MR MORTON, THE "TRAVELLER."

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2125, 20 February 1886, Page 2

MR MORTON, THE "TRAVELLER."

Arthur Morton, the individual whose praises were sung in the last issue of this journal, has been lunto earth. It would seem that he scented, or rather felt the near approach of retiibution on Monday morning and, with the instinct of Ins class, went into hiding. He went to the Hamilton station and took a ticket for Mercer. This fact was soon ascot taiued, but notwithstanding the vigilance of the police down the line, no trace of the gentleman could bo found. He was seen at Frankton Junction by several people, but the guard of the Auckland train, Mr Such, could give no information concerning him whatever. Meantime, of course, almost every police station in the province was communicated with, but nothing transpired on Monday or Tuesday to indicate the wheieaboutb of the " wanted" man. Had Morton been possessed of a little more money or a little more caution it is quite probible that he might have eluded the guardians of the peace for some time, but the low state of I hi^ finances drove him once more to exercise his fatal faculty for rilling up blank cheques and indulgence in this weakness led to his arrest. Tt now appeals, fiorn his own statements to the police, th.it Morton, or Ives, or Morgan, or whatever may bo his name, after booking for Mercer, and going to the trouble of affixing a Mercer label on liia hund-bug, only travelled as far as Fiankton. Here he remained peidu until the arrival of the up tram from Auc-k-hnd, when he took passage for Te Aroha, passing through Hamilton without baing seen, for the simple teason that no one was on the look-out for him. Well, it was at Te Aroha he felt short of cash, and he drew out a cheque on the 13 ink of New Zealand at Hamilton for about £20, in the name of Gardner H. Hollingswoith. As was the case at Hamilton, the cheque was handed to the publican to be cashed,, and its presentation at the bank led to enquiries j and the enquii les led to Morton's arrest. He was waited on by Sergt. Emerson on Wednesday night after he had letired to rest, and taken in chaige. Yesterday morning the prisoner was hi ought in to Hamilton. During tho morning he was brought before Mr John Knox, J.l\, charged with passing valueless cheques and obtaining money by false lepi equitations. Sergt. McGrath said there were several other charges pending, and asked for a remand until 10.30 a.m. to-day. Piisoncr, who appeared to feel his position veiy keenly, was accordingly leuiandod until this morning, when he will be brought up before the Resident Magistiate.

It seems that Moi ton has boon engaged in the "ti.ivelling" business for borne considerable time, and in furtherance of his object has had occasion to change his name pretty fiequently. He states that he landed in Sydney .some mouths ago w ith a little money, and enjoyed himself after the manner of young men in general, until he found himself, as one might say, " stumped "' -, ho then fell into eul ways. Few, said Morton to the police, can believe how easy it is to go wrong, but his testimony to tho fact was scarcely needed. It seems a great pity that a young man of Morton's ability should have resorted to such miseiable expedients to gain a liv ing. ¥ oung, strong, good looking, •veil educated, with all the requisite technical knowledge to lit him to hold tin important position in the newspaper world, the only rational explanation of his fall is that crime is the outcome of some form of ment-il disease. While in Sydney he. represented hiiiiself as the son of General Morgan, the President of tho line of steameid bearing his name, .and on the stiength of this Capt. Ghest, of the Zeal.india, cabbed a £25 cheque for him. Arefeience to Melbourne proved the paper to be worthless, and the captain interviewed the police. At the station be was shown a pile of valueless cheques drawn in the same perfect handwriting as that which graced his own, 1 and he pocketed his misfortune, smiled, and went away. In Auckland "Mr Morgan" was metamorphosed into "Mr Ives," a brother of Messrs Warner's (the patent medicine firm) Melbourne agent, and in this capacity he obtained money from tha manager of Messrs Kempthornc Prosser and Co's Auckland branch. Of his exploits at Mercer some account is published in our local columns, taken from the Auckland Herald. His Hamilton experiences were detailed in our last issue, and his subsequent career is narrated above. For the last tvv<> months or sn Mm ton says he has been liv ing a wretched life, knowing he was doing wrong, yet feeling impelled to continue in wrong-doing. He says he felt like a hunted rat. Any man with the smallest particle of shame left in his composition would have felt miserable under the circumstances, and everybody who has been Ha own into the society of Moi ton agrees that he seemed a most gentlemanly young fellow. From what we can cj.ith-r Morton seems rather i;l<id than othuiv. lie t'l.u, the end has c mie. He felt that ho ouild not go on for ever, and hisjuiest. wh.le it has by no means tended to e\lulai. it' him, has at .any rate put an end to his an\i -ty. After he has been dealt w ith at H million, tho prisoner will be sent to Murcii 1 t) answer the charges prefened by Mr Porter, and there after he will be brought up at the Auckland Police Court. Whit steps will be taken to bring him to book for his Australian transactions ive do not know.