“LUST FOR THRILLS.”

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3414, 19 February 1920, Page 3

“LUST FOR THRILLS.”

Pleading guilty at the Old Bailey to fol'glng and uttering naval ‘postal drafts, James Walter Evers, 26, formlerly, a clerk at the Admiralty: "mid ‘he committed the thefts to .ga¢_jgfy a craving for thrills. Sir Richard Muir, 1);-(,S.3Cutjng’ Sam :‘\«ers.llacl pleaded guilty to stealing 10111 t.he.Adnllralty office in Newgate [Street eight books, each containing }66 naval postal (ll'nfts_ an Office Stamp land inking pad. The drafts he filled 11D for £lO each, and obtained £1420 ed Joyce. The robbery was committed on May I]., and Evers prepared an elnboi-ate alibi by writing letters to Miss Joyce dated oll'days when he was in Lon. don, and getting them posted in Dev. onshire. He got into the office b\' means of a. stolen Admiralty pass 311;] to cash the drafts ]‘n'ovide?'i himselr. with :1. false idelitity paper. - Counsel said that in :2. letter to Miss Joyce Evers wrote: “I went to church yesterday evening.” That was on the‘ very Sun(lz-I'_\' ‘ * was in London .committing a. rnhaery. The letter gave 21: description of the service. , I In a statement written in Brixton Prison Evers said: “I have been af-flic-ted_.\vith a'n extraordinary lust for exciteanent and thrills. This. longing] for e;Vg(,;iAtelllent has often led me into} dangegjous and troublesome a.dventures.‘ When I conceived this scheme{ my main thought was -the excitement I should get out of it. I left off Ago-I ing to post offices because I toundi lll_YSolf going: into them mechanically? and gettiiig no thrill of excitement in handling forged clrafts.” I Mr Bemiforte Moore. rlefenrlingtl Said Evms had written to him 521)’1119,‘% he conceived the idea. of the fraud; ivhen \_V.:lll{lllg' over the Devon moo:-s.l and azldinsz: “The scheme, promised} a wealth of excitement and thrills: for which my spirit cra\‘€‘.d as a drunkzml craves for drink.” ! The Common Sergeant said Eversl was :1 man utter-l_v selfish and callous, I who did not care what happened to! otherpeople so long as he got whatl he wanted. He sentenced him to‘ eight months in the second division. j ._,«., }