The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-20 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.—YESTLIUDAY.
Rasoaa Tea Itatoaaaa.
SWITESCES.
Cori Frederick Krohn, the young Dane who pleaded
guilty on Tuesday to four indictments, charging him with
robberies at different hotels, and also with stealing a carpet
bag from the Great Western Railway, was brought up for
judgment.
n. Recorder sentenced him to twelve months' imprison-
Bant and hard labour.
EhAu's ots LOAN Soca-rms.
George Gray Kingdom, who was convicted on Friday of
obtaining money by false pretences, was also brought up for
judgment.
The Recorder, in passing judgment, said there could
be very little doubt that the prisoner bad been carrying on a
system of plunder upon loan societies, but he must at the
same time remark that circumstances had coma to light
in the course of the present session which left no
doubt that many of these societies were productive of very
great mischief to the poorer claimer. It appeared that in
some instaims persons, who .tere themselves in an insolvent
state, profess. d to lend money to the poor at live per cent.
interest per annum, when, in point of fact, it turned out
that by the mode in which they received their interest and
their charges for enquiries and other matters, the actual
amount of interest they received was nearer a hundred than
five per coat. He could not, therefore, look upon the
matter as an ordinary commercial transaction, in which case
he should have inflicted a much more severe sentence ; but,
under all the circumstances, the sentence upon him would
be imprisonment and hard labour for a mouth.

NEW COURT.—YEsTERDAT.
rieroas yea Cameos Kaunas?.
AN ACCoIIPLIsIiED SWINDLER.
William James Msleans alias elsadwUk, alias Bailey,
alias Dr. Ilar, is, a rather shabbily attired, cunning looking
middle aged man, surrendered to take his trial for obtaining
money be false and fraudulent pretences.
Mr. Thomas Hartrop, an ironmonger, living at Isling-
ton, stated, that in consequence of an advertisement that
he saw in the Times for au apprentice to the profession of a
civil engineer and architect, he wrote, and on the following
day received a letter to the following effect.
" tl'i, Broad-street-buildings, City, 26 7, 1881.
" Respeeted Friend—Wilt thou be pleased to call with
thy son on the second day, at our office as above betwecu
12 and 3, in answer to X.Y.Z.—Thine respectfully,
" To 'fhomas ltartrop. CHADWICK and Co.
The result of this was, that after a few interviews with
the prisoner, who professed himself to be a civil engineer,
the witnr as bound his son to him at a premium of 301., for-
warding prisoner in all the amount of GI., which prises&
said was to buy hooks for his son. The lad was there from
the 12th of August until the 9th of November.
Crors.examined —Dal not your son bring home a book of
architectural precedents? Witness; Ile brought home
some twopenny books. (Laughter.)—Did be not pay your
sun some money ? Ile was to give him three shillings •
week, which was his own offer, and I believe my son had it
once. Thee.; are some of the prints my son brought home
(a few small pictures of buildings torn from books.) I
don't know that he brought home any lead pencils.—What
made you think the prisoner was no respectable a man?
because: he appeared like a Quaker, and said that lie %Asia
partnership with tho member for St. Albans. (Laughter.)
Mr. Charnock : That was a foolish reason.—Did not your
gun bring home this book upon architecture (a somewhat,
ponderous old odd volume) ? Yes, he did.
Mr. Iluddlestone—Well, slid you see that it was a " His-
tory of the Episcopal Sue of Salisbury," a book with a great
deal of printing, and two or three pictures of churches ?
Benjamin Thomas Bottrop, son to the last witness,
stated that the whole time he was at the offices in Broad-
street he did not do any real business, but used to have to
copy advertisements for the papers, offering to advance
sums of S,ifigd. and 9,0001., and sometimes trace pictures.
The prisoner gave me 3s. and 2s. Gd., that was to look after
' the other lads. There were eight of us. I generally had
nothing to do.
Mr. Hudillestono—And I suppose they were there to
help you. (Laughter)
I only knew prisoner by the name of Chadwick. When
I went upon the 10th of last November to the lattice, 1 found
the office lecked.up, and the prisoner was gone.
Mr. William Thomas Osborn said he let the prisoner a
house 66, Murray-street,":llexton, which he took under the
I name of Milsom, and said he was a civil engineer, and the
late candidate for the borough of St. Albans. He took the
house in March, and shortly afterwards the name of Di.
