Police Court.

Manawatu Herald, 24 November 1900, Page 2

Police Court.

Thursday, 22nd Nov. (Before Alf. Fraser and C. Dunk, Esqs., J's.P.) Albert Goddard alias Benefield was charged with forging the name of Austin Bros, to a cheque for £4 5s 6d, and uttering the same to Ah Pat. Sergeant-Major Ramsay prosecuted. The following evidence was taken : — Ah Pat deposed— l am a grocer residing in Foxton ; I know the accused ; the last time I saw accused was on Tuesday, the 18th November last, in my shop ; he came in between 8.20 and 8 80 a.m. and bought four packets of cigarettes, and gave me payment by cheque ; the cheque was drawn by Austin Bros. ; I did not have enough change and I gave accused a one pound note, 8s 6d in silver, and my cheque for £8 ; the following day, after 11 a.m., I sent Yong Lum to the Bank with the cheque produced to get it cashed; Yong Lum brought me back the money ; the same day after 8 p.m. the Bank manager came to my shop with Mr Austin and asked me where I got the cheque from ; Mr Austin told me the cheque was a forgery ; the Bank manager asked me to return the money, which I did ; about 7 pm. the same day I informed the police ; the cheque produced, marked A, is the one I received from accused ; the nrice of the cigarettes was two shillings. Herbert Austin deposed—l am a member of the firm of Austin Bros , Flaxmillers, of Foxton ; I know accused ; he was in my employ from the Bth February to the middle of July last ; the cheque produced was not signed by me or my brother Charles ; the signature nor the writing in the body of the cheque ia not ike either of oar writing; the cheque had been taken with four others out of the cheque book produced, marked B; there has been three other consecutive numbers, 611, 642, 648, 644, including the bntts of the cheques; our cheques usually made payable to a number excepting when to a firm, with exceptional cases ; if I had drawn out the cheque produced, marked A, I would simply have made it payable to a number ; we paid accused by s cheque from our firm on the 6th July last for £8 4s 4d, taken out of the cheque book, produced, marked B, and the cheque was number three ; I did not miss the cheques oat of my book until my attention was drawn to the cheque, produced, bj Mr England; the cheque book was kept in our office, close to the mill ; the door is never left open ; the office is about one and a half chains from the mill ; accused would have no business in the office so far as I know. George Melville Archibald deposed —I am a olerk in the Bank of N Z., Foxton ; the cheque produced I saw in the Bank on the 14th November last ; I got the oheque on the file, and I saw the signature was not that of Austin Bros. ; the writing in the body of the cheque is not their writing ; Austin's cheques are generally payable to a number ; when I noticed the cheque I called the manager's attention to it. Charles Francis E. England d«oosed - I am the Manager of the Bank of N.Z ,at Foxton ; the oheque, produced, marked A, was broughi to me by a young chinaman from\h Pat; I cashed the cheque, giving

Bilver for it ; about 10 minutes afterwards witness Archibald drew my attention to the cheque ; on examining it I found the signature was not Austin 8r05., ; I took the cheque to Mr H. Austin, 'who declared it n. forgery. By accused— The reason I cashed the cheque was because I was busy at the time. John Forster deposed— l am a constable stationed in Foxton; the cheque, produced, marked A, I received from Ah Pat at 9 p.m on the 14th inst. ; the cheque book, produced, marked B, I received from the witness Austin this morning. Timothy O'Rourke deposed lam a constable stationed in Otaki ; I arrested accused at 9 p.m. on the 15th November last ; I searched him and charged him with forgery at Otaki, and also told him that I had intimation of a forgery at Foxton ; I asked accused his name, he said, Arthur Cooper ; I then asked him if he wanted another alias as I knew his name was Albert Benefield (alias) Goddard ; accused said it is all up, you will not find me alive in the cell in the morning , the day after the arrest I went to the cell and saw a cheque book on the Bank of New South Wales, Wellington, numbered from 74051 to 74080, which was in a bucket of water, which had been previous'y given to accused by me ; the cheque book had been partly burned. The accused, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial. G. Wright was fined 2s. for breach of school attendance. A charge against W. Richmond for tho same offence was dismissed. ■■ 1