FORGER AND THIEF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 85, 27 August 1912, Page 7

FORGER AND THIEF.

AN AUDACIOUS RASCAL. THOMAS DOCK SKY LAID BY THE HEELS.

Auckland, August 23. A risitor to Auckland in May, who caused some excitement by an audacious theft of diamond rings, was Edward Simmonds.

His identity was not at the time known, and he didn't advise it. He stayed as Thomas Docksey at the Esplanade Hotel, Devonport, hut spent naucfc of his time in the city. On May 13 he rang up Pascoe's jewellery shop, intimating that he "was Mr. Nathan, and asking that several dia,mond rings should be Bent to his residence for him to make a choice of one. The story is now well known, of how the messenger with the rings was met just inside the gate of Mr. Nathan's property by a man who stated that he was Mr. Nathan, and who eventually ■obtained the rings on his impersonation.

Simmond? that very day pawned one of the four rings he had thus obtained, pledging it with a Victoria street broker for £4. He continued to stay at <Devonport, and four days later, he pawned another of the rings for £4 with a broker in Wellesley street. Later, at linterva'* of three and four days, he i>led<red the remaining two rings at the Wellesley siroet place, getting oil Mi em £2 10s and £4 ss.

A fortnight after the ring theft Simmonds surreptitiously obtained a chequebook belonging to the licensee of the Esplanade Hotel. He filled in t. cheque for £lO 10s, signed it "G. J. Garland," and had it cashed by William Dunmore, of the Caledonian Hotel, to whom he remarked that "Mr. Garland w*3 an officer connected with the hospital." Later in the day he passed on Arthur Room, of the Waverley Hotel, a cheque for £8 6s, forged with the name of D. Nathan. After that Simmonds deemed it best to move on, and he left Auckland, travelling ultimately to Timaru, where he was arrested about a month later for passing another valueless cheque. He had kept Mr. Elliott's cheque-book, and •made successful use of it several times on his travels.

He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment down south for the forgeries, and then confessed his misdemeanors in Auckland.

This morning he appeared before Mr. E. G. Cutten, S.M., and pleaded "guilty" to the two cheque frauds, and to stealing the ringi. He "was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.