AN UNUSUAL CASE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1931, Page 6

AN UNUSUAL CASE

REQUEST FOR £3OOO MYSTERY NOT YET SOLVED. (By Telegraph—Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 14. A cabled request i'or £3OOO from a remote port in America, received recently by A. Coutts of Wellington, from his brother David 'Coutts, gives rise to anxiety concerning • the latter and his wife, who recently left Wellington to visit America and Britain, vMr Coutts sailed for San Francisco by the Monowai in March last. He is a member of the carrying firm of Coutts Bros, and Hare Ltd. Coutts was amply provided with money. When his brother in Wellington received the cable message, from a somewhat remote port in America to send £3OOO, he was nonplussed, and cabled back for confirmation. It duly came to hand but as Coutts was so well provided for, and the amount was so large, he was not satisfied that it was a genuiney message, and was strongly suspicious as to the origin of the message. Coutts resolved to consult the authorites and details of the whole matter with the cables received were placed before the police but as it involved happenings in a foreign country, the Government had been informed through the aid of the Consul General for America. Communication was established with the police of the United States, and the mystery only appeared to deepen. There was some difficulty in tracing the sender of the cable, but it is said when located b e answered the test questions quite correctly. The money was not" and no letter confirming the cable h,tis yet been received.