FORGED TRANSFER.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 August 1921, Page 4

FORGED TRANSFER.

LEADS TO LAW SUIT. ADELAIDE, Aug. 6. What is legally described as “lunacy inquisition’’ was conducted by Air Justice Poole in the Civic Court to-day, and statements made in support of an application to his Honor to declare James Hutchison Heron mentally deficient disclosed a peculiar set of circumstances. .Mr O’Halloran, who appeared on behalf of the Public Trustee, said that Heron and his wife had owned land at Broken Hill, and that transfers of the land were forged and registered. Tin* man who had done that passed the titles over to a sharebroker to seen re 1 his account, and the latter deposited them in a hank to secure his account. When the position became known Heron and his wife brought an action in New ! South Wales against the Crown, and : the latter was found liable to pay. It : was proposed to settle the action by the : r r own paving the bnnk£l4so, the value of the property,-and the iiistitut.on was to discharge their mortgage and retransfer the property to Heron and his wife. In the meantime Mrs Heron and a shareholder had died, and Heron, owing to all his worries, became incapable of managing his affairs. The New South Wales counsel, who had acted for Heron and his wife, advised that platn--1 tiffs were entitled to he paid £l4oo, the value of the land, in cash, instead « takii." the land, which had fallen >» value since the date of the registration of the transfer to about £BOO. Tn drdet , to complete the action it became necessary to have someone to represent Heron, the sole surviving plaintiff. Application was made to the Master in Lunacy of New South Wales to enable the estate to he administered by the Public Trustee, hub it was decide*’ that this could not he done until a certificate was produced as to the man s stale of .mind. These fact's necessitated the present proceedings. Evidence was given by Dr Downey, superintendent "if the Parkside 'Mental Hospital and Heron was interrogated by his Honor, who found that Heron was mentally defective and incapable of managing his affairs, and be certified accord ingl.v-