The Express.
London, England, 1862-04-18 00:00:00

4 DdRINI IMPORTER.

A very ingenious fraud bag been perpetrated in
Nottingham within the Ira few days, by which Mr. George
street, a coal dealer, bas bees victimised. Mr. Stmt's wife,
whose maiden rates was Wheatley, has several relations in
America, her parents sod several of her brothers having
emigrated to that country some twenty years ago, In
January last, a letter was received, purporting to be from
one of her relatives, stating that her father bad died pos-
sessed of considerable property, which he had left among
the members of his family, in equal shares, of which she
was, of course, entitled to one. The death of the father
was said to have been caused by au accideut,
the particulars of which were detailed. Nothing
more was heard till Saturday last, when Mr. Street
was seat for to the Sir Luc Newton, where, he was
told, a person wanted to see him. On going to the
hostelry be found a stranger, who, after some pre-
liminary queetioes, introduced himself as Mrs. Street's
brother, Jut arriyed from America. After partainag of
a social OM together, the new-found relative Waa invited to
Mr. Street's house, where he embraced his sister, and moon
beams quite at home in the bosom of the family. Mrs.
Street had, however, some doubts as to the stranger being
her brother ; but the members of her family had been
separated many years. and, therefore, she thought possibly
it might be a brother of whom she had lost all recollection.
The stranger, seeing that she did not feel quite sure about
him, u she kept saying, " I osn't think you really are my
brother," got up to go away ; but the husband, feeling the
hospitality of his house at stake, said, "Nonsense, man, take
off your coat and sit down to tea." The stranger complied, and
after doing substantial justice to the viands, entered into a
long story of his doing*, in America, and of the where-
abouts of th • different !ruches of the house of Wheat-
ley, the death of the old gentleman who had left them
on comfortably provided for, and similar topics being
dilated upon t considerable length. The guest then asked
quatione about old times and the scenes of his youth ; and
observed to Mrs. Street, more than once, "So you're old
Polly well, how odd it is we should meet again." He
farther mid to was the identical brother who bad tumbled
down a well aid been almost miraculously saved many
years ago, which circumstancewas recollected by M.
after a little time. He also showed them one of
his fingers, which had been beat inwards, and mid;
" How odd it warn be and the old man should have a
finger injured in the same manner."—Mrs. Street's father
had suffered from such injury ; and gradually the doubts
as to his ideutity passed away. In the evening, after Mr.
Street bad finished his day's fruitless, be and the stranger
went oat and had a glass or two together, the American
insisting on paying his share ot the reckoning, saying, "That
was the way they did things in his count He further
pulled out some American coins from his pocket, and talked
about them, and how he got them, and what an excel-
lent place he had in America on one of the railways as
guard, where he got 50a. per week, and should not have
given it up, only he had now come into a share of old
Mr. Wheatley 's money. He further pointed to a cut on his
forehead, saying be had been thrown from an express
train, and had a very narrow wipe, almost as provi-
dential as his escape from the well before mentioned. By
the following day, which he said was his birthday, he had
made himself perfectly at home ; and a, plum pudding
was prepared M. Street, and her aunt living in the
town was invi . As soon as he saw the good lady coming,
this affectionate relative went to the door and timed her,
saying how glad he was to see her, and so forth. The next
morning he borrowed some clean linen, stating that he had
only brought a dickey with him, as all his things wen
coming by the goode.train, his boxes being too heavy to move
by ordinary conveyance. Another difficulty occurred : all
his money eau in notes of America, and paper not nego-
tiable all at once ; and, as it would cost him more than
it for carriage, he borrowed 30s. of the Streets, and then
went up to tee aunt's, and borrowed V. from her on a like
pretext. He then went out to fetch end pay for his boxes,
and has not goof been bawd of. It turns out that the
coins he produced, as having just brought over from Ame-
rica, were obtained from Mr. Street's children ; but the
father did not find HU: out until too late. When he took
his departure he left behind him an old shirt in the place of
a better article borrowed, which ham on it the name
" W. Horn," and the figures 2,205 with the letters E. Y.X.
Ors. This, with the description of the person given to the
police, is all by which be can be traced.

EXPLOSION AND LOSS2Ip_BIX LIVES IN IA