FRAUDS ON CHINAMEN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3365, 18 December 1919, Page 6

FRAUDS ON CHINAMEN.

' ‘ noeus SALES, TRANSACTED. THEFTS FROM THEIR HUTS. TWO MEN SENT FOR SENTENCE. ‘Evidence of systematic victimisation -ofpseveral Chinese glaundrymen and market gardeners in the neighbourhood by two young men, named Cecil Love (Mr Dickson) and George Smith Ormiston (Mr Ostler), was given in. a case heard before Mr J. E. Wilson; 'S.M.,r in the Police Court at Auckland on‘_Monday. Nine charges were Dresferred against the two well-"dressed! ‘young men; four relating to their ob-I itaining_.£4lß- 17/6 by misreprs§eTl’t.a-, tion; three to breaking and entering} and theft of goods worth £2O 13/6; and two to simple theft, the amount stolen lming £53. Detectives de Norville and Lambert conducted the'investigations. Din Lee. l~a.uudl'ym':Ln, Jcrvioris Road, Ponsorilgv.s-aidthajtzon August 4 Love and another man called and said they represented a well#‘known firm, ‘and had a good line of starch which had just arrived. Witness agreed to take a. cut at £3 10/, 'and paid £3 7/6' to Love. No starch was delivered. . Law Lee, another Ponsonby laund-1-yman, said he would take a box of “good cheap starch,” and in reponse to Love’s request paid 10/ down. Joe Sing, of ‘Albert Street, said he would take three -cases of starch at '.£l 15/ 2-. case_ After paying Omiston a/deposit of £5, witness heard nothing further. ‘ T.he.manager of the firm accused stated they represented, gave evidence that neither of the’ accused was in the employ of the firfn“. ‘ i V T-heir next “customer” was Wah Sung, market gardener, of Mangefe, who agfeed to iake £lO worth of Japanese rice, and -gave Love the money in silver. A reeenit was all he got in exchange. ' The following day the two men visited gardens owned" (by Tom Art and Company at Point Chevalier, and asked Art to buy rice. He refused, and the two men left, going in the direction of Arts.’ house. A little later Art found that a wooden box in His room had been brolccnvopen and about £3O in money, incifiding one £2O note,‘ had been stolen. The same day the «ac—{ cused visited Quee Hong, at Panmure,” and offered him rice. 'At'ter they had gone, the Chinaman found that 52‘ 10/ had been-stolen from his house. ‘According to Mong Yee, while working among his vegetables at famaki‘ four days later, he noticed that his' door, which he had left closed, wasl standing open. Ormiston, who was) standing on the dfibrway, offered him rice,’ but he said he ‘did not want any, and went inside. In a bedroom he found. Love, who, when asked what he was doing ‘there, said he was selling 1-ice. ‘Witness said he did not want any, and followed the fwo out, As they reached the gate Ormiston drew a revolver and, pointing it at him, said: “If you follow I’ll shoot you.” Mong Yee summoned all his fellows and the body of Chinamen chased the two visitors for a mile along the road. On ‘returning home witness found that about £2 in silver had been stolen from a box in his room. Cfhief-Dertective McMahon: Dldyou have anything in your hand as you followed them‘?———Yes, the. big knife I had been cutting my cabbage-s with . According to Ah Ling, the two accused -on November 27 visited his gar.dcn- Lit Panmuro. In the evening Ah‘ Ling discm-'ered that one of hisboxesl had ‘L-cc-n smashed open and £23 stolen. . {

That day the itwo men completed their round_ According to Yiu Quen, an employee at Ah Sing’s garden‘ at Panmure, they visited his but, which he had left “securely tied with a string” and removed a box of clothing and (books and money, Valued in all at. £l6 3/6. A day or two earlier they had called with samples of rice.

Deffective d‘e Norvfille lstated ‘fhat Love when questioned said he knew nothing of the thefts. Both he and Ormiston wereidentifierl at the police station by Chinamen Whom they had ‘defrauded. ‘Witness; rthen went Ito their oifice _in Wel.lesly Street, where he found ‘:1 bag containing a screw driver, two revolvers, and boxes of ammunition. M Both acc.us_ed pleaded guilty and were committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was refused-