SUFFERERS DEFRAUDED.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1918, Page 6

SUFFERERS DEFRAUDED.

I WORTHLESS CURE EXPOSED.

I Charges of obtaining money under a | false pretences by the sale of an alleged ? cure for rheumatism were made against ' a young man named George Thomas Rumble at Auckland last week. The case ? was heard before Mr F. IC. Hunt, S.M. ! Sub-Inspector McNamara said the ac- . cused advertised throughout the Domin- | ion a preparation called Ivnowlcs' Rheu- * matic Cure," which, he asserted, was a permanent cure for the most stubborn case of rheumatism. Each packet of J the preparation cost £1 Is. Complaints that purchasers were not receiving any c benefit reached the ears of the police, c and on an analysis being made it was •. shown that the alleged cure consisted of Glauber salts. There were 10 doses in ' each packet, and each one was worth about one penny. In his circulars and . advertisements the accused made extravagant claims for the curative properties of his preparation. In a letter to a wft- 1 ness in the present case he claimed to 1 have cured a Mrs Edge, of Onehunga, ' giving her age as 65 years. The police had searched the district, and the only ' Mrs Edge who could be found was a ' ■ young married woman who had never ' suffered from rheumatism, and who Had ' never been treated by the accused. ' Mrs Parr gave evidence to the effect J that she purchased two packets of the preparation advertised by the defendant, ' but received no benefit. In reply to the ' accused she admitted that an outstanding feature of t'he advertisement was I "No cure, no charge." She did not ask for a refund of the money. 1 i Mrs Girvin and Mr Ryan also gave , evidence, the cross-examination being on ' similar lines. ' Plain-Clothes Constable Trotter said . he had considerable difficulty in tracing the accused. When arrested, Rumble made a statement to the fact that the title "Knowles* Rheumatic Cure Proprie- 1 tary, Limited," was invented by' him- ' . self. His letterheads bore fc'lie name "L. ; McLaclilan and Company, Ltd.," and gave J? the office address as Queen street, Auck- 1 land. The so-called office was the post ; j? office box, rented by the accused. Rumble ; | admitted to him that he had had 110 . Jj medical experience. He signed his cor- ~ respondenee with the fictitious name of ® Heath. When Rumble's books and papers ' * were searched witness found a pocket- ' f' book containing a cash account It show- 1 !j ed that during the first three months of ' * the present year the accused purchased * ® Glauber salts to the value of 6s, that he ' ' received £64 18s in fees from people I ; who purchased his so-called cure and ; ® that his expenses had been £lO 13s sd. Alfred J. Parker, Government analyst ' in Auckland, said that he had analysed ■ the alleged rheumatic euro. The prepaj- ( .■ation was Glauber salts, and the commercial value of each dose was one penny. J , Dr. W. H. Horton said that Glauber I salts might be beneficial for rheumatism . if used with other drugs. No conscientioui medical man would ever undertake to cure chronic rheumatism. The salts were a laxative, and nothing more. ' . For the defence the accused stated that , he .had experienced a case of rheumatism , being cured by the use of the prepam- . tion he had sold. He knew that what would cure one person would not cure another, and he therefore offered to re- 1 turn money in eases where there was no ' beneficial result. That was, he consider- ' ed, proof of his honest intentions. 1 Sub-Inspector McNamara said Rumble ! was an and had previously ' sold a cure for corpulency. In connection with the present case 'he had imposed ' on the poor and ignorant, and the police ' had numerous inquiries respecting him. His correspondence showed that he had victimised over 200 people. The Magistrate convicted the accused, c and sentened him to three months' imprisonment.