Escapees From Justice.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 63, 8 September 1894, Page 4

Escapees From Justice.

Thus a writer in the Christchurch Star :— And this brings me to the consideration of a question that has ] troubled me for a long period of years : Why there should not be between America and New Zealand an extradition treaty that would en- r able both countries to reach out and overtake the criminals who make their way into either country ? At present, in San Francisco, there is what may be termed a little colony of escapees from justice in New Zealand. Let me give a few examples, f Mr Dudley Eyre, a gentleman who used to teach Sunday school, preach, pray, and act as a saint iv Wanganui — used to have plastered up in his ( office all sorts of Scriptural texts — *< be, I say, swindled and robbed and [ robbed and swindled, and fin illy ] skipped to the Pacific slope. Just one of his tricks ior my reader 3 .' entertainment: — He had gone to Auckland on what was representpd to be urgent private business. On the very day the steamer left for San j Francisco, Mr Eyre met a Wanganui j banker. He told how he had run short of cash, and wanted to draw a cheque. Would the banker mark it good ? Of course he would ; anything tor Mr Eyre. He marked the 1 cheque, it was cashed, and with that iast little sum to add to all his other ill-gotton gains, the gentleman steamed off to 'Frisco. A Mr Joseph ] Parker, a supposedly well-to-do blacksmith, worked upon the affections of a former employer who — out of sheer goodness of heart— was delighted to help the " Joey " of former years. Bills for sums of £10 and £20 and I £05 were endorsed by the old man : and were then turned into bills of £100, £200 and £250, and as they fell due th".y were renewed by the same process. One £12 bill was altered, it I remember aright, to £1250. Wh«n it was found that the old man was breaking up, he was persuaded to sign what he believed to be a renewal of the lease of the blacksmith's hop in wbich '* Joey " plied his tra le. liar ■** lea-e " turnei up as a w II when the old man died. The will was conte-tpd ; it was withdrawn ; rhe bills held by the discounters cime on for >ettlemenr. the blacksmith l»«ft lor 'Frisco, and the banks and dis counters alike suffered to a large extent. But worse than all, thos **• to whom tbe old man had really willed his property were forced to contest thp legality of the bills, and the bulk ] of the estate was swallowed up in law ] expenses and in meeting such of the ; bills as were allowed to be good in < law I The villains who committed ] these crimes aro in 'Frisco to-day, i along with others equally bad, but the i law cannot lay hold of them j

Mt Reynold's report on the Tara-naki-Auckland route states that it 1 would require £300,000 to improve the line from Tmakina to Taranaki ' before the line would be suitable for through traffic This should be sufficient argument that the central route is the bost. Milk is now transported to New _ York market over 300 miles. For such a long distance carriage grea* care is npcessary, however, to main- t '*• in the utmost cleanliness in milking* a uud Bubsfctjuent care of the milk.