A CONFIDENCE TRICK.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81863, 12 October 1906, Page 2

A CONFIDENCE TRICK.

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. Dunedin, October 11. Three men, well dressed, strangers to Dunediu, were arrested to-day on c charge of obtaining at/170 from an old man named Joseph Dickenson b\ means of a confidence trick. Thej gave names of William Henry Mitchell. William McPherson, and Patrick Ottferkuch. They had on them aboui ,6100 when arrested. Dickenson camtto town on Saturday. On Monday lie met a man near the Arcade wlio entered into conversation with him, the stran g:r claiming to he in business. Dickenson wanted work, and the stranger said he had a friend from (risborno irh< wanted a man. They went to tin Gridiron Hotel, but the man from Gisborne did not want anyone, and tin parties had a drink. A third man entered He was very wealthy, having; come from Ceylon, The rich man commonced ivagering about a trick in which five pieces of paper were used. Tho thing was apparently so simph that Dickenson was induced to engage iu the game. Before dying so, however, he drew £16(5 he had in the Savings Bank, making, with £<l on him, £l7O. The four then went to another hotel, and it was not Ion); before Dickenson's £l7O was in the hands of the mun from Ceylon, who then left. One of the other strangers stayed in the rcMaurant with Dickenson, and it was arranged that Dickenson should go to Gisborne. He was giyen a steerage ticket from Lyttelton to Wellington and a railway ticket to Lyttelton, two of the men seeing him off by the train, but the old man had become suspicious, and left the train at Port Chalmers. Hp returned to Dunedin and informed the police. Detectives at once got to work, and with the aid of Dickenson the three men were arrested to-day, and will be charged at the Police Court to-morrow.