MATRIMONIAL HOAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1917, Page 6

MATRIMONIAL HOAX.

CONFIDING WOMAN DUPED. An unscrupulous adventurer entrapped a trusting woman into marriage, secured £2OO of her haul-earned savings, and immediately disappeared (says the Melbourne Argus). The marriage took place a few days ago. The victim lias informed the police thai a matrimonial advertisement, in which the man represented himself as being a respectable widower, of steady and sober habits, brought about the meeting. Th,> wom'an. who was employed in a drapery establishment,. and had saved £472, answered the advertisement. Two days later the man called at her house, and was very lavish in his praise of Mr charming manner and the good sense she displayed in conversation. At their next 'meeting he expressed his intention of going to Ballarat to dispose there of soiy mining shares which, he owned. A few days later he told the unsuspecting woman that he had made .-£30(1 on the transaction, and that he intended to have a ring made specially for her from gold wh'ch he had retained on tiie sale of his Ballarat mining claim. He proposed to pay the .£,IOO which he said he had received from the mining shares into her banking account, an.l obtained her Savings P.ank pass-book, 'showing that she had £472 in the bank. The mail immediately levised his original arrangements and suggested that if she would withdraw C2fio front) lier account, he would add his C.'iOi) to it and place the whole f."00 on fixed depos't at the Commonwealth Bank. He then induced her to sign a number of papers, and it is believed that among (hem she signed an order on her banking account for £2OO without realising its true purpose. This transaction over, the prospective bridegroom signified his intention of drawing up his will in her favor. On Friday week she accompanied him to West Brunswick, where they examined a house which lie said he was buying for £7OO. Arrangements were made for the marriage, which was carried out, \\;ith due solemnity in a suburban church. At the last moment the bridegroom produced the ring, saying that tlie one he was having made had not been completed. After the ceremony thev drove in a taxi to the bank in wirch'thc Kfir-'i bad the account, and lie cached her eh"ciue for £2OO. Then they drove to a hou-e in 11r,!mlnond Street, C'arlton, which he =aid was t r .\ be their homo temporarily. On reaching the house he suggested a pledging of their future happine.'s over a gla«s of wine. It is thought that the wine was drugged, for immediately after taking it the wife fell into a deep sleep. On waking some hours later shf found that her husband had disappeared. The matter was reported to the Criminal Investigation Department, and De-tective-sergeant J. Bannon has ehargof the case. The circumstances of the whole affair bear a striking resemblance to the methods employed some two years ago by a middle-aged man, who. playing .upon the credulity of matrimonially inclined women possessing means, went through the form of marriage with several of them, and after manipulating their banking accounts, disappeared.