilncss said ."ho liart no ring. Jlolas told her he was prp.-aed for money, and sho lent him J;!). At that time .«fio had about ,£ls. Later on she lent him .CI and .£2. As lie still wanted money for his business sho save him :»mie jewellery which ho pawned for .£.l 10s. It had been her mother's jewellery, and JU'las promised to rodoom it. Witness produced a pawn ticket, which bore the defendant's name. Sho further stated that tho defendant had paid her back .fil 10s., and also bought her a pair of shoes for 3s. lid. After ho got tho money his attentions to her cooled. Air. Kettle: You suggest that ho deliberatelv kept ou with you to get. money aud tlicn when ho had secured it ho got colder ? Witness: Yes. Anthony M-elns, who spoke with a foreign accent, slated that tho girls laughed at him on tho boat and after they landed ho was passing when one said: "Good day, sir." Ho got into conversation with tho girls, and took them to afternoon tea. They invited him home, and ho stayed until 12.30 p.m. They had tea nnd music together. Ho was always looking for enjoyment. Mr. Kettle: Did you at any tiino borrow monoy of this young woman? Witness: Not a half-penny. Continuing his oridenco ' tho witness stated that tho plaintift' asked him to pawn some jewellery as she wanted to buy a now dress. He pawned tho things for £3 10s. in his own name, and gave her the ticket and tho money. In answer to tho magistrate tho defendant said ho had .£ll or .El") when he started as a vino merchant at Devonport. He sold Now Zealand wine. Ho had como to Auckland from Melbourne. Before that ho was in Egypt. He left Cairo because it was too hot. Tho plaintiff, on being recalled, adhered to her evidence in chief. Mr. Kettle said most gross and deliberate _ perjury had been committed ou ouo side or tho other. He preferred to accept tho evidenco of tho plaintiff. Judgment would ljo for plaintiff for tho amount claimed with costs.