A RUSE THAT FAILED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3691, 15 September 1927, Page 3

A RUSE THAT FAILED.

CELESTIAL REFUSES TEMPTING BET. YOUNG MAN BEFORE THE COURT. At the local Courthouse yesterday, before Messrs J. K. Hornblow and M. E. Perreau, J’s.P., a young man, Thomas Francis Darrang, aged 23 years, was charged by the police with being idle and lyAccused pleaded guilty. Constable Owen said tlia't accused arrived in Foxton at about 3 p.m. on Tuesday when lie visited the Chinese laundry the previous proprietor of which he had known. He informed the proprietor that he owned a racehorse and was a trainer by occupation. The Dannevirke races were on the following day, he said, and he would put the Celestial on “a good thing.” “Joe” was not sufficiently impressed, however, and would not part up with the necessary money. Accused thereupon left the laundry, stating that ho would ring up Palmerston North and find out the “prices” of the various bets and returned about ten minutes later stating that he could offer the Chinaman a 100 to 3 bet. This offer was again refused and accused lefty but returned once more at 6 p.m., when he made further futile attempts to extract money from the laundryman. He then asked straight-out for a loan of 5/-, which was refused and after accused’s departure, the Chinaman informed the police of the occurrence. When arrested accused was penniless. His previous record showed that he had been leading a wasted life for the last five years and had served various terms of imprisonment for vagrancy, false pretences, obscene language, trespass on a racecourse and had been fined for unlawfully converting a car to his own use and gambling. Accused said that ever since his last trouble he had been in steady employment at Wanganui until a week ago when he left his employer, owing to domestic trouble. He had been going straight for five and a-half months and was on his way to Wellington in company with another young man on a lorry. He did not know what made him ask the Chinaman for money and he asked to be given a chance. Mr. C. Adams, skating rink proprietor, said lie was prepared to give him a job right away and his friend with the lorry was prepared to take him on to Wellington.

The lorry proprietor said he was prepared to take Darrang and give him employment. Tc had known accused for some time.

After pointing out the seriousness of the charge.and admonishing accused, the Bench said that seeing his friend had guaranteed to look after him, accused would be convicted and discharged and ordered to leave the town immediately- ■