A MAGSMAN'S DIARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue XIV, 31 March 1879, Page 4

A MAGSMAN'S DIARY.

(Frora the Argut.) The presence io our midst of a class of person known as " magsmen," who exist upon the credulity of those with whom they may happen to come in contact, it well known to most of tbe community, but their modus operandi ■nd the extent of their organisation are but little understood. The ease of the woman Catherine Smith who was arrested lately which was partially investigated at the tbe City Police Court, revealed, to a certain extent, tha i^oer life of this class of orimiuals in a manner that seldom occurs. The prit6ner was pot forward oo three churgee, ?ir., those of iosultiDg behaviour, being in a public piace with intent to commit a felony and larceny from, the person. Only

the first case waa pone into, the police applying for a remand. Detective Duncan slated that one afternoon, in oompaHy w | }h Detectives fttboney and 0 Donnell, he was on duty on the South Yarra wharf, watching the departure of the ff.s Otway, when his attention was called to the prisoner. He saw her go on the Quarter-deck sraongat • number of ladies there, and press closely to them. Knowing her character, be spoke to the ladies, and afked them if they hod lost aoythiog. They replied in tbo negative, but steady they had felt the woman's hand near iheir pocket?, and declined to make any definite charge, as tbey wished to leave by the steamer. Duncan then asked the prieoner if she was going by the steamer, ood she said ehe was not} but subsequently, when the captain was communicated with, she expressed ber intentiou of poying her passage. She, however, declined to do so, when pressed, and tho detective, on the captain's* order*, removed her from the vessel. She then followed the offiaers about' on the wharf, calling oat thai Dunoan had purposely let Weiberg eecape, had taken money for doing so, and that the newepapers had stated «nch to be the case, She was then arrested and removed to the watchhouse. Detective Duncan also pointed oat that a certain section of the community were now ia the habit of systematically insulting th* police, and be trusted the Bench would protect them. As a remand was applied for in the other cas?i, the Bench declined to adjudicate on tho c^se before the Court, aoJ granted a remand upon all the counts for seven days. Mr. S. Gillott, who appeared for the prisoner, made an application for bail, but the Benob declined to entertaio the proposal. When tbe prisoner was searched at the watcbhonse a small leather bag was found in her possession, oontainioz a sum of £400 in notes and gold, five watches and othsr jewellery, losded dice, and a diary written in pencil, detailing the movements of her«alf aod her husband for the past four months. By the entries ia this book it would appear that tbe precious pair had, during that period, visited various parts of the country, plying their nefarious avocation, and plundering tne habitues of racecourses and cricket grouods by means of varioas one-sided gambling games. At the Dowling

races, at fhn recent cricket match* Ballarar, Hamilton, St, AroauiJ, and various other places tbey appear to hove done remarkably well, their tbkinga on more than one occasion exceeded £20 a day. Tbe mooey found in tbe woman's possession had juat been drawn from the bank, pad it is surmised thnt she intended to leave the colony with her husband, who was i» short time back convicted as a person having no lawfal visible means of aopport, but who is st present on ha if, peeding the result of his appeal against the conviction Of the watches found upon her, some of which were found soldered up in a mustard tin, which was cut open by by Detectiva Dswling, three have already been found to be stolen, and in ooe instance, in regard (o a waech stolen from Sale, the detectives are in s position to prove that her husband waa in that part of Gtpps LaDd at tbe time tbe robbery was committed. That the prisoner comteraplated severing her connection from the "mob" to whom she frequently refers in her disry is evinced by the fact that an unfinished letter was foood in her possession, addressed to a Melbourne newspaper, and purporting to expose the trickeries practised by tbe cla«8 with whom she has so long been associated.