The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-06-08 00:00:00

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FIVE YEARS' PENAL SERVITUDE.

At the Middlesex Sesslons, Alfred Graham, aged 38, tie-
sensed as a publisher, was charged with having, in the
month of April last, defrauded Mr. Hehensly of the sum of
elo, by falsely pretending that he had for some time been
carrying on the trade of an artistic publisher and printer at
Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton, Paris, and London, in the
name of Poulsher, Graham, and Co., and that he required
for the purposes of that tra le an assistant to sell works of
art and to keep looks, at a salary of a a month, and a com-
wisiion on the sales.
The prose utor saw an advertisement in the Daily
Telegraph of the 9th of April, and, though at the
time in a situation, was induced to answer it. He
received a reply to his letter, and in consequence
went to 24, Argyll-square, King's- TOSS, Lornjon,
where he saw the prisoner, and hail a conversation
with him. Referring to the advertisement, the
primmer detailed the duties the assistant he required
would have to perform, prodoeed a card showing
the different places where he had agencies, as he said,
for the sale of his works of art, and inquired as to
the prosecutor's business abilities awl his reference.
Several other interviews followed and finally the prose-
cutor paid the prisoner I:10 for which he received
his promissory note, and entered into an agreement by
which he was engaged for three months certain, at a
salary of .C 6 a month and a commission, and if ap-
proved, for three years further, at an increased salary.
The prisoner when this agreement was signed furnished
the prosecutor with a quantity of illuminated tints and
sketches, which were to he used as samples, and
directed Lim to commence selling, saying he would send
him a list i 4 his customers in the course of the week.
Not hearing from the prisoner, the prosecutor wrote,
and received on duff, rent occasions evasive answers. Re
then made inquiries, and ultimately put the matter in
the hands of the imlice... . . .

sea
According to the evidence of the landlady of 24,
Aro 11. square, the prisoner bad taken lodgings with
her some weeks before, and sail that he came from
Northampton. lie appeared to follow no regular
businessl but a great number of young men used to
call on him. He remained till an inspector of police came
to make inquiries, and then, on being informed of this
fact, absconded. He was subsequently arrested by the
date live Fordham, at Act al, and while at the railway
station on the way to town threw away a number of
letters. These were recovered and pr wed to be letters
relating to advertisements offering emplo3 ment in
ornamental WOOil carving, illuminating tints, andother
kinds of easy Artistic work to ladies.
The defence was that there really was no positive
proof that the prisoner was not what he had repre-
sented himself to be.
. .

The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Collins (for the prosecution) said the letters the
prisoner hid endeavoured to get rid of were in many
instances from ladies complaining of not hearing from
their correspondent after forwarding the money they
had been directed to sew!.
Inspector (ruse said that for the last three years the
prisoner had carried on a system of swindling under
the namesof De Lara, Foulsher, Graham, Fuller, Gray,
and other aliases. It WOA, he said, a frequent trick of
the prisoner's to simulate fits and illnesses.
Dr. Smiles, the surgeon of the H. use of Detention,
said that he believed this to be a c wrect statement,
and that the prisoner's appearance of illness while in
the dock was, to a great extent, assumed.
Sir. W. 11. Bodkin said the prisoner was a most
dangerous character, wh• had for years lived by fraud
and swindling. It was a case calling for the greatest
severity of punishment and the prisoner must be kept
in penal servitude for five years.