Fraud on the Bank of Australasia

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 28, 3 September 1891, Page 4

Fraud on the Bank of Australasia

> Melboxtbne, August 19. The robbery of the tramway employee a iew weeks ago, by which the Tramway Company were defrauded «>f £350, and of which the perpetrator lias so r far, entirely escaped the police, has now been rivalled for cleverness ■ and ingenuity by a fraud oomurittwd yesterday un the Bank of Australasia, at the corner of " Collins and "Queen Btreets: ''It "was shortly after eleven o'clock in the morning, when the ißank " ,was busiest, that a young woman, well dressed, and of good appearance, walked up to the counter of the paying teller, and presented a cheque for £132, signed '• b. Peters," and made payable to self. There was nothing remaikable about the document, .and as it was perforated in the ÜBual fashion, and apparently initialled by the ledger-keeper, the paying teller, though he did not know the •signature, unhesitatingly paid over the money iu£lo notes ami two single notes- The Woman placed the money in a handbag, and smilingly bidding the teller "Good morning" left the 'ißank;' A short time elapsed, a little less than' half an hour, aud the woman returned to the Bank and presented a second cheque to the .paying teller, drawn by A; Noble, for £1374. This 'one also was initialled by the ledger-keeper and perforated, but the • teller, 2 considering it remarkable that the woman should have two such large cheques in one day, thought it would be wise to make some inquiries before^paying the money over. The y result was his discovery that the two cheques were frauds, the ledgerkeeper's marks having been cleverly -forged in both instances. The young ■woman remained in the Bank quite and when the detectives Tyere '.brought wept bitterly in apparently honest surprise at her The. woman, who is only twenty-four years of age, stated that her name T was Elizabeth Freeman, and that she lodged at {South Melbourne with, a laboring man. About a sreek ago she met a man whom she did npt-know, in Lonsdale street. This person, accosted her, and they entered 4n conversation, which was terminated by the stranger's giving her some refreshments and making an appointment :to<meet her again on last Friday, The young' woman kept the appointment^ ;and walked about the streets •-some little time with her recently • acquired acquaintance. The latter remarked that she appeared to be in reduced; circumstaces, an^after giving ""■ her some refreshmentSj presented her Tvith a cheque for £l on the bank of -Australasia. Freeman went down to *the Bank, cashed the welcome present,! and came to meet her patron _yesterday by appointment. They •met at^an early hour, when the man told 3£reemau that he would like to take ker : to Sydney, and asked her if -she would come. She replied that -flhe would, and her friend then said " that it would ; c necessary for her to iiaveti a proper outfit, and this he would put her in the way of getting. He told, her to come with him, and < the pair adjourned to the West Bourke Hotel, at the corner of Queen ■and Lonsdale streets. There they went in, 1 and the man after calling for -drinks, gave her a cheque for £132. He told her to take it to the Bank of Australasia, get the cash for it, and return to him at the hotel. As has been related, Freeman obtained the ■.money and she states' handed it to the man 'in: the hotel, They had some s-more drinli, and the man expatiated ~on the clothes he was about to pur-•»-chase fpr.'Freeman. He finished his -drink and; made ready to go, but appeared to change his mind suddenly, ■^and,: turning to the girl, said, " You may^as' well get this one cashed too, -and then we can be off by the Sydney -•express." With this he gave Free-•--inanrthe cheque for £1374, as she went to the bank to eret it cashed. Whafe. followed has been already s istatedwj No money has been found on . Freeman^