The trial of Mr. V. V. Macdonnell upon the charge of having obtained $100 from My, J. T! Hammond by means of false pretences and with intent to defraud was concluded at H. M. Supreme Ca last friday before Sir Skinner Turner, Chief Judge, and a jury, accused being found not guilty.
When the proceedings were re sumed the matter of the writ served on accused by the Burlington Hotel was mentioned, and his Lordship asked if the prosecution was suggesting that his financial position was such that he was bound to obtain money by any means and at any cost.
The Crown Advocate (Mr. H. P. Wilkinson)—Our case is that he was in financial distress.
Mr. John Palm Jones, headmaster of the Shanghai Jewish School, was then called and stated that he had known the accused for some six or seven months, and had found in him a tendency to be absent-minded and very casual in his methods. Witness, who drove down to the races with accused on Monday May 21, described the last-moment rush upon leaving home and the -circumstances in which Mrs. Jones took a blank cheque with her in case they needed funds during the afternoon. Losing money on the first three races, it became necessary to ask accused to cash the cheque, and it was arranged that he should go and find pen and ink and fill in the cheque and bring it to Mrs. Jones to sign, witness adding the suggestion that Macdonnell should endorse it as he and his wife were not so well known. He twice saw accused afterwards and on the second occasion Macdonnell thrust a bundle of notes into his hand, saying "There's a hundred," and at once rushed off to weigh in for a race. Several races later witness again: saw him and then mentioned that Mrs. Jones had not signed the cheque, to which Macdonnell, who was then mounting for another race, casually replied that he would have to "see about it."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.