AN ALTERED TELEGRAM.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1919, Page 3

AN ALTERED TELEGRAM.

TELEGRAPH OPERATOR ADMITS I FRAUD. j OUTCOME OF BETTING j TRANSACTION. 1 AUCKLAND, October 10. 1 A case, involving a charge of false ; pretences against a telegraph operator J in connexion with a betting telegram to Christchurch came before Dir J. E. Wilson, S.iM., at the Magistrate’s Court to-day. The licensed was Boyd Stewart Sutherland, and the charge against him was that on August 16th ho attempted to obtain £22 from James Walsh, agent and bookmaker, of Christchurch, by pretending that a certain telegram I addressed to Roy Matthews of ChristI church (otherwise James Walsh), purporting to invest £lO on a liorse named Gold Kip had been lodged for transmission before a certain hour in the form in which it was ultimately received. Robert M. Cox, assistant to Walsh, gave evidence to the effect that a man named W. Reid, employed by a hair dresser of Queen street had made an arrangement to deal with Walsh under the “£.lO no reply”, cash betting telegraph system. This enabled Reid to bet on any horse running in New Zealand provided that tlie telegram was handed in to the telegraph office before the advertised time of starting any particular race on time. On August 16tli two telegrams were handed in under arrangement ■ with Reid investing £lO each on Gold Kip and Imaribbon. The “handed in” time of the Gold Kip telegram was 12.50 p.m. and the “finishing time” of the telegram 1.24 p.m. Owing to the delay between the “handed in” Rime pud, the. “finishing time” the addressees asked to see the original telegram but could not obtain it. Both horses named won in their respective races Gold Kip running first in the Heathcote Handicap, Reid being entitled to £22. Owing to some suspicion regarding the telegram, the money was not paid out. The Telegraph Department informed the police about the matter. The race won by Gold Kip had been due to start at 12.55 p.m. but it did not actually start until 1.2 p.m.

Walter Reid, hairdresser, at present employed at Otahuhu, said that about fifteen months ago he arranged with Walsh, on behalf of accused for business to take place under the “£lO no reply” telegram system. Witness said he had put in many telegrams ■rfor accused, but none for himself. Accused used witness’s name on telegrams. Witness did not know that a bookmaker would not deal with a telegraph operator under the system in question. On August 21st accused showed witness a letter from Walsh, and accused drafted a reply which witness copied and sent to Walsh. Accused said that one of the telegrams had been mislaid by the Department. The telegram relating to the bet on Gold Kip was not handed in by witness;

Alexander Mill, senior supervisor in the telegraph operating room Auckland, said that on August 16th accused was sending on the Christchurch line from 12.30. p.m. to 3 p.m. The telegram relating to the bet on Gold Kip was put in at (Elliott street post office at 12.55 p.m. It left Elliott street on its way to the Chief Post Office at 12.57 and reached the officer in the Chief Post Office at 1.5 p.m. It was then sent unstairs to the operating room. The telegram would have been despatched by the accused, who finished transmitting it at 1.24. p.m. The receiver of the message asked for a “repeat,” but the original telegram could not bo found. The accused had been an operator in the Auckland office for about three years. Detective-Sergeant Hammond said that tlie accused was a married man with two children. Accused made a statement to witness in which lie admitted that h© used Reid’s “no reply” system, arid on August 16th he made an unauthorised alteration to a telegram. Originally the latter was an instruction to invest £lO on a horse called Rehekah. In transmitting the telegram lie altered the name of Rehekah to that of Gold Kip. He destroyed the original telegram, and that was the reason why it could not now be found. No person was in collusion with him over the alteration to the 'telegram. Accused pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was allowed in a sum of £SO.