A YOUTH’S SAVINGS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5013, 13 August 1926, Page 3

A YOUTH’S SAVINGS.

CONFIDENCE MAN’S METHODS.

“MADMAN IN THE GARDENS.”'

A few days ago there arrived in Wanganui a young map who told the police a pitiful story of how he had been taken down in a barefaced manner in Wellington.

This young man, who hails from Kaporiga, arrived in New Zealand a few years ago and applied himself diligently to work on a dairy farm. He saved up over £l2o', and then decided that he would make a. trip to Australia to visit s.ome relatives.

During the. train journey to Wellington he became acquainted with a young ma ; n who, by way of intijoduction, handed him a cigarette. The trusting young man from Kaponga became over-communicative, and told h's new acquaintance that he had saved up over £l2O and was about to visit Australia. At Thorndon station the. friends parted and the Kapongaite went bo stay at an hotel.

iO'n Sunday morning he was delighted to see his train acquaintance again. The latter related to him how he had met a madman in the gardens who had offered to play him cards for £lOO, and the “confidence” man won. But the madman would iiot pay out unless the other could show £lOO as a guarantee that he had sufficient money to pay the madman had the. latter won.

The trusting Kapongaite offered to go with his friend to'see the madman and endeavour to get the £lOO. In the gardens they found the. “madman” under a tree, and hadi s.ome difficulty at first to induce him to come out, The Kapongaite showed him his roll of £l2O, which the “madma.n” promptly grabbed.- He then commenced to climb trees with the agility of a monkey and make all sortsi of grimaces. He even went to the extent btf chewing leaves. At last the. “madman” made a clean break away, and has not been seen since.

The young man who had met the Kapongaite on the train was almost reduced- to tears through the los,s sustained by his Kaponga friejid, and gave him all he had in the world, namely, £3 14s, to pay his> passage back. He came as far as Wanganui, where he told his story and was taken to the police to repeat it. When to/Id he had been the victim of a confidence trick he still refused to bellieve that the man who relieved him of his. roll was not'mad.