The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-12 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.

A man who gave hiena;l3LW7ll;;;Toung, well known
to the police as • begging-letter impostor, was brought be.
fore Mr. Alderman Phillips, who was sitting for the Lord
Mayor, charged with endeavouring to obtain money by
means a begging letter from Mr. J. P. Jones, of 112,
Fenchurch-street.
Mr. Jones stated that on the previous day the prisoner
called at his counting-house, and gave him two letters which
be produced in an envelope. He asked the prisoner what it
contained, sod he said it contained a letter from the Rev.
Mr. Eglee, of Enfield, where he resided, and the petition of
• widow named Allen, who had • son who was blind. He
looked at the letter and the petition. and asked the prisoner
what his name was. He replied, William Young, and that
he melded in Enfield. highway. He read the letter, which
purported to be written by Mr. Egles, the curate
of Enfield, and to the petition he found appended
the name of Mr. Alderman Challis, who also resides at
Enfield, and several other names, which he recognised as
those of his neighbours. He asked the prisoner a number of
questions about Enfield, but his answers were so unsatis-
factory that his suspicions were aroused. He bad a similar
letter and petition presented to him in March last, but the
letter at that time was signed by the Rev. Mr. Heath, the
vicar of Enfield, and the petition instead of stating tbechild
was blind, stated it was an idiot. Upon that occasion be
was induced to give a sovereign.
The prisoner on being asked if be had any questions to put
to Mr. Jones, replied that be had not, he only bad to say
that be had been the dupe of a designing woman, and he
knew nothing of what was in the petition.
Mr. Jones said the prisoner first told him what the peti-
tion was for, and afterwards said he knew nothing of what
it contained.
Mr. Goodman looked at the petition, and said be bad seen
scores in the same handwriting. It was the same writing as
nearly all of the begging letters brought before the notice
of the court.

The letter ran as follows :
" The 11ev. Ed. Hy. Eglee, curate of Enfield, pre-
sent; his respectful compliments to J. P. Jones. Esq., and
begs to recommend the enclosed case for that gentleman's
charitable perusal, trusting he will add his signature and
mite to the list of subscribers.
" Thursday evening, Dec. 9, 1862, Enfield, Middlesex."
The petition was to the following effect :
" Dec. 2, 1862.-1 hereby certify that Mrs. Elizabeth
Allen, a respectable widow with seven children depending
upon her exertions for support as a laundress, the eldest of
whom is 14 years of age. being afflicted by loss of sight, is
desirous of obtaining admission for him in the Asylum for
Indigent Blind, situate in the Avenue-road, Regent's-park,
and having been an unsuccessful candidate at the last two
annual election., after considerable expense for circulars,
postage, &c., she can now obtain his immediate admission
upon payment in advance of 2r./. for two years. He would
then be taught some useful trade or alike(' and thereby
released from spending a life of gloomy despair. I have
known Mrs. Allen for many years as a person of exemplary
character, and beg leave to recommend her ease as one
meriting sympathy."
This petition purported to be signed by Alderman
Chilli, with a donation of 21. There were a number of
other signatures to the petition, with donations varying
from 11. to 3/.
Mr. Alderman Challis, who was present on the bench,
was sworn, and he saidthe signature was not his, and he slao
knew that a number of the other signatures were not in
the handwriting of the gentlemen whose names appeared.
The Rev. E. H. Egli' stated that the letter was not
written by bias.