BETTING BY TELEGRAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 792, 12 October 1929, Page 1

BETTING BY TELEGRAM

Conspiracy To Defraud Alleged TWO TELEGRAPHISTS INVOLVED Press Association GISBOKXE, Today. rTE story of how a racing man was tricked by an alleged forged telegram was told in the iVlagistrate’s Conrt today when two telegraphists and an indent agent faced charges of attempted fraud.

■William McKinnon, an indent agent, u d Wallace Fountain, a telegraphist, we re jointly charged with conspiring to defraud Arthur Yeo, of Napier, an alleged bookmaker, of £99 by means of a forged telegram on August 13, and with similarly conspiring to defraud him of £BO on August 15. McKinnon and Charles Thomas Clifford Hands, a telegraphist, were charged with having, on August 24, attempted to defraud Yeo of £l5O by means of a forged telegram. Evidence was given by George Symons, owner of the horse Malahat, that, as a result of a conversation with McKinnon, he wrote to Yeo and arranged to use the "no reply" code. Permission was granted with a limit of £2O on condition that the telegram he lodged before the advertised starting time of the race. McKinnon asked that the code be left at his offlee, and twice asked if he could use the code, witness agreeing on the condition that he Jet him know when he was doing so. On no occasion was

he notified by McKinnon that he was going to use it. Witness denied that the telegrams produced were written by him or were sent by his authority. He also denied sending several other telegrams, which were produced, making bets on various horses, or receiving money either from Yeo or McKinnon, j Cross-examined, witness admitted ; that he had endeavoured to communii cate with Yeo at McKinnon’s request. He had addressed an envelope to him and left them with McKinnon, and had used McKinnon’s box for receiv- , ing a racing letter. McKinnon was continually telling him about the betting after it was done. Elsie Kathleen Morrel, a telephone operator, deposed to making Itmnections between McKinnon’s telephone number and the telegraph counter where Fountain was working, but said she was too busy to hear the conversation. The hearing was adjourned until Monday.