The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-26 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF FRAUD.

A rather extraordinary case of fraud has fox some
time occupied the attention of the detective department of
police of Scotland-yard. It appears that one Vital Donat,
an extensive wine merchant of Bordeaux, iiisured his
life to the amount of 100,000 francs in one of the insurance
Offices in Paris, after which he returned to his place of
business at Bordeaux, but subsequently failed, and was
declared by the laws of Fiance to be a fraudulent bankrupt
to the amount of 24,000/. He suddenly disappeared, and
about a month afterwards his wife presented a certificate
purporting to be a cop y of the register of the death and
burial of her husband, "Vital Donat, in England, at the in-
surance office in Paris, and claimed the amount for which
his life had been insured. Some suspicion arising
in the minds of the officials at Paris the insurance money
was not paid, and the case was forwarded to the British
authorities for investigation. The matter was placed by the
Home-office in the hands of Inspector Williamson, chief
of the detective office, who directed Sergeant Drusoovitch
(the officer usually engaged in foreign inquiries) to collect
the whole of the particulars of the case, as to when and
where Vital Donat died, and also she place where his body
was interred. This officer in commencing his inquiries,
although meeting with numerous difficulties, succeeded in
ascertaining the following facts :—After quitting Bordeaux
Donat came to London, and took up his residence at Ford's
Hotel, in Manchester-street, Manchester-square, giving
the name of Roberti, where, after remaining for a few
days, he desired a French waiter at this hotel to write
him out a certificate in English, purporting to be signed by
Dr. Crittie, to the effect that one Vital Donat had died on
the 29th of November, 1365, of aneurism of the heart.
Notwithstanding the observation made by the waiter as to
Roberti's requesting the certificate of death to be written
two days prior to the alleged death taking place he was
persuaded to do it, and he wrote the certificate accord-
ingly. On the Ist of December this certificate was pre-
sented to the registrar of deaths at Plaistow, in
Essex, by Donat, who now assumed the name of
Bernardi, and the death was registered in the usual
way, it being stated that the body was then lying
at No. 32, Anne-street, Plaistow. On the same day
he produced a certificate from the registrar of deaths
to the sexton of St. Patrick's Cemetery, Low Layton,
ordering a grave to be dug, and paying the regulated
burial fees, appointingthe following Sunday for the funeral.
Having made these arrangements, he went in the
afternoon of that day to au undertaker in the Mile-end-
road, to whom he gave the name of Rudini, and purchase-1
a full-sized ready-made coffin, in which he caused to be
placed a thick lining of lead, and had the handles al-
tered from the sides to the ends of the coffin. On
Sunday, the 3rd of the same month, Donat unexpectedly
appeared again at the undertaker's, paid the agreed price
of the coffin, called in two labourers who were passing by,
and had it carried to the Shoreditch station of the Great
Eastern Railway, where it was booked for Leytonstonc,
and Donat himself was also a passenger by the same train
that conveyed the coffin. When the coffin arrived at
Leytonstoue, Denat accidentally met with a cart, which he
hired, placed the coffin in it, and had it conveyed to St.
Patrick's Cemetery for burial, Donut himself being the
chief and the only mourner. The coffin and supposed
body were taken into the chapel of the cemetery, where
the burial service was read over it by the Rev. Mr.
M•Quord, and, with the usual ceremonies of the
Roman catholic church, the ostensible remains of
Donat were consigned to the earth. These cir-
cumstances induced Sergeant Druscovitch to apply
for a license from the Secretary of the Home De-
tartment to exhume the coffin said to contain the body of
Vital Donat. This having been obtained, Inspector Wil-
liamson, Sergeaut Druacovitch, and two gentlemen who
were personally acquainted with Donat, proceeded to the
cemetery. The coffin having been exhumed, it was opened,
but, to the gratification of the officers and the two wit-
nesses, it was found empty. The weight of the supposed
body of Donat Lail been made up for by the introduction
of an additioual quantity of teed to the bed lining above
stated. Upon these facts being mentioned, a summons
was granted by Sir Thomas Henry, chief magistrate, for
the apprehension of Donat for an offence within the Regis-
tration Act, and a search was immediately instituted by
the officers, and the result was that they discovered the
delinquent had taken his departure for America. By cor-
respondence,however, juat received it appears thatalthough
Donat evaded the penalties of the Englkh law, ho has re-
cently been captured on his return from Arsenal, at Ant-
werp, by the Ileleien authorities, and under their Extra-
dition Act he will be handed over to the French govern-
ment to be dealt with by the tribunal, of that country for
hie fraudulent bankruptcy, and also Icr Lis attempted fraud
on the Pans life insurenemoffice.

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

A Court of Aldermen was holden yesterday at
Guildhall, et which the Loup MaYon preside&

TIIC CITY PRISON.:.

Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Ginuoios made a report to the
court of the number of prisoners at present confined in
the City pi isons, by which it appeared that there are at
present in Newgate, 97 ; in the Debtors' Prison, White-
cross-street, lilt ; and at Holloway, 293 prisoners. The
worthy alderman at the same time said he thought
it right to bring before the court a subject in cons
nexion with some proceedings at the Central Criminal
Court taut had attracted a good deal of public attention.
At the July session of that court, in consequence of public
business, only one of her Majesty's judges was able to
attend, and Mr. Avery, the clerk court, in cor.se-
quence, sent a communication to Ir. Commissioner Kerr
apprising him of the fact, and Tallest:lie him to attend
and preside in one of the courts on tine following morning.
In ender th,:t there might be no mistake, Mr. Avery intve
this letter t the messenger of the court, and paid him
specially to deliver it, and upon Lis return he stated that
he Lad done so. Mr. Kerr did not attend to perform the
duty, and several very severe remarks appeared in several
of the daily journals, in consequence of this supposed neg.
lect of duty. Mr. Avery did not have an opportunity of
communicating with Mr. Kerr until some days afterwards,
and in cons-21a,ince of what he then stated the messenger
was again questiczed on his original statement that the
letter had been duly delivered. During the last session
of the Central Criminal Court the matter was again in-
quired into, and the messenger at last admitted that Le
had not delivered the letter personsilly, but had posted it
and kept the money that was given to him for delivering
it. The sheriffs considered it was due to Mr. Commissioner
Kerr that these facts should be made known, and they had
felt it their duty at once to suspend th 2 messenger from
his office, and they now reported the facts to the court, in
whom the appointment w..s vested, and they would take
what steps they thought proper in the matter.
The matter was referred to the General Purposes Com-
mittee.