The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-21 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Bodkin, Arrietent Judge.)

tag " runerown" GANG OF -
William Fathom, 51, was indicted for obtaining by
false pretences from Christopher John Gibson a quantity
of timber, value 144/. 16a., with intent to defraud. There
were several other indictments against him.
Mr. Sleigh (instructed by Mr. R. Lewis) prosecuted ;
Mr. G. S. Grifilths defended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prosecutor is a builder in a
rge way, carrying on business at Southall, and the pri-
son
r and danother man, who has not been captured, for
whose apprehension a warrant has been granted, were
members of a gang at thieves and swindlers, imown as
" the Bristowe gang." In the month of February last
they went to the prosecutor and prodnoed a finely-exe-
cuted engraved card, purporting to be that of " Dal-
lison and Co., 7, Little Winchester-street, Old Breed-
street, London." They told Mr. Gibson that they
had oome from Mason and Co., and they said
that their firm wanted a quantity of timber, as they
were contractors for very extensive works going on at the
Isle of Wight, and believing this representation, the tim•
ber was supplied without the money, it being stated that
the usual settling day of the firm was on the 20th of the
month. It seemed that the timber was sent by the
Great Western Railway to Paddington, and was there re-
ceived by the prisoner, and afterwards sold to a builder in
Bethnal-green for about half It. value. It is hardly ne-
cessary to say that the firm of Daimon and Co. was all a
sham, and that the card had been printed entirely for the
purpose of deception. A charge of a similar description
was preferred against the prisoner in February, 1865, and
' he was oommitted for trial, but the magistrate admitted
him to bail, to which he never nirrend.ered, and he was
aocidentally met in London by Shrives a polloe-constabl
about a month ago, and taken into custody on a warn
I for his apprehension on the former charge. After that,
• the above caw and several other charges were preferred

against him.
Mr. G. B. Griffiths made a long address on behalf of the
prisoner, but the jury found him Guilty.
Mr. Sleigh said the prisoner was one of a gang called
" the Bristowe gang," and their practice waa to get into
possession cf houses under false pretences, to get trades-
men to furnish them, and then to abscond with the pro-
. When the prisoner was Bret charged
Mr. Knox.,
ht
,agietrate, admitted him to bail in the MU of 51., and
of course be absconded. It would be shown that the pri-
soner had at times called himself a dairyman, living at the
Bnaresbrook Dairy, St. Martin's-lane, and he obtained from
a Mr. Pickaley a chaff-cutting machine, a mangle, and
some agricultural implements, to the value of 10/. Them
different articles he sold for a mere trifle ; and, instead of
the place be described at St. Martin's lane being " Snares.
brook Dairy," it was nothing but a brothel. In another
case he obtained a quantity of corn from a Mr. Stagg, re-
presenting that his master lived at St. John's
-wood but
was then at Brighton. He said he had two horses, and hi
wanted some corn for them, and he allowed it to be senti
which was turned into money as soon as it was obtained.
William Gordon, police constable, 23 C, Deane sour-
wards of 100 letters from persons who had e
in a similar manner by the prisoner. On that morning he
had ved a letter rom a ntleman in Linco
which star
ted that hef bad been defrauded by the Owns,
of goods to the value of 821.
Mr. George Lockyer, chief prison officer from Coldbath.
fields, said in 1850 he had the prisoner in charge under-
go=term of 12 or 18 months imprisonment for a
offence. The man who is wanted in connexion
with this case was also tried in 1849 at the Central Criminal
Court for a similar offence, and sentenced to 12 calendar
months ; and once since in this court, and sentenced tr
18 months' imprisonment.
The Assistant Judge said that this gang was formed f
the purpose of plundering the public, and he would do
best to break it up. The sentence on the prisoner was
that he be kept in penal servitude for five years.