The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-06 00:00:00

THE CAPTURE OF A GANG OF WHOLE•

SALE SWINDLERS.

On Saturday last the Police Court nt Plymouth
was crowded by persons anxious to listen to one of the most
extraordinary investigations (adjourned from the previous
Wednesday) which has engaged the attention of the bench
for some years, and which exposes an attempt at swindling
upon a very large scale. It appears that early in the month
of September there arrived iu Plymouth two men of middle
age awl respectably attired, who Mahwah took premises
for the ostensible purpose of carrying on business as general
outfitters and army and navy contractors. Having engaged
a store on Sutton-wharf, in the possession of Mr. Hicks,
wine merchant, a painter was employed to announce to
those resorting to that locality that " Itudwell's Stores"
were there situated, and a plentiful sut'ply of letter-paper
was procured, each sheet bearing the printed heading of" Sut-
ton-wharf, Plymouth. Ship Stores Warehouses, General
Outfitter, Army and Navy Contractor, &c." As the business
to be transacted was intended to be of the mast extensive de-
scription, a " counting-house" became necessary, and for this
purpose a room iuTin -street was hired, at the moderate sum of
half-a-crown per week, and here, during the usual hours of
business, Mr. Itudwill and his mire retiring partner, Mr.
Palmer, were generally to bo found, cacti seated at a desk,
conducting a voluminous correspondence with most of tho
principal contributors to the Great Exhibition, the Official
Catalogue supplying them with the names and addresses et
the various exhibitors. As the trade to be carried on was
to be large, of course the orders were liberal, and assistance
being deemed necessary, the "principals" in the business
were j. al about a week after their arrival by a younger
man, of smart appearance, calling himself William James
NViddicombe. lie acted as " clerk," and Jam.s Madilick,
a labourer, whom the "principals' met with nit the slimy,
was employed as storekeeper and porter. The first fruits
of the extensive correspondence carried on by the firm was the
arrival of a large parcel, consigned to their address, un tho
20th September, and every succeediug slay witnessed the ad-
vent of other goods of a most miscellaneous desert idiom There
was an odd commingling of copperas and broadcloths, locks
and blankets, lamps and trotiscrings, hides and chicory,
tweeds and iodine, (micas and sada:ea, twines and cooking
apparatus, velveteens and ship's sheathing, cotton twist and
oatmeal, compound levers and a littitt4 jack. But nu
merous us were the arrivals of goods, equally brisk appeared
to be the sale, fur nut u single parcel remained in the store
i mire than a couple of hours ere it was disposed of, in some
way or other, mid it would seem in certain instances at
prices which would hare enabled Itudwell to n:sert with
greater truth than is the case sometimes with trailers, that
he was indeed making an " alarming sacrifice." Far
• example, the " lilting jack " above-mentioned, the invoice
price of which was iIL, was no sooner delivered at the store
than it was entrusted to the respectable ageucy of Messrs.
Skardon and Sous, who were instructed to sell it for
2f., if a purchaser could be procured at that sum. Oil-
cake, too, the trade price for which is 1.21. 10s. per ton, was
offered for sale to Mr. Parrott, of lluckwell-street, through
the instrumentality of Mr. Nahum Corubloom, fur 71. los.
per ton. Other goods were pledged at the office et Mr.
Toms, pawnbroker, by Widdicombe. Such was the shim
of things until Tuesday last, when Superintendent Gibbons
proceeded in company with Inspector Tllolllini and Sergeant
Hicks to arrest Palmer and his clerk lVidilicombe (who
was discovered to have been living here under the assumed
name of Matthews), as they were walking together from
the railway station towards George-place, the charge being
that they had, in conjunction with Itudwell, obt tined largo
quantities of goods under false pretences. Palmer, alto
