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Mug shot of William Joseph Evans taken on 26 May 1921, Central cells.
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Title:
Mug shot of William Joseph Evans, 26 May 1921, Central Police Station, Sydney.
Creator:
New South Wales. Police Dept.
Date:
May 1921
Format:
Glass plate negative:
Inscription:
Emulsion side:
Subject:
Central Police Station (Sydney, N.S.W.)
mug shots
police detainees and suspects
Description:
William Joseph Evans appears in a lengthy article in Truth (29 May 1921) under the headlines, 'Sweet Swindle/ Impudent Insurance Impostor/ Evans' Easy Way of Ekeing Out an Existence/ How Trusting Folk were Left Lamenting/ Cheeky Crook Caged Comfortably'. Evans operated out of a small office at 95 Elizabeth Street. Claiming to be manager of 'Insurance, Mercantile and Finance Agency Co', he roamed the city and suburbs selling bogus insurance policies. For each policy sold he would request a cash deposit of 3 pounds, and would arrange for a medical examination of the insured. Nothing subsequently would be seen of Evans, the doctor or the 3 pounds. Evans cheated private individuals and business people alike, and even sold a bogus policy to the printer who produced his stationery. At the trial Evans's counsel appealed for leniency, pointing out that when arrested, he, his wife and child had been living in penury. He received six months jail.
Published in:
Peter Doyle with Caleb Williams City of shadows: Sydney police photographs 1912-1948 Historic Houses Trust, 2005, pp.171-172, 174, 234.
Exhibited in:
City of Shadows at the Justice & Police Museum, Sydney, November 2005-January 2007.
Source:
Justice & Police Museum ; 100
Rights:
You may save or print this image for research and study. If you wish to use it for any other purposes, you must contact Museums of History NSW to request permission.
Material Type:
Picture
Record number:
31259
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