Captured: Portraits of Crime 1870-1930 - Flipbook - Page 62
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DA R L I N G H U R S T
GAO L
PA R R A M AT TA
GAO L
T R I A L B AY
GAO L
FORGING AN ESC APE
H a r o l d We l d o n
FA L S E P R E T E N C E S
Harold Weldon, a 29 year old clerk originally from England,
was photographed at Darlinghurst Gaol on 13 February 1899
while serving a six month sentence for false pretences.
In January 1899 Weldon appeared at Central Criminal Court
facing three charges of obtaining goods and money under false
pretences. He was found guilty and sentenced to six months hard
labour. Weldon returned to the Court in late February on
additional charges of forgery, uttering and false pretences.
He was found guilty of passing valueless cheques and forging a
money order for £3 and sentenced to three years imprisonment with
hard labour. Weldon served his time in Darlinghurst, Parramatta
and Trial Bay gaols, and was released on 5 August 1901.
In January 1903 Weldon, now ‘William Bentley’, appeared at
Braidwood Police Court facing false pretences and horse stealing
charges. The Court heard that he and two other men had used
forged cheques to obtain goods and money from several Braidwood
businesses. They had also hired a horse and trap to go to the
next town and not returned to Braidwood with them. The men were
committed to stand trial at Braidwood Quarter Sessions in April
and were imprisoned in gaol in the meantime. However on
20 January, just two weeks later, Weldon and another man,
Stephen Simmons, scaled the prison wall and escaped. But their
freedom was short-lived and they were arrested after just two
days on the run. Weldon received a fifteen month sentence,
including a period of two months for the escape. He was
incarcerated in Goulburn Gaol and photographed.
In November 1904 Weldon, now ‘Harry Pantlin’, was
arrested on new forgery and uttering charges and tried at Sydney
Quarter Sessions. He had attempted to purchase new clothes from
Anthony Hordern and Son’s department store with a cheque signed
by R. Spence, a draper in Oxford Street, Sydney. The store
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