eescrilred himwlf as a labourer, said "eery well," and
Wistilicomlo, alias Matthews, stated himself to lie a clerk in
the service of nudes cll, and was altogether innocent of tho
ott'ence charged against him. ltuilwell was also appre-
hended the sonic evening, and on Wednesday morning the
trio appeared before the magistrates, in custody of the
talker, charged as above stated. The sitting magistrates
were the mayor and Messrs. Coryndon and Hawker: Mr.
Lavers attending on the part of the trades rotection
society, and applying for a remand in order to give the
police time to institute the necessary inquiries.
After hearing the whole of the evidence then forth-
coming against the prisoners, and by which the foregoing
statement was fully supported, the prisoners were remanded
to Saturday.
Mr. Nahum Cornbloom, who had left, came back after
the case had been heard, and was advised by the mayor to
give up the goods he had received of Redeye!l into the pos-
session of a third party. In a very independeut manner
he refused to do anything of the kind, told the snip!. lie
would rather take his money than his advice, asked Mr.
Phillips what was the price of a brief, said he deficit them
to do anything to him ; he had nut bought stolen goods ;
he was " too deep" Ibr that, and would never give up the
goods till they were paid fur.
From the evidence prialoced on Saturday it appeared
that on Wednesday evening upwards of two tuns 01 goods
arrived by railway for Itudwell and Co., which is in posses-
sion of the police, and that a letter, badly spelt and badly
written, from the wife of Itudwell, bus fallen into the hands
of the superintendeut, but it contains no information of
which use can be made. It was slated " London," and
bore the signature of " Ann." Another letter dated from
Manchester, which came to hand on Thursday. charges
Itudwell with being at impostor, and threatens him with
exposure, the writer allegiug that he (ituilwell) had carried
on his fraudulent practices in a great number oft ,sons,
assuming the name of " Cox," when at Wolverhamp-
ton, then as " Smith," of Birmingham, us " Mill,"
of Liverpool, afterwards its " Edwards," of Man-
chester, and more suliseguently as " Darlington," of Pot :s-
-mooth. A large quantity of goods arrived to the address
of the firm, on Thursday, and are now detained in the
charge of nekton! and Co., railway contractors. About
two tons of oil cake also came by steamer, fur which Corn-
bloom was found to be on the look out. The police accord-
ingly waited until he had paid the freight, when they then
stepped in and aortal the lot, much to the chagrin of the
hard mouthed money-lender, ss he threatens to cite Superitt-
tendent Gibbous and his men in the high court of West-
mineer. It was also stated flint a fresh lot of goods and
sundry invoices came to 'land nil Friday morning, and that
the police at the saute time obtained information which was
deemed sufficiently important to justify the immediate
departure of Inspector Thonnut per mail train for the me-
tropolis.
The nature of the evidence was such as to induce the
bench, alter a lengthened examination of witnesses, to
further remand the prisoners to Wednesday next.
Mr. ltudwell, on being asked what he had to say against
being remanded, contended that as he ball his name over
the door of the wharf, and was no where in debt in Ply-
mouth, as he had not been applied to fur money fur the
goods, but should be ready to pay on demand, he ought not
to have been even taken into custody. As to Palmer, he
was his (Itudwell's) friend, while Widdicombe was his
clerk. If anything hail been wrong Ito entirely exonercted
them from all participation in it, and was ready to bear
the results Itimielf.—Palmer had nothing to say, and
ni Widdicobe said he had come from the office of Wilson
and Guritcy, bank solicitors, London, and could precuts)
good references. He asked if lie might procure bail. Ile
was told he must first procure his bail and then their
worships would consider if it could be taken. Itudwell is
ovideutly in bad health.

