I do not know the final outcome, but William Henry Lyons ROE, alias Arthur J. COATES had trouble with the police in Victoria as well.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Saturday 29 September 1883, page 12
CHARGES OF WHOLESALE SWINDLING.
At the City Police Court on Friday, a gentlemanly-looking man named Arthur J. Coates was brought up on remand on five charges of having obtained goods from various persons in Melbourne by means of false pretences.
Sir Bryan O'Loghlen appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Fisher the defence, and it was arranged that the evidence for the whole of the charges should be taken together as for one case.
Mr Call, P.M., who presided on the bench, said with regard to these cases it would be impossible for the evidence to be prepared in time for the cases to be tried at the next court of General Sessions, and therefore he had decided to send the cases for trial to the Central Criminal Court, to be held on the 15th prox. The prisoner would therefore be committed for trial to that court on the charge investigated the previous day of having obtained goods to the value of £40 15s. from Messrs. Briscoe and Co., iron merchants, &c.
The other charges against the prisoner were;
(1) For having obtained from Mr. D. Altson, saddle and harness maker, goods to the value of £52 17s 6d
(2) goods from Messrs. McEwan and Co., iron merchants to the value of £49 10s l0d
(3) goods from H. Young and Co., watchmakers and jewellers, to the value of £74
(4) plated goods to the value of £4 3s 6d., and
(5) woolpacks to the value of £14 3s. 4d from Messrs McEwan and Co.
The evidence taken in support of these charges was very similar to that given in the first case, and which was published in The Argus of Friday. The prisoner, it appears, in most of the cases first introduced himself to the firms by making a small purchase and paying for the goods by a cheque on the Union Bank at Sandhurst. In all cases he
represented himself as a squatter, and generally mentioned that he was fixing up a new place for his boys near Sandhurst. On the strength of the cash transaction he had very little difficulty in obtaining credit, and once having obtained an invoice of goods for a large amount duly receipted as settled by acceptance, he made use of that and the cash receipts to induce other persons to give him similar terms. All the bills were drawn at four months' date, and the prisoner, it seems, after selling large quantities of fencing wire, galvanised iron, and cement, shipped the other goods to New Zealand. The saddlery from Altson's was sent to Sandhurst, as directed, and the prisoner arranged with the officers at the Spencer-street railway station for the case and two packages to he brought back to Melbourne. A case and two packages of ironmongery from McEwan and Co.'s, also addressed to Sandhurst, he got possession of by delivering up the receipt notes. These goods he stored for a few days at Johnson's tree store in King-street, and then had them carted to Broadbent Bros.' and Co.'s yard, for transmission to New Zealand by the “s.s. Manapouri”. The goods were sent as directed, and they will be brought back to Melbourne, the agents at Lyttelton having been advised by telegraph of the state of the case.
The prisoner, who reserved his defence, was committed for trial on each charge at the next sittings of the Central Criminal Court, to be held at Melbourne on the 15th prox.
Regards
Grantley
