CAREER OF AN ADVENTURESS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1389, 8 September 1885, Page 3

CAREER OF AN ADVENTURESS.

In November last (says the Press) a stout innocent looking old lecly, well dressed, plausible in speech, and bearing (he name of Margaret Mary Belinda Todd made her appearance in the Ashburton Magistrate’s Court on a charge of obtaining by false representations board and lodging and money from Thos. Rutter, of Rakaia. Belinda was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment. After leaving her abode in Lyttelton she appears to have secured good quarters in Christchurch, and the story of her means of obtaining a livlihood will be still fresh in the minds of her victims here. She represented herself to be the sister of ?i wealthy coal proprietor in Greymouth, and as having a rich marriageable nephew named Theodore Kennedy, with which imaginary being she.arranged a marriage With her hostess in Christchurch. So cleverly and completely did Belinda carry out her plans that the wedding day was fixed. A marriage settlement was drawn up by a Christchurch solicitor, and invitations to the marriage ceremony issued to a number of well-known inhabitants. On July the 21st Belinda went in company with the bride-elect to one of the drapery establishments, and purchased goods to the value of £ls, exhibiting a cheque for £lllAs drawn on the Bank of New Zealand, and purporting to be signed by her rich and certainly influential, though yet unknown nephew, Theodore Kennedy of Greymouth. The goods were delivered, but the firm who supplied them having reason to suspect that they were unfairly treated communicated with the police, who issued a warrant for Belinda’s arrest. She had '’disappeared, and, as it subsequently transpired, taken a room at the “George and Dragon,” near Templeton, where. situ represented herself as a lady of “ means,” took a great fancy to the children, and persisted in making offers of presents. At last Belinda’s hostess suggested going to Christchurch to make the requisite purchases. Belinda agreed to this, but on reaching Christchurch mysteriously disappeared. On Saturday last Constable Beddack, of the Ashburton force, was sent on a special mission to Winslow, and succeeded in finding Belinda on the lee side of a gorse fence, where she had sought shelter from the nor’-west winds that have been raging in the Ashburton district during the past week. The accused is well known on the West Coast, in Dunedin, Timsru, Christchurch, Ashburton, Rakaia, and other places. On many occasions she has succeeded in introducing herself to strangers, living at their houses, and deluding them by pretending to treat for the purchase of land. While living at Rakaia she obtained money from Mr and Mrs Rutter for the purpose of getting deeds of transfer prepared. She went to Ashburton with Mr and Mrs Rutter, and at their co8 f , for the purpose of “ drawing” money to pay for the land she had made a pretence otf purchasing. She managed to give ber friends the slip, and was not heard of again till arrested in November last on a warrant that had been issued twelve months previously.” The la«)y mentioned above sojourned for some time in Temuka when a lawyer was one of ber victim*. She was brought up at tiro Ashburton R.M. Court yesterday on a charge of the forgery of a cheque for £llll4s on Messrs Black and Co., and remanded to Christchurch.