THE WOMAN PAID.
1 . A DEAR EXPERIENCE. AIR CASTLES TUMBLE. A whole series of air castles, built by the glib tongue of a man arrested by detectives in Sydney on Wednesday night, tumbled when a city bank refused to honour a series of cheques, drawn on a fictitious account. And when the police investigated the case they heard an amazing story of how three men and a woman had been duped. In Brisbane, a month ago, returning from a race meeting, a young man got into conversation with a middle-aged woman, and during their conversation induced her to believe that he could get inside racing information. ITe informed, her that he was averaging £lO a week from his betting transactions.
■ In the ensuing week she gave him varying sums to invest for her, and later on remarked that she intended travelling to Colombo for a holiday.
He volunteered to accompany her on the trip, having informed her that: he had been a captain in the British Army during the war. and was even then doing secret service work in Australia for the Imperial Government. For this lie claimed to be drawing the sum of £4OOO a year, and he also stated that he was expecting a draft any day for £SOOO, through the Australian Government.
It was agreed between them that they should pool some money and make the trip to Colombo together. First, however, he induced her to come to Sydney for the Easter meeting. They would make a lot of money, he said, and would have all the more to spend on their trip.
She paid all expenses to Sydney, and when he found that she meant to make the trip to Colombo, he told her that his sister had just arrived in Brisbane. She agreed to return to get his sister. Still paying all the expenses, she returned to Brisbane, where he picked up his “sister,’'' and engaged a motor car, bringing the owner and two extra drivers to Sydney.
In Sydney, the man, “sister,” and the woman who was still footing the bills, put up at the leading city- hotel, sending the chauffeurs and the car owner to another hotel. After a few days in Sydney the woman suggested that he should start to prepare that pool of money putting in some of his own.
“I'll do it to-day,” she claims he promised. “There will be my £SOOO from the draft, and that, with our racing winnings to date, which I am still holding will bring the account up to £27,00.” He went out then, and later returned with a cheque book and what purported to be a deposit slip showing that amount at credit in the bank.
“I have placed all the money in your name,” he said. “Now you draw some cheques for the amounts we owe for the car trip and the drivers.”
She drew cheques for £IOO in favour of the car owner, and smaller amounts for the others, including a cheque for the account at the hotel at which they were staying. The latter cheque was presented immediately, as the hotel manager was somewhat chary of the bona (ides of the young man. When it was marked “No account” the detectives were called in. At first the young man was inclined to ride the high horse, and refused to answer any questions whatever. Later he made a statement. He had had a wonderful holiday, which cost the woman more than £3OO. But lie has to face a charge of false pretences.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19260518.2.21
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3037, 18 May 1926, Page 4
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590THE WOMAN PAID. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3037, 18 May 1926, Page 4
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