SPORTING.

'Elt RACES.—ERTD ts.

THOILSCOTE STAKES of 2 sows. each, and 20 added, one
mile and a quarter (6 subs.), were won in 3 heats by Mr.
Waring's Gloom, 3 yet, Got 10Th (Preece), heating Mr. G.
Drewe's Impression, 4 yrs, lot 13Ib ; Mr. Kittun's Ambassa-
dress, 5 yrs, Bst 31b ; Mr. J. Day's bf by Irish Dirdcatcher
out of Wadastra, 3 yes, Gat 716 ; and Mr. Ilewett's Golden
Lady, 4 yes, Tat Slb.
CIEENCESTER STALES Old SOTS. each, and .7,0 added.
Two miles.
Mr. llesnat's "Warne Warta's. 3 yrs, 64 4th (Bellow) 1
Mr. treo-cerld's &unhitch,. 3 we, het 13:b 2
Mr. J. Day's The Tout, 3 yr', Gat 610
A &Leine Cup of 401. fur farmers' horses, I2st each, two
miles over (our hurdles, was won by Mr. It. Tovey's Specu-
lation (Owner), beating Mr. W. Tovey's Vengeance, and
three others.

HUNTING APPO]

Mr. Deacon's harriers, Thursday, Whitehurch Down;
Saturday, Shaugh Village—at 10.
Mr. Morgan's hounds, Thursday, Kennel—at 10.
Mr. Trelawny's hounds, Tuesday, Slade Hall; Vrid4y,
Langdon Hall—at 11.
Devon and Somerset staghounds, Tuesday, Cloatsham,
near Porlock ; Friday, Helebridge, near Dalverton—at 10.
Mr. Furse's hounds, Thursday, Torrington Wuo.l—at
half-past 10.

SCPPLY OF WATER IN TILE PROVINCES.—Tho ex-
tensive water works for supplying the city of Norwich wero
last week opened with considerable ceremony, and the
Edinburgh Water Company's great reservoir at Castle-hill,
for the continuous supply of Edinburgh, has just been com-
pleted.
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH IN TCREEY.—Tho Turkish
government have determined on establishing a system of
telegraphs throughout Turkey.
SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAY.—The Tipton
Extension is now completed and will be opened this month.
KILLARNEY JUNCTION _{AILWAY.—The further
lz NARROWcontractsiform ingothAisvolinE IN re alre aboutiuNi t.o_b.er
ho
Spanishi
nto.
T
Cortes has decided that the 4 feet 8} inch gauge shall bo
the national gauge for all railways to be constructed in that
country.
MARIA ANTONIA RAlLWAY.—Traffic for the week
ending Sept. 18, 1851, 2601. ; corresponding week of 18-10,
1671.
RAILWAY TRAPPIC.—The following arc the la,t
re' urns of the gross rveripts of the principal railweye :
N.ocrniteal.-from Sept. 24 to Sept 38: massagers, 431,3292;
surds, 216,2932 ; total. 0:.0,59:[.
limas. -From Sept. 21 to S pt. 21: Pawnor% 124,3142 ; 1100 d..
93,0162.; total, W. qt./C.
mrsz.-geous S. pt. 91 to Sept. 17: Paameogere, 46,0132 ; geode,
42,1651.5ept.
lha sacra-grora Sept. 92 to Sept. 23: Peareagenol4.o9lll.; goods,
110,58 A ; total, 23.1,5931.
Vassar(.-Pram Sept. 16 to Sept. 29 : Passengers, 7.1,244..";:g0cd5,
49.9572; total, 11',.61[.
ibaaaos.-Fmt Sept. 29 to Sept. 28 : rampager% 43,9752; golds,
44,7327. ; total, 144,721 f.
limalroao.-Prom Sept. 24 to Sept 30: Passengers, :51,0792;
gouda 87,20 if. ; total, :J1,3u27.
Baas -From Sept. 15 to Sept. 21 Paaseagers, 33,7031; goads,
19,492 a; total, 33,20.1.
Idograas.42.-From Sept. 17 tol Sept. 23: raasengere, 11,5;12;
goods, 11.3111.; total, 2.1,5752
MaallULt.V.-Front 8,pt.17 to Sept. 23: Passengers, 55,4352 , goody
24,‘741.; total, 80591.
LYONS.-Pros Sept. 11 to Sept. 20: l'assen,sent, 217,0101. ; goods,
8101214 total, 3.20,5121.