Supreme Court.

Manawatu Herald, 5 February 1903, Page 2

Supreme Court.

W RIiLINQTON. CHARGES OF FALSE PRETENCES; The first case taken was of William Eanciman, charged with two separate offences of obtaining money at Masterton by false pretences, with intent to defraud, on 4th December, £2 Is from Herbert William Pownall, licensee of the Central Hotel; and on sth Decern* her, £3 from Francis John Dignitn, manager of the bank of New Zealand at Masterton. Mr Henry Frederick Alien was chosen foreman of the jury. Mr Hindmarsh appeared for accused. The case for the prosecution was as already published—-that accused cashed the cheques, although correspondence with his bankers (the Auckland branch of the Union Bank of Australia) indicates that he knew his account was not sufficient in credit to meet the cheques; and he also represented that he had been appointed to a position in the Defence Department at £350 a year, and that he showed to Pownall a paragraph in the New Zealand Herald indicating that such was, er was likely to be, the case. Pownall and Dignan grve evidence, the record clerk of the Defence Department stated that accused had not received the appointment, and had not been offered it officially. A.

iMiniiiHiswn clerk of the Union Bank deposed as to the correspondence and the state of., accused’s' account, and denied that the Bank had any record of the ihamiger having received from accused a certain letter .with an enclosure. Accused deposed that he was an officer in the Royal Dragoons from 14th September, 1875 to 1886, and in 1886 he went into the Egyptian Army, retiring from the Dragoons cm a gratuity. Remained in the Egyptian Army till 1899. In June last he came to New Zealand with tnoney, his intention being to take up land, or, failing that, to get employment under the Government. He brought letters of introduction to the Premier, Mr Seddon, and to Bishop Wallis. Mr Hindmarsh —You presented the letter#, and did see Mr Sodden. Accused said he saw Mr Seddon on hi# arrival in Auckland from the Coronation celebrations. Accused attended the reception banquet. He sent his card to Mr Seddon and was received. He recalled to Mr Seddon that they had met at the Hotel Cecil during the Premier’s former trip Home in 1897, and Mr Seddon appeared to remember. Mr Seddon asked what had brought accused to New Zealand, and accused said he was anxieus to obtain Government employment. He received no definite promise from Mr Seddon, he said he was busy and would be busy during his few days’ stay in Auckland. On the Bth November accused told the manager of the Union Bank that some cheques were out, but that they would be paid in during the following week. The manager said that would be all right. On Monday 15th November, accused saw a paragraph in the Herald to the effect that Major Runciman had been or was likely to be appointed to the Defence Department. Accused left Auckland, but before going wrote to the manager of the Union Bank. The enclosure concerning which the bank clerk had been questioned, and which accused sent in a letter to the manager ot the Union Bank, was from Arthur Dixon Greenway, who bore an honoured name in Birmingham, and to whom accused had lent .£2OO. The wording was to the following effect; —“ Dear Runciman— I have wired to your account at the Union Bank the sum of £200.” Accused absolutely believed that Greenway had done as stated in this note, and that accused account was in a good position. Accused told Pownall and Dignan that he had hopes of getting the Defence Department billet—not that he had got it. After further cross-examination the jury retired, and after an absence of an hour and forty minutes, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty, and accused was remanded for sentence till 10.30 a.m. to-day, in order that the Probation Officer may report . —Post.