Colonial Bank. Police Court.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 292, 16 June 1896, Page 2

Colonial Bank. Police Court.

At the Police Court this morning, before Messrs Walter A. L. Bailey and C. Bull, J.P.s Reginald Bone was charged with having obtained £5 from Mr W. T. Watta and £5 from Mr D. P. Barrett, by means of valueles cheques ; and, also, of attempting to pass a valueless cheque. Constable Tuohy conducted the case for the prosecution and Mr L. E. Reade appeared for defendant. W. T. Watts deposed that accused had obtained on April 7 a drink and £4 19s in cash from witness for a cheque of £5 ; the cheque was on a Wellington .bank and in favour of accused, being drawn by himself, and was returned as valueless. To Mr Reade': The £5 has since been repaid to witness. L. H. Goldfinch deposed to giving accused two cheque forms at his request ; knew accused for ten years and this was the first occasion witness knew him to do anything wrong. W. Hodren deposed to cashing, as an employe of D. P. Barrett, in the licensed booth at the Feilding races, a £5 cheque presented by accused. D. P. Barrett gave evidence of the cheque signed by accused, and cashed by W. Hodren as an employe of witness* at the Feilding races, being returned as valueless. To Mr Reade : Since imforming the police bad been repaid the £5. On the third charge, that of " attempt* ing to cash a cheque," D. P. Barrett deposed that accused asked witness for a blank cheque, which witness gave him ; accused then asked witness if he would cash a cheque for £5, but witness refused unless it was endorsed ; accused gave his name as " Bone," of Wellington. Accused pleaded " guilty " to the charges of having obtained money by means of valueless cheques from W. T. Watts and D. P. Barrett and applied, through his solicitor, to be deal with summarily. Mr Reade addressed the Bench in mitigation of sentence and asked that the offences be dealt with summarily under the First Offenders Act. "Mr Reade called Duncan Mcßeth, who deposed to knowing accused ten years ago, and that he (witness) always found accused honest and steady in every way. Accused was sentenced to three months in Wanganui gaol with hard labor on the two first charges, the sentences to run concurrently, the third charge being dismissed. A man named F. Clifford, who was arrested at Feilding this morning by Constable Healey on a cbarge of having committed an indecent act by leaving open letters containing indecent language and figures in a store room on the premises of W. Allan, of Kiwitea, with intent to insult. A remand for eight days was applied for by Constable Tuohy and granted. Mr Reade appeared for accused.