EX-ACCOUNTANT'S FRAUD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 64, 2 August 1912, Page 8

EX-ACCOUNTANT'S FRAUD.

GIVES HIMSELF UP TO POLICE:.. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland,. July 31~ Oscar MMdleton Hawson, an accountant at Hawera some five or six monthsago, set out on a tour to obtain money by taking advantage of tie average carelessness of business people in the matter of cashing cheques. His sole stock-in-trade consisted of a chetjtte.-b'ook of the Bank of New Zealand at Hawera, and the necessary pen. Any account with the bank itself was considered not needful. His system was the simple one of writing iut the cheques for various amounts, signing them, and inducing various bcrsiness people to give him money in return. By this means, within five or six months (between Gisborne and Auckland) he obtained, as the result of issuing nine valueless,cheques, the equivalent iu cash and kind of £52 10s.

He started in Auckland on April 3, where he obtained fi»m a salesman; in Stone Brothers' boot-shop a sum of : £5 Is. During the same month lie obtained £lO from John -Graham, them hotelkeeper at Pukekohe. In May he got £0 from William ftiisley, of Hastings, £8 from Samuel Ca-rll; of Gisborne, cmd £5 from Louis Armitage, at- Dargaville. His operations in June resulted inFrank E. Wilson, of Hamilton, being defrauded of £i's, ami Michael'P: Welsh, at Tauranga, of £5. Tlien the guileful manipulator of cheques became attacked by compunction* of conscience, and' ceased' business. The- qualms eventually became so troublcsomo that lie went to the police, gave himself up, ajrd confessed. He came before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., this morning-, pleaded guilty to his misdeeds, and was committed' to the Supreme Court for sentence. Hawson is a middle-aged man, who, at «>ne time, was an instructor in the WaI nganui Technical College.