I approach this story with some caution. The William Arthur Pitts buried in Dunedin may not be the one who left a tail or two of dud cheques around New Zealand and, it seems, also Australia. But Nwe zealand is not a big country - and a smaller one then - and the odds against there being two men with the same name and born around the same year are large. If I have got it wrong I would be grateful for further information and happy to apologise.
AFTER FIVE YEARS
ACCUSED MAN SURRENDERS
BACK FROM AUSTRALIA
DESIRE TO MAKE FRESH START
After an absence of five years in Australia, William Arthur Pitts returned to Christchurch five weeks ago and surrendered himself to the police to answer charges of obtaining money by false pretences in November, 1929. The total amount was £36 19s 7., and accused admitted the two charges before Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court last Tuesday. He said he wished to get the charges cleared up so that he could make a fresh start.
Pitts, whose age is 31 and who is described as a labourer, admitted charges of obtaining in November, 1929, at Kirwee, about £ls from Edward Alfred Gillman by means of a valueless cheque and of obtaining petrol valued at 10s 5d and £2l 19s 7d in money from Samuel Stephens by presenting a valueless cheque. Chief-Detective W. H. Dunlop stated that accused had returned from Australia and volunteered information about himself and the charges against him.
Edward Alfred Gillman, licensee of the Kirwee Hotel, said that accused had called at his hotel on November 6, 1929, and said that his name was James and that he was travelling for the Ceylon Tea Company, Dunedin. He had a drink or two, and then witness cashed his cheque, which was returned marked "no account" from the bank. Witness had not seen accused since.
Samuel Stephens, a storekeeper at Waddington, said that accused .called on him and represented that he was travelling for the Ceylon Tea Company, Dunedin. Witness supplied him with five gallons of petrol, for which he cashed a cheque for £22 10s, taking 10s 5d for the petrol. The cheque was returned marked "no account" from the bank.
Constable C. D. Burns said that on December 29 last accused surrendered himself to the police to answer charges of issuing valueless cheques. He had arrived back in New Zealand from Australia that morning. He had left for Australia two days after committing the offences. In his statement accused described and admitted the offences. At the time they were committed he was a salesman and was unemployed. Accused had one previous conviction for false pretences. Apparently he had had "a pretty hectic time" in Australia.
Accused pleaded guilty to both charges and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was allowed. -NZ Herald, 1/2/1935.
SUPREME COURT
Divorce Proceedings
PITTS v. PITTS.
Mary Phyllis Columbia Pitts petitioned for a divorce from William Arthur Pitts on the ground of desertion.
Mr M. Hanan appeared for the petitioner, and Mr B. S. Irwin for the respondent on the question of custody of the children.
The petitioner said that she was married in Dunedin, in 1924. There were four children of the marriage, but one had died. In 1929 the respondent had gone to Invercargill and had later sent her a telegram to meet him at the Dunedin railway station as he was going through to Christchurch. He told her he would have a home for her in about two weeks' time. She then lost track of her husband for some considerable time, but found subsequently that he had gone to Australia. In 1931 she had applied for a maintenance order against her husband, and an order had been made in her favour for £2 per week. She had received nothing from her husband prior to the issue of the maintenance order. All that she had received under the order was 25s. Her husband had returned to New Zealand somewhere about the first week in January of this year.
Corroborative evidence was given, and his Honor granted a decree nisi, to be moved absolute after the expiration of three months. The petitioner was given the custody of the youngest child.
Mr Irwin said that the two boys were living with the respondent's mother, and were being well looked after. -Otago Daily Times, 16/5/35.
POLICE COURT
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28. (Before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.)
FALSE PRETENCES ALLEGED.
William Arthur Pitts alias Robert William Malcolm, was charged that, on May 28, at Hamilton, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Albert George Carter the sum of £2 10s 6d in money by the issue of a valueless cheque for £3 10s, drawn on the National Bank of New Zealand, Auckland, and similarly that he obtained from Nelson Culpan at Auckland the sum of £3 10s in money by the issue of a valueless cheque drawn on the Bank of New South Wales, Auckland. Mr V. Murdoch appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty. Detective-sergeant Hall asked for a remand till Wednesday next, His Worship granting the application. Mr Murdoch’s application for suppression of the name until the facts were gone into was refused, but bail was allowed in the accused’s own recognisance of £50 and one surety of £50 on the first charge, and on his own recognisance on the second charge. -Evening Star, 28/7/1937.
"BIRD OF PASSAGE"
MAN SENT TO GAOL
(By Telegraph—Press Association.)
DUNEDIN, This Day.
Three months' imprisonment with hard labour was the sentence imposed on William Arthur Pitts, alias Robert William Malcolm, aged 32, in the Magistrate's Court for issuing valueless cheques at Auckland and Hamilton. The accused, who was a motor salesman at Auckland, cashed two cheques with the licensees of hotels at Auckland and Hamilton in May, later coming south. The police stated that he was a bird of passage with a formidable list of convictions in New Zealand and Australia. He was only released from prison in March, it was stated. -Evening Post, 4/8/1937.
LIVED BY HIS WITS
TRAIL OF VALUELESS CHEQUES
SALESMAN’S CAREER OF CRIME
(By Telegraph.—Press Association) AUCKLAND, Tuesday. Starting in Little River, Canterbury on March 28, William Arthur Pitts (32), salesman, travelled north, leaving a trail of valueless cheques at Prebbleton, Christchurch, Wellington and New Plymouth. In the Police Court to-day he pleaded guilty to obtaining goods and £23 in money by means of five non-negotiable cheques.
“The best I can say of this man is that he is a real parasite who has lived by his wits and who takes people down by fraud,” said Detective-Sergeant McHugh. “He was first known to the police in 1927 and later he left for Australia, where he was convicted. Since his return to New Zealand he has been convicted nine times for false pretences and once for theft. He has been leniently treated but apparently has not tried to redeem himself.”
"You cannot be allowed to go aboul the country carrying on this business,” said Mr C. R. Orr Walker. S.M., convicting Pitts on all charges and ordering reformative detention not exceeding 18 months. -Waikato Times, 1/6/1938.
William Pitts' occupation was recorded as a brewery hand when he enlisted in the army during the Second World War. He served in the Army Service Corps. Available records show that he was killed in action, which seems strange srring that he died in 1946.
Deaths
PITTS — On June 11, 1946, at Dunedin, 3707 Sergeant William Arthur Pitts (2nd N.Z.E.F.), dearly-beloved husband of Isabel Annie Pitts, Dame street, Waikouaiti. — The Funeral will leave our Chapel, 78 St. Andrew street, on Wednesday, the 12th inst., at the conclusion of the service commencing at 2 p.m., for the Southern Cemetery. — Hope and Kinaston, funeral directors. -Evening Star, 11/6/1946.
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