The Express.
London, England, 1861-10-24 00:00:00

SPORTING ENTELLIG ENT F:.

A !ate edition ul the Krpress iniblkheill every
evening during the racing neason, containing the
results ul thu day's races.

s t • it cases of despicable sad revolting ♦illany
as that brought oat yesterday at the Central
Criminal I .ourt in the trial of the Italian artist,
Vas. i.NT CoLteCi, are fortunately of rare occur-
rence in the respectable circles of English social
We. Breaches of pecuniary trust, instances of
swindling and en.benduwunt in every form, are in-
deed only too common. The rapid growth of ex-
travagant habits, and the spread of a passion for
display, which are amongst the most serious and
menacing symptoms of modern English life,
tempt many men of position and established cha-
racter into unscrupulous acts which are repeated
until the wretched perpetrators become entangled
in a web of fraudulent transactions from which
there is no escape. But even the worst of these
cases are generally free from those hateful fea-
tures of meanness, cowardice, and treachery, which
mark the shameful thefts, the base and heartless
robberies of this Italian artist. YIN. ENT CoLVelli
is not only a rapacious swindler, but a
merciless knave and contemptible poltroon.
His victim may have been weak and foolish, and
no doubt to some extent was so, but she had been
most generous to him in the time of his alleged
distress, and seems never, even at the period of
their greatest intimacy, to have forgotten what was
due to her sex and position. In return the scoun-
drel extorted large sums from her by threats that
were worse than blows, and in the end robbed
her at oou stroke of two thousand pounds by a
dastardly trick that oven a swindler with a spark
of common manliness would have shrunk from.

The main facts of the case, as brought out on
the trial yesterday, may soon bo told. ViNerrer
Coxt-i•ci, the culprit, was a young Italian artist,
who four years ago was living at Brampton, and
had there, it seems, acquired some reputation for
hie skill in painting ladies' portraits. He would
probably have been described by the ladies who
patronised him as an interesting foreigner, of
considerable ability, great accomplishments, and
engaging manners. Min FREDICRIC• JOHNSTOSA
his victim, was introduced to him by her conain,
Lady CAROLINZ LINNOX, who spoke of him in
the highest terms. Min Joatorrows was fond of
art, had a number of pictures at her villa near
Twickenham, and invited CogAreer to see them.
He was no doubt a good judge of the appearances
that indicate wealth, and lost no time in improv-
ing the acquaintence. During their early inter-
course he first asked to bo allowed to paint
her hand as a model of beauty, and then her por-
trait. These requisite were calculated to awaken
suspicion, and possibly would have done so from
anyone but an interesting foreigner of such atom-
plished manners and so highly recommended. The
last request with regard to the portrait was, how-
ever, granted, and this, of course, led Miss Jon x-
Bross to thu artist's studio at Brompton. Here
COLCCII seems to have commenced business
at once by bringing into play the machinery
of extortion familiar to this class of designing
adventurers. He assumed an air of profound
melancholy, and heaved at intervals the most touch-
ing sighs. On his visitor inquiring the cause of
his grief, he explained that his mother, to whom he
was devotedly attached, was on her death-bed, and
he was unable to go to her for want of means. Miss
Jouxerings at ono. offered the money she had at
command, fifty pounds. This sum, however, it
appeared, was not sufficient for the purpose, as
an exacting creditor was about to arrest him
for a much larger amount. In the end Miss
Jonsirross supplied him with 2501., and he
started for Italy. Courect, as may easily be
imagined, had been extremely assiduous in his
attentions, and Min JOHNSTON, had so far re-
ceived them that a correspondence had taken place,
in which marriage was talked of. Nothing, how-
ever, had hems mottled, and soon after Mimi
Jonseroxs had a severe illness, during which she
determined to give up all thought of an engage-
ment. tin CoLverff's return from Italy she in-
formed him of ber resolution, which does not
appear to have diagramed him much. All he
asked was that they might still continue intimate
friends as before--or, is other word', as the event
proved, that he might 'till draw upon her
resources as before. The intimacy was accord-
ingly continued, and in the course of the next two
yeses he succeeded in extorting from the lady in
the shape I,f Maas, adveatos, and the like, about
two thousand pounds. This system continued
till the spring of the present year, when Miss Joan-
eni•E determined to break off the intimacy alto.
gather. in learning this (Natives tone and
manner suddenly changed. Ile adopted the
meet violent and menacing language and in the
end demanded money, larr,e sums of
money, accompanying his demands by cow-
ardly and atrocious threats. His sole oh.
ject evidently was to extort as much as
possible, and ho scarcely attempted to conceal it.
The mask of accompliahed manner was entirely
thrown off, the reptile meanness and coarse bruta-
lity of his nature appeared without disguise. He
strove to alarm and terrify Miss Joitxmitint to the
utterrneet, and as he fancied he had her in his
power, he shrunk from no threats likely to
asoomplish his purpose. She was alone, weak,
lienified, comparatively helpless, and as he believed
without any protector, and he resolved to take
every advantage of her defenceless situation. He
bed of nurse carefully retained the letters she