Francis Herbert Scudds 1874-1929

[Father stated as Francis W. Scudds.] [MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1881. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. :1848-1956) Monday 5 December 1881 p4 Article An accident occurred at the Gem Pier, Williamstown, on Saturday evening. Two little boys, aged five and seven respectively, sons of Mr. Martin F. Scudds, were on the landing steps playing, when the younger of the two boys fell into the water, and his brother, in endeavouring to grasp him, tumbled in as well. Here there was about 5ft. of water, and the children would as surely have been drowned had not two boatmen nearby noticed the occurrence come to the rescue.] [Williamstown Chronicle (Vic. :1856-1954) Saturday 18 December 1886 p3 Article. Reading - Frank: Scudds; Reading - l, A. Clark; 2, Fred Scudds. Writing - l Fred Scudds;] [OVERLAND PASSENGER TRAFFIC. (By TELEGRAPH.) ALBURY, TUESDAY. The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 20 April 1887 p10 Article. For Melbourne (by express on Tuesday) :including F.Scudds and son,] [Herbert Scudds sentenced to Bathurst prison in 1892.] [The Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 3 October 1896 DUBBO CIRCUIT COURT, DUBBO, Friday. Herbert Scudds who had pleaded guilty to a serious offence was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.] [Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW :1888-1954) Saturday 3 October 1896 - Herbert Scudds pleaded guilty, to a serious offence upon a child, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.] [A few years later, in January 1901, the Moorabbin News reported that Frank Scudds, who had recently taken over the Mentone Hotel, had also become the innocent victim of a clever confidence man who arrived in Mentone with a good deal of flair. A man called Barnes went to the Mentone Hotel and introduced himself to Scudds, the licensee. He told Frank he was a representative of McArthur & Co, a well-respected English firm. Barnes wanted to stay at the hotel for some weeks while he made visits to business contacts in the district. While at the hotel Barnes enjoyed the hospitality of Scudds and his wife. All of Barnes's expenses were on credit, to be paid at the end of the period with the approval of the English firm. Barnes went off somewhere each day, but, as we shall see, he was certainly not seeing clients of the English firm he supposedly represented. After being in Mentone for two weeks Barnes approached Frank Scudds one morning. He told the hotelier that he was meeting a client in the city the next day and he would be returning on a certain evening train. Barnes wanted Frank to arrange for a cab to be waiting at Mentone station for his return. Then, to Scudds surprise, he asked for a five pound advance for some business in the city, saying he had foolishly run out of ready cash. He gave Frank Scudds a cheque drawn on his employer's account. The next day Barnes went off in the morning and Frank busied himself around the hotel after contacting the local cab driver, Potts, so that he would pick up Barnes late in the day. That evening the cab arrived at the hotel, but instead of Barnes getting out it was a rather annoyed Jim Potts, the cabbie, and he informed Scudds that the man he was to meet from the evening train had not appeared. The hotel man thought that Barnes must have been caught up in some problems and would return the next day. This did not happen and Barnes was not seen in Mentone again. Of course, Scudds soon found that the cheque was dishonoured. Barnes had enjoyed a free holiday and a five-pound gift as a bonus. Some months later two detectives called on Scudds to ask for his evidence against Barnes who had been arrested and charged with a string of offences, mostly involving his uttering of false cheques. He was found guilty and did a three-year gaol term for his crimes. Barnes depended on his supposed link with the respectable company to win Scudds confidence. Presumably he had a convincing line of business talk to maintain that impression with his host. Barnes also used the booking of the cab to help convince Scudds that he was coming back after an honest day's work!] [The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. :1848-1954) Saturday 23 February 1918 p13 Family Notices SCUDDS. On the 19th February, at "Coonarra", St. Kilda Road, the wife of Frank H Scudds, 27 Brickwood Street, Gardenvale, twin boy and girl.] [The Argus, Thursday 6 January 1921 p10. Advertising Application for Transfer of LICENSE - I, Francis Leslie Raisbeck, of Yarrawonga, the holder of a victualler's license for the Farmer's Arms Hotel at Yarrawonga, in the Yarrawonga Licensing District, and I, Francis Hubert Scudds, of 27 Brickwood Street, Gardenvale, hotel manager hereby give notice that we will APPLY to the Licensing Court of Melbourne 0n Monday, the seventeenth day of January, 1921 for the TRANSFER of the LICENSE to the said Francis Hubert.] [APPLICATION for TRANSFER of LICENCE. I, Albert Anderson Byriell, of the Rising Sun Hotel, Eastern Road, South Melbourne, the holder of a victualler Licence for the Rising Sun Hotel, at South Melbourne, in the South Melbourne licensing district, and I, Francis Hubert Scudds, of Queen's Mansions, Beaconsfield Parade, at St. Kilda hotelkeeper, hereby give notice that we will Apply to the Licensing Court, at Melbourne, on Monday, the tenth of July, 1922, for the Transfer of the License to the said Francis Hubert Scudds. Dated 1st July, 1922. A. A. BYRIELL, F. H. SCUDDS. Ellison and Hewison, 237 Collins Street, and Harold C. Price, Imperial Chambers, Bank Place, Melbourne, solicitors.] [F H S 54yr.]