The Express.
London, England, 1856-05-22 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

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A notorious beggicg-letter impostor, who gave the name
of Sarah &Killeen, but bad been oonvitred in a variety of
names, er.a charged before Mr. "teary with obtaining nrmey
by ialse pretences, hoot Mr. Crummy, a. Leitor, of Ewe:-
street, Strand, and from Mr. Venially, erobitect, of Aigyla-
street, R.gentatreet.

It apatite'sd that the prisoner called upon Mr. Chinery on
the lid of May last, and represented that she lived at
Twickenham, where that gentleman also resided, and was
perstaally known to many of his neighbour., went of
whow elle mentioned by name. She stated that her hus-
band had just died in the consumption hospital, at Bromp.
too, and al- had received intimation that hts body must be
removed before 6 o'clock that day. Sh• prodsoed what ap-
peared to be a genuine certificate of her hasband'e death,
written upon a regular printed form, and signed
"(forge Hamilton Hoe;" the whole document being
a clever imitation of en original certificate issued
by the physician to the hoipital. She said that she was
about to attend a messing of the Forrester.' club, at Twick-
enham, that evenit g. to receive the money due to her for
the burial of her husband, but unhappily she could tot raise
money enough to get the body removed from the hospital,
and roarquantly wanted W.. till she received the club
money. Toe story was related in so artless a se , and
Mr. Coieery was eo complet.ly deceived by the readiness
with which she mentioned the names of Kee ral of his moat
lotion's neighbours, son the particulars of the F,aesten'
club, &c , that he immediately consented to advance her
t►e marl, taking from her a form•,l I 0 U for the
amount, which she signed "Sarah Clark." Fortunately
Mr. Chinery declined to retsrn the certifkata" to the pri-
soner, rating that she could have it on calling for it at
Twickenham, in the seeming. He saw no more of her, how-
ever, and arcertain,d subsequently that the document was a
f and the woman's story eutirely false from beginning
io end. Having been advised to confer with the Mendicity
Socie,y, he found that the same woman had defrauded a
great many other personB by similar means. About a week
ago she was appreher ded by Horelord, one of the society's
uth re, and identified.

Hives Catterinoll, gate porter at the Hospital for Con-
sumption, proved that the certificate" was a forgery, and
that no arc i a per oa as described had died in the insti-
tution,

Evidence of the forgery wu also given by clerks from
the Registry and Stationery offices, and the distinction in
the poem, form pointed oat. No chn to the printer of the
fraudulent forms bat been discovered, and the prisoner
refined to state how she came by them.

Mr. VuUismy, architect, of Argyll.street, Regent-street,
prised the, the prisoner obtained U. from him by telling
rim exactly tee same story, and producing asimilar °Mitt.
eats. She bad disarmed all suspicion in his mind by men-
tioning the names of several of his (Mr. Vulliamy's) neigh-
boars and friends at Highgate, inclading Mr. Bodkin, the
barrister, and others, and also the name of Bell, the carrier,
with whom she stated that she was lodging. He found
afterward, that neither Bell nu anyone else knew anything
about her, and that it was evidently part of her system of
imp vition to acquaint henelt previously with the names of
the principal and most promim nt residents in a given locality.
Horsford, the Mendicity officer, deposed that he appre-
hended the prisoner, from the descriptions given of her,
while she wu leaving a pawnbroker's 'lmp in Westminster.
She bad been repeatedly convicted.
Mr. S :kimono, solicitor for the prisorer, urged that her
'limitations alto the proiecutors noes in toe nature of
" Wane," and could not th-refers be regarded as criminal.
Mr. Henry having ascertained from Mr. Graham, the
Rettiatrar•General, and from Dr. Roe, that they did not
wish to proucre f-r the mere serious charge of frrgery—
and it being wished that the case shoult be dismed of
summarily—said that the prisoner was evidently a moat in-
corrigible impr stor, and had done great mischief by her
wicked and eharniful abuse of the charitable disposition
manifested on her behalf; a enures of conduct likely to
check the sympathies of the benevolent towards really
worthy Objects. His worship committed the prisoner, under
the Vagrant Act, to three months' hard labour for each
offence.