FILED HALF-SOVEREIGNS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 60, 10 March 1916, Page 7

FILED HALF-SOVEREIGNS.

CHINAMAN BEFORE COURT. WHAT IS A COUNTERFEIT COIN? HAMILTON, yesterday. All Wa-T, the Chinese- fruiterer, of Hamilton, who was found with a halfsovereign consicb.iably filed round the edges, in his possession, was charged before Mr. Justice? Cooper, at the Hamilton Supreme Court yesterday,; with counterfeiting. The evidence against accused briefly was that n billiard i f Icon keeper named Lyons entered Ah Wall’s shop and asked him to change a £1 note. This the Chinaman did, giving in return a halfsovereign and a quantity of silver. Later is was discovered that the halfsiivw'f.u/n had been oadly defaced. Two] ve days afterwards accused took a sum of money to th e bank, amongst which the teller discovered another half-sover-eign which had also been rasped around the edge. He refused to accept, it and told the Chinaman that he would have to report the matter to police. When, a short time later, the poMce searched accused’s premises, Ah Wah produced a filed half-sovereign from beneath some paper in the drawer of the till. Mr. Skelton, who appeared for accused, said he intended to raise a question of law as to the definition of a counterfeit coin. H e held that where the filing was so distinct as in this case the coin could not be considered counterfeit. HAMILTON, this day. At the Supreme Court this morning Ah Wall, a Chinese fruiterer of Hamilton, was acquitted on a charge of being in possession of and uttering counterfeit coins. *