ON BAIL AT £2000.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 6

ON BAIL AT £2000.

CRISP COMMITTED,

I LAWYER'S ALLEGED ACTS.

SERIES OF CHARGES.

(By Telcsraph—Press Association.] Dunedin, April 24. John Crisp, solicitor, of Palmerston, ippeared on remand at the Police Court this morning, before Mr. J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., on a series , of 'charges. Mr. J. F. M, Fraser, Crown Solicitor, conducted tho prosecution, and Mr. W. C. Macgregor, with 3iim Mr. O. N. Scurr, appeared for accused. In each of the first six charges Crisp reserved his defence and was committed for trial. Tho first charge taken was that on or about January, 1911, Crisp forged the name of James Park to a certain conveyance of lands (situated in 'the. Hawkesbury district) from James Parker to Jessie Palmer. The Crown Solicitor said that accused was lately practising as';a-solicitor at Palmerston. Acting on behalf of two of his clients—Pittaway and Cunningham —who were trustees of the Sutherland Trust, accused received out of that trust from, tlio Otago Farmers' Co-oper-ative Association a sum of money 'amounting to a little over £3000 to iti.vost for the trust. Of- that-sum-£2OOO was invested to tho knowledge of tho trustees,/but. subsequently when they inquired as to the balance they were told that it had been invested on mortgage on certain lands in tho Hawkesbury district belonging to Mrs. Palmer, who -had ■purchased it from one James 'Park. At a later stage the trustees .obtained the floods from accused, but James Park, •the vendor, then.denied that he had executed it. Tho document purported to ibo stamped, b,ut the stamp evidently (belonged to an old document, alid was 'dated 1888. It . also purported to bo registered, .but'that was.Jthe subject matter of another charge. .. , v . William Pittaway, one of .the. trustees, t)f the, Sutherland : trust, described jho terms of the transaction. He added that in 1911 they saw accused,■ perused,-the Idecd, and we're'satisfied for. a time. dwo month's- ago, however,-witness itown with tho deeds and found that they \vero not registered, hut that another - mortgage —a . Dunedin Savings . Bank mortgage—was registered. Witness interviewed Crisp at Palmerston and informed liim that they wanted to see him. about Mrs. Palmer's mortgage. Accused replied: "Yes, it is. all right." /Wit; jicss said: "But it is not registered. Crisp then: said:. "No,, but it all T i"ht." -Witness then told Crisp that ■the Dunedin Savings Bank,had a mortgage registered, .and. accused; replied: ■"Yes, but yours is a good one. ine ttther is nogood-"- • Second Charge-The Registrar's Slgnahire. The next charge was that, on or about '(January 20, 1911, Crisp had. forged the 'signature of C. K. Nalder (Registrar of Deeds, Dunedin) to a certain conveyance of lands, from James Park and Jessio Palmer. . ■ Wm. Beckett-Galloway, clerk of the Borough of Palmerston, said he had been appointed supervisor of Crisp's affairs in" conjunction with the Official 'Assignee.. Witness had found an old seal of the Borough Council among Crisp's belongings. Charlo3 Edward Nalder, Registrar of Deeds at Dunedin, said that on February 9 or 10 of .this year certain documents were presented . to, liim for inquiry. On one document the name "C. •E. Nalder" was not his signature.

Another Alleged Forgery. j 'Accused was further charged that, about January, .1911, at Palmerston, lie forged the names and and signatures of Jessie Palmer and Willjam Palmer •to a deed of mortgage on certain land. William Palmer stated in evidence that ho knew that his wife had had to borrow' money to buy property, but he tad never signed any deed of mortgage. Jessie Palmer, wife of the previous Iwitness, also said that the signature ion tho document was not hers. Arthur Chapman Smith, solicitor, Said that ho had actcd on behalf of the Dunedin Savings Bank in connection with the preparation of a deed of mortgage from Jessie Palmer and her husband to the bank. Witness had sent tho document to Crisp for signature. Fredl Smith, manager of tho Dunedin Savings Bank, said that the bank had lent £1000 to Jessie Palmer. Tho interest on the loan was received regularly from Crisp up till fifteen months ago, and since then, from Mrs. Palmer direct.

Fourth Charge, The fourth cliargo was that about (January, 1911, accused forged the signature of C. E. Nalder to a deed of mortgage for lands between Jessie Palmor and William Palmer and James Cunningham and others. Evidence was given by Wm. Puttaway and_ Charles Edward Nalder. Tho latter witness said that the signature on tlio document was not his; neither jvas tho registration mark..

A Client's Money. Crisp was also charged that, in 1908, Sit I'almersfon, ho received £100 from Michael Dennehy on terms requiring ■him to account for, it, and failed to do eo. , The Crown Prosecutor said that this Hvas a. caso where a railwayman had entrusted accused with money for investment. The man was told that tho money had been invested in certain property in ono of tho towns north of Palmerston. That, however, turned out to be incorrect. Crisp, in fact, had subsequently informed Donnelly that it was "incorrect. Tho man had now lost his ■money. Michael Donnelly, railway porter at Goodwood, stated accused had admitted' to him that he had -used the money lor his own purposes. Crisp had given 3iim si deed over his books m February this year;. It was for £200, but he had not got the money back. The sixth chargo was that Crisp, in 1909, received £100 from Michael Dennehy and failed to account for it. Michael Dennehy said that in 1909 ho had had a second sum of'£loo for investment, and had- placed - it with Crisp. He (witness) had .received interest on botlv sums regularly up till last October, when a cheque for : interest was dishonoured.' When; taxed •with the matter Crisp admitted that he had appropriated the money to his own account. Accused gave,witness, »■ sort of mortgage over his practico and his books.

His Books as a Bankrupt. Tho last charge of "'tho' series was Vhat accused, who was adjudged bankrupt on March 16, had failed, within •ohreo years before- the commencement Y,f bis bankruptcy, to keep such books' js were .usual and proper. After some .n-idonce .had been heard the Crown Prosecutor suggested that it would be better to adjourn the case for a week, wiien-he would call tho Official Assignee. In fixing bail, His Worship said lie would have to take into consideration tho fact that evidenco had boon taken on six charges. ■ Bail would bo fixed at £1000 in accused's own recognisances and two sureties of £500 each, with the additional condition that he report himself daily. 1 .