IN A HOTEL BAR

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 8, 10 July 1923, Page 8

IN A HOTEL BAR

CONFIDENCE MEN AT WORK

HARD LABOUR FOR BOTH.

"These men may well be described as luiman parasites," said Chief Detective Kemp when two ' young men, Michael Boyle, alias. "Ginger" Boyle, alias Waltor Williams, aud Bernard Heyward, alias Richard Williams, alias George Davis, alias John Stains, appeared before Mr. E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court "to-day on charges of playing a game of chance with coin in the bar of the Hotel Cecil. Both men admitted their guilt, Chiof-Deteotivn Kemp explained that according to the section under which the accused were charged each was liable to a fine of £50, or three months' imprisonment. The. position was that a vounjr man, 22 years of ajre. arrived here from Canterbury a few days ago, and meeting, the defendants yesterday, he consented to go to afternoon' tea. with them. . ■ "Following this,, they indulged in 'sellinjj. a horse,' aud one of them, 'shouted' tho tea," went on the Chief-Detective, "and they adjourned to the bar. of the Hotol Cpril. Boyle'shouted.'the preliminary drink for the four of them;_,there \vas one man who- does not appear in Court,, and they began to play 'odd man shouts." Finally they got. down in business,...oacli being required at various intervals to stake 2s 6d, with the result that the complainant lost 14s to Boyle and 5s to Heyward. It was at this stage that they were interrupted by detectives Thomas and Murch. Both men are old offenders, with Ions: lists for similar offences." . ■ . ■ On behalf of the accused Mr. W. PerTy submitted the fact that thpy were old offenders did not necessarily ■ make the present charge a- serious one. The amount staked was very small, and it was not as if they had srot hold of two or-three "innocents'' and "taken them down.''.- The case was one which might well be mot liy a'fine, the amount of which should be commensurate with the offence. "These men are not'given very good characters by the Chief-Detective," said the Magistrate,: "and each has a substantial list Judcrsnsr by the remarks of the prosecution, it is obvious that they set themselves out to take this voune man down. Each will be sentenced to one month's imprisonment with ■ hard labo.ur."