A CURIOUS CHEQUE STORY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 241, 11 March 1880, Page 2

A CURIOUS CHEQUE STORY.

The Biaidwond l) : s patch N.S.W. of Wednesi’ay re'aled the o'bowing ; —A very cm ions a Pair, savotvb.g v-nv strongly of felons, accuneu on Friday ah '‘noon last in the mail coach then in its way f"um B-aidwood bi Guvdboi.ro. At .2 o’clock in the aL-rnoon of tliat day it left T he Coinme- ini Hotel wadi some 16 or 17 passengers, of whom!2 occupied B*als inside the vehicle. Amongst three hitter was Mr John Miber tiie owner of Macaroni, who had in his pocket a cheque for the amount ofe the stakes won by the old horse at ch races on the two previous days-. were several of the gambling fraternity, who had successfully plied their question - able vocations upon the course. Soon after passing Sixr-raile Flat Mr Miller discovered that the cheque before referred to had dissa - glared Bom his pocket. He immediately gave the alarm, and Newman-, t:ie driver, pdllin , up his herscs, Mr Miller started oil foot for Braid wood to give inlbrmation to the police. He had been sitting alongside Thomas, the jockey, who rode Strathmore for him on Tlmr day. Immediately on vacating Ids scat one of the gamblers took possession of it, and the coach proceeded on its journey, but had not gone far before Thomas, putfhi3 hand in o his pocket w'.ich was next to the Tier on who had taken the seat vacated by Mr Miller, found the missi ig cheque. Upon the a. rival of the coach at Mr Adam’s hotel at Warn two horses were procured, one of which Thomas mounted, and, leading the other, started back in the direction of Braidwood. When he overtook Mr Millar he handed him he ch que to his no small surprise, an t they both came hack in the direction of Goal bourn hoping to overtake the coach ; hut in this, owing to ono o! thir horses, knocking up, they were not successfu , and s i remained at Mr J. V. Williams’ orlman’s Arms, at Boro, for the night, and wen* from theno to Gonlbouru on horseback next day. There can Oe no doubt that one of the questionable characters in the cm.ch ahs.racted the cheque from Mr Miller’s pocket, and deeming discretion the better part of valour iminedi italy after Mr Miller liad left the coach put it imo the pocket of his jockey. It is a great pity that the vagabond who stole the cheque and then endeavoured to fix the doing so upon an innocent man cannot l>e brought to justice and punished as he richly deserves.