The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-27 00:00:00

CAUTION TO INNKEEPERS.

The following ingenious fraud, which has been successfully
practised upon the proprietors of inns and taverns in and about
the environs of London, was played off a few days ago upon Mrs.
B.llard, the landlady of the Cadierine Wheel Inn, in the borough
of Southwark r--On Saturday evening, between six and seven
o'clock, a inan of extremely respectable appearance entered the
above 'house In a greet bustle, apparently just come off a long
j urney. Having walked, or rather ran, into the bar, where the
landlady was sitting, he addressed her in the most familiar terms,
with " How do you do, Mrs.'lliellard, I have just come up out of
the country, and intend remaining at your house until my business
is arranged in town." Mr. Bellard thinking. he was an old
customer of the house, although she did not exactly recollect his
countenance, in consequence of the number of country gentlemen
who are in the habit of putting up there, yet she concluded that he
must be one of them, and accordingly thanked him for the polite
preference he had given the t:atherirre IVheel. The gentleman
then said, " let a bed be prepared tor me tc.night, and Hrs. Bel-
lard, as I am anxious to be present at the opening of my favourite
theatre, Drury.lane, and se l'Observe by the newspapers that there
are • great many pickpockets about, I shall leave my gold watch
in lour care.“—" Very well, Sir," said Mrs. Beller& " it will be
safer here than In a theatre." The new customer then drew forth
a splendid looking engin•-tesned g wash, chain, and teals, de-
sieng that the utmost care might he taken of it. The landlady,
in order to let him iee how careful she was of the property of.
others intrusted to her charge, immediately deposited the watch,
&c. in a bureau in his presence, which she observed were as safe
as in the Bank of England. The supposed country gentleman
then left the inn, but in • few moments returned again into the
bar, saying, " Mrs. Itellard, I have not gold enough about me,
and as the bank is closed now, let me have three sovereigns until to-
morrow." Mrs. Bellard did not hesitate to advance the sum, nor
would she had it been double the number of eovereigns, conceiving
that the article locked up in her bureau was a sufficient security
against any loss under seventy or eighty guineas at least. Ile then
sent away, and has never been near the Catherine IVbeel since.
Mrs. Bellard, thinking it very extraordinary that the owner of so
valuable • watch as she deemed it should not have returned to re
lease it, called in &friend of hers,' jeweller, to look at it. The mo-
ment he saw it he exclaimed, Mrs. Bellard, you have been corn.
pletely humbugged, for this tine looking watch, together with the
chain and seals, are not worthies. at the utmost. In the course of
yesterday Mrs. Bellard forwarded the watch to Union-hall Police.
office, and with it an account of the manner in which site had been
duped, with a description of her country customer. The watch
certainly, from its external appealance, was calculated to deceive a
more knowing person in articles of that manufacture than Mrs.
Bellard, for it has all the appearance of being made of gold, be-
sides being engine turned, which gave it a still nearer resemblance
to a valuable article. As a caution to inn and tavern-keepers in
general we insert a description of the fellow who practised the
fraud. He is about forty years of age, five feet ten inches in
, height, fair complexion, and red whiskers. Ilia dress was a blue
frock coat, a coloured waistcoat, and light kerseyinere trousers.

I NCINDI ARIEL—On Saturday evening, between eight
and nine o'clock, • villanous attempt was made to destroy some
new buildings in Gray's Inn-road, the property of • Mr. England.
Some persona in the road observing a light in one of the houses
situated at the corner of Derby-street, gave the alarm, and on en-
tering the house, it was found that a quantity of shavings had been
set on fire, and pieces of timber so disposed around that if the die.
covery had nut been almost instantaneous, in a few tt Mutes the
destruction of that house at least, if not of others, must have been
the consequence. It is said that the moment when the alarm was
given, a man was seen running away from the back premises, and
it is remarked that a dog which was on the premises was not heard
to bark or give any signs of being disturbed. This is one of a
series of attempts to destroy the new buildings in that neighbour.
hood within • few weeks. ()n one occasion an unfinished house in
a row of five houses in Hamilton-place, New-road, was burned,
and the next house greatly damaged, and subsequently another of
the same row of houses has been entirely destroyed. An attempt
was also made some time since to bum the house at the corner of
Ihrby-street, but on that occasion, as on Saturday evening, the
fire was fortunately discovered in time to prevent any material in-
jury. A proclamation has beat issued at the instance of Mr. Oli-
ver, owner of the house in Hamilton-place, offering • reward of
201/guineas for the discovery of the incendiaries, and a free pardon
to any person concerned, not being the person who actually *et the
premises on fire, who shall discover his accomplices.
On Friday morning the body of a decently dressed man
was found drowned in a large piece of water, in the pleasure
grounds of Mrs. Carpenter, