The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-11 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS:

(Before Mr. Serjeant Dowling.)

Charles Le Blois, 25, a merchant, was brought up on an
indictment, charging him with attempting to obtain by
false pretences the sum of 22/. from Mr. George Benjamin
Vickress, of the Prince of Wales Hotel, Eastbourne-terrace,
Paddington.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted, and Mr. Bibton defended.
Prosecutor stated that the prisoner and his wife had
been staying at his house since Tue.day fortnight. At the
end of the week he gave the prisoner the account, which
came to 81. 10s. On Friday last be gave prosecutor a
cheque for VI. on the Union Bank of London, and asked
for the change. Prosecutor sent the cheqve to the bank,
and it was returned with the words, " no account° marked
upon it. On mentioning it to the prisoner he said, " I've
dated the cheque for to-morrow, and the money will ar-
rive to-morrow er Monday." On the following day he
gave prosecutor a bill of exchange, and asked him to hold
that as security.
Charles Hewitt, cashier in the Union Bank of London,
Prince street, said he did not know the prisoner. There
was no account at the bank in the name of C. Le Blon.
The bill of exchange produced was made payable at the
bank to which witness was attached, but the acceptors had
no account, and had not had since December, 1864. The
cheque ass taken from a book issued by the bank to
Almeida and Co., the acceptors of the bill in 1862.
Inspector Steer, of the X division of police, said he
apprehended the prisoner on the evening of the 17th ult.
He received the cheque and bill produced from Mr. Vick-
real. He read the warrant to the prisoner, and asked
him where he was staying and where his luggage was.
He said, " I'm staying at 8, Garway-road." lie had no
luggage, neither had his wife. Witness then took him to
the station.

Prisoner said he had an account last year at the Union
Bank in Fleet-street.

The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Inspector Steer then informed the court that he had
made inquiries respecting the antecedents of the prisoner,
and found he had swindled many persons under similar
circumstances. Amongst others, he had victimised the
proprietors of the Albemarle Hotel, Albemarle-street ;
Hotel de ]'Europe, Leicester-square ; Hotel d'italien,
Golden-square; New York Hotel, Leicester-square ; Car-
rara's Hotel, Princes-etreet; Washington Hotel, Liverpool ;
and several lodging-house keepers, in varied amounts, up
to 301. Inspector Steer further said that he was informed
that the father of the prisoner was a highly respect-
able man, but would not acknowledge the prisoner
owing to his having formed an illicit connexion
with a female at Newcastle West, near Limerick,
Ireland, and pursuing the system of swindling he had
adopted. At the time be apprehended the prisoner, he
was living at 8, Garway-place, Paddington, where he had
taken furnished apartments the previous evening. During
the few hours be was there he had gone to the trades-
people in the neighbourhood, and ordered articles for his
dinner and dessert, although he bad no means of payingfor
them. When he was searched at the station-house, neither
he nor his wife had sufficient to pay for a cup of coffee
which prisoner desired, and prisoner said that neither he
nor his wife bad any other clothing than that in which
they appeared, and had no expectation of receiving any
money from any source.
Mr. Serjeant Dowling sentenced the prisoner to two
years' imprisonment with bard labour.