The Brick Machine Case

On 28 September 1927, the court house in the small town of Stroud was abuzz with anticipation.  Albert Herbert Thompson was to be tried for the fraudulent appropriation of money from two brothers, local dairy farmers Andrew and Anthony Jacob Weismantel.¹

Taken at face value, this was an interesting, but unexceptional case.  However, there was much more to it than met the eye.  The police had been pursuing Thompson for a long time over a string of frauds, but had been unable to secure a conviction: this time it was hoped that would change.²

Thompson was born in USA and had arrived in Australia in 1883.³  Full of confidence and bravado he set about convincing unsuspecting and trusting rural folk to invest in seemingly sure-fire schemes.

Having convinced the Weismantel brothers of the merits of a revolutionary brick making machine, and having spruiked the promise of a very significant Federal Government contract for the provision of some 70 million bricks, Thompson lured them into parting with a total of £1,400 for worthless shares in the Rotary Brick Press Company.⁴

 After long and exhaustive evidence the case progressed through the Courts reaching its conclusion on 7 March 1928 when Thompson was found guilty of false pretences and sentenced to three years gaol.⁵

Author: Penny Teerman