A PRECOCIOUS FORGER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2602, 16 March 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

A PRECOCIOUS FORGER.

FRAUD ON Till'; MELBOURNE STOCK EXCHANGE. Tun clever series of forgeries by which liniil Denis victimised the Bank of Victoria and Commercial Bank have been completely outdone by a daring fraud on the Mclboure Stock Exchange and Agency Company, executed by a lad 15 years of age named William R. Joynes. The accused, who was employed as office boy in the broker's room of the Stock Exchange, abstracted 300 of the company's scrip, forged tho numerous signatures necessary to the filling in of the documents in so perfect a manner that even experts were deceived, and had actually sold the scrip through a broker before a ohjnco aicideul discovered the frail '. He was arrested by Detectives Considinc and Burvett. The circumstances leading up to the arrest are that Mr. J. T. Morell, a sharebroker, and member of the Melbourne Stock Exchange, received a letter enclosing scrip for 200 £2 shares iu the Melbourne Stock Exchange and Agency Company Limited, which the writer, who signed himself Jaines Shields, requested that he would sell at current rates. The share certificates had been originally issued to Mr. Jas. S. Butters, were all properly signed, and were accompanied by the necessary transfer forms. Everything, in fact, was perfectly iu order, and as Mr. Morrell had no reason to suspect the genuineness of the transaction, he disposed of the scrip, writing to apprise his customer that he had sold at 4s. 7d-, and that the money was available at his office. The letter, which was addressed as requested, to Mr Jas Shields, care of Seddon, Federal Stock Exchange, elicted a reply by return of post to the effect that Shields was unable to call, but that the money was to be sent to his address. Strangely enough, almost immediately after the receipt of this communication Mr. Morrell was called to see Mr. J. B. Joske, secretary of the Melbourne Stock Exchange and Agency Company on amatter of business, aud iu course of conversation produced the scrip, casually remarking that he supposed it was all right. Mr Joske turned up the register, and of course discovered that the scrip was forged ; but so accurately had the signatures been imitated that it needed tho unmistakable evidence of the books to prove that they wore not genuine. The affair was at once submitted to the Criminal Infestigation branch, aud Detectives Considiue and Burvett were instructed to undertake the case. Acting on their advice Mr Morrell wrote a letter to Shield stating that he was only delaying the remittance until he had ascertained on which bank his customer would prefer a draft. The letter was addressed as before, to James Shields, care of Seddon, aud was placed in the letter rack of the Federal Stock Exchange, while the detectives concealed themselves and waited further developements. After an hour's watching, Joynes came into the room, took the letter out of the rack, and went hurriedly out, breaking the seal on his way. He was immediately challenged by the detectives, who asked him what right he had to take letters from the rack. Joyucs replied that tho letter was addressed to him, and that his name was James Shields, and that he was the owner of the scrip in Worrell's hands. Ho was then taken to Mr. Joske's office, where he persisted in denying that he had any concern in the forgeries, anil refused to made any other explanation. When, however, the serious nature of his position was explained to him he broke down, and confessed that he had committed the forgeries and that he had no accomplices. According to his story, finding the keys in the door of Mr Joske rooms, alter office hours, ho had taken advantage of the occasion to abstract three share cetifieates from a book which he found upon the table. Ho was himself the holder of fives shares of the same stock, and he used these as a pattern for tho forgery. As some doubt was expressed of his ability to oxecuto a series of forgeries of so delicate a nature, he offered to prove his story by imitating any signature put before him. Mr Joske accordingly signed his name on a blank sheet of paper, and the lad, although almost prostrated by emotion, immediately reproduced the signature so exactly and so faithfully that it was impossible to distingush the copy from the orginal.

Joynes, who is a member of a most respectable family lives with his parents in Ireland-street West Melbourne. So far as is known he had no particular motive for the forgery, cxccpt, a< he himself stated, that he would like to make a little money. He had been employed for sometime iu the Melbourne Stock Exchange, and was iu receipt of a salary of £1 a week.—Leader.