GREY TO SAIL FOR AMERICA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 816, 9 November 1929, Page 1

GREY TO SAIL FOR AMERICA

Texas Forgery Charge WIFE WILL ACCOMPANY HIM Passengers On The Aorangi rE Helensville land agent, John Grey, wJio was arrested on a charge of forgery, involving the sum of 250,000 dollars, will sail by the Aorangi for the United States on November 19, accompanied by Sheriff Bigharn. Under the extradition order Grey and his wife are travelling as Mr. and Mrs. Crouch.

No further court action, it is stated, will be taken in Auckland and the case will be fought out in the town of Temple, Texas, from which the warted man. A. B. Crouch, disappeared over 13 years ago. Grey will be accompanied by an kuckland lawyer, Mr. Terry, of the Arm of Nicholson, Gribben, Rogerson and Nicholson, who will watch his interests during the hearing of the case in America. The arrest of Grey at Helensville created a sensation at the time. He Tiad lived there for 11 years, carrying on the business of land agent and associating himself with affairs of the town. SHERIFF ARRIVES

Grey Is alleged to be A. B. Crouch, who disappeared from the town of Temple, Texas, United States, in 1916, after committing forgeries involving the sum of 250,000 dollars. Crouch had carried on the business o! grain merchant in Texas, and it is also alleged that he sold grain belonging to farmers and kept the money. On September 24, Mr. John Bigham, sheriff of Bell County, Texas, arrived in Auckland. He travelled to Helensville with Auckland detectives and was present at the arrest of Grey who, the sheriff said, was Crouch. Mr. Bigham and Crouch had been boys together in Texas, and the sheriff declared that a birth-mark under Crouch’s left knee was one of the proofs of identification. When Grey was changing his linen after the arrest a birth-mark was noticed by Detective-Sergeant Doyle under his left knee.

Crouch’s disappearance and the police search for him has involved many police officers and Government officials. Officials of the City National Bank, In Temple, Texas, have spent a large sum of money in the search Tor the wanted man.

Through a relative of Mrs. Crouch in Texas the American police obtained a photograph of a man and a house purporting to be photographs of Crouch and his home. It is alleged mat these photographs are those of Grey in his Helensville home. After the arrest, when Grey appeared at the Magistrate’s Court, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., granted bail in £6,000, but soon afterwards refused to renew that bail. The case was later t-ken to the Supreme Court where bail was again refused by his Honour Mr. Jrstlce Herdman. Since then Grey has been lodged in Mt. Eden Gaol. Grey’s arrest is one of the most interesting cases of its kind to hapnen in New Zealand and the history of Crouch’s disappearance is an amazing one of police persistence. When Crouch disappeared from Texas it was known that he came to New Zealand and lived under the name of John Cameron. He was traced to Christchurch, but apparently became suspicious when an American police officer arrived in the city, and be disappeared. It later transpired that Crouch had returned to the States, where he was joined by his

wife and they came back to New Zealand.

On February 6, 1917, a warrant for the arrest of Crouch was signed by Mr. F. V. Frazer (now Mr. Justice Frazer) under the Extradition Act. The authority for the warrant was signed by Mr. A. A. Winslow, then Consul-General for the United States at Auckland. The police files concerning the search for Crouch are comprehensive and have travelled all through New Zealand. On his last appearance in the Court at Auckland Grey was remanded for 15 days, during which time he could, if he wished, apply for habeas corpus. The time expires on Thursday, but it is believed that no action will be taken and that Grey will leave for America to contest the case in the Court there.

Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., has sent a full report of the proceedings to the Governor-General, who, at the expiration of the 15 days, will sign a warrant ordering Grey to be handed over to the sheriff.

The trial of Grey will be held at Belton, Texas, but he will be charged as A. B. Crouch.

Newspaper clippings from America state that there are 13 bills of indictment charging A. B. Crouch with altering or forging bills of lading for grain shipments. At the time of his disappearance on March 13, 1916, Crouch left several letters addressed to relatives and friends stating that he was going away to an unknown place to start life over again and that he would not be heard from any more. It is estimated that the cost of sending Sheriff Bigham to New Zealand and the subsequent arrest of Grey has cost 4,000 dollars. Altogether the search for Crouch so far has cost between 8,000 and 10,000 dollars.