Harris was put up over the door. Prisoner owing some
rent, the witness went a few weeks after Michaelmas and
saw prisoner, who came down partly undressed, and tried
to prevent him coming in; but, on his getting in, prisoner
locked the door and threatened to knock him down. The
plate was i oipty, excepting a few medicine bottles. • pat
son was introduced to him as Dr. Harris.
Mrs. Janet Taylor said that, her husband being ill, she
called upon the prisoner, who came, and said he WAS Dg.
Harris. Before he would come he said he must ham
Is. Gd. She asked him if he bad taken out his degrees;
and be said he took out his diploma at Aberdeen. She Mil
not give her husband the medicine he prescribed.
Mr. Charnock —Well, I suppose like a regular medical
man, he felt his pulse ?—Nt. Rums: Yes, and looked very
grave. (Roars of laughter.)
Mr. Rodwell, a bookbinder, said that a man named
Bellares introduced the prisoner to him as Dr. Harris, and
as such he attended witness's child, who was bad with the
measles.
' William Thomas Austin, of Parsontown-house, West-
meath, formerly a surgeon in the convict service, said that
be first knew the prisoner in consequence of an advertise-
ment which appeared in the Belfast Chronicle on the 22nd
et October. it was headed, "Money on Mortgage. A
physician is desirous of lending 63001., to be lent in one
sum, or in smaller sums, at 5 per cent. interest, Persons
requiring the above to forward all particulars to Alpha, care
of Dr. Harris, surgeon and accoucheur, Murray-street, New
North-road, London." Acting on some information sent to
him, and arising out of a communication relative to the ad-
vertisement, witness saw the prisoner, whom he sane-
, aril) knew as John William Wilson. Prisoner admitted
(Mil fleneed the advertisement to be sent, but said that
sines then be had given up that practice. After some
Igumenation witness told him ho must go with
Alm to the police station, and prisoner then said
Irat distress hail driven him to act as lie
'l4 oohing witness if he was a father, as he was, and
hewed he would spare his feelings, and not give him in
. Witness would not listen to him, and he then
eblVto be let go, and offered to give 121. if witness would
not press the charge.
A person named Finch said be had placed his eon with
Milsom when he had a place in Bridge-street, Blackfriars.
He got 11/. out of him in precisely the same way he had
defrauded the first witness.
The jury immediately found him Guilty.
Mr. Iluddlestone said there were above thirty cases which
could be brought home to prisoner.
The Common Serjcant sentenced the prisoner to seven
mars' transportation.
The prisoner, who betrayed a great deal of nervous eager-
ness as the trial proceeded, and kept continually writing to
Ms solicitor, seemed quite unprepared for the sentence, and
taking up his hat with ono hand, covered his face with the
ether, and walked slowly from the dock.
FRAUD AND FALSE PRETENCE,
Matthew Matthews, 23, drover; Clarks Richard Bur-
dett Walker, 50, ease maker; Francis Williams, 36, la-
bourer; Richard Law, 20, undertaker; Horatio Stain-
bridge, 26, cabinet maker; and Elisa Buckle, 85, widow,
were indicted for conspiring to defraud divers persons of
their goods.
The facts, which were gone into at great length, were of
the usual charalter of this class of offence ; one of the party
had got posiession of a house and then they mutually gave
references to each other to obtain other house, and during
their residence in each, which was but brief, they obtained
811 the goods they could by credit, and no sooner were they
"et than pawned. The first transaction proved in this instance
was Walker taking a house in Ann's-Terrace, Hackney,
Ma woman Buckle, who lived at 18, Penton-street, under
Me same of Stevens, giving him a reference. Having got
all they could, and in less than a month shut that house
up and sent home the key to the agent by the Parcel De-
Company, they were neat traced to Drove-terrace,
s mei
h-road, Brixton, where they were apprehended
Om twined a quantity of silks and satins, dresses,
lbannota, articles of saddlery, a pony and chaise, and other
'things. When they were apprehended a number of letters
sent to them were obtained through the Post-office, and
from them it was ascertained that they hail written to
firms all over the country and in Ireland for goods,
Walker stylin,g himself the Rev.:Mr. Burdett. The con-
nexion of Williams and Law was not at all clear.
The jury acquitted them and found the others Guilty.
Law wee then tried and convicted of robbing his master,
Mr. Dunkley, an uudertaker in Lambeth.
t Burdett, who is an old offender, was sentenced to 18
n m9s a' imprisonment, Walker and Stainbridge to 6, Law
" aid Buckle to 4, and Williams discharired_
at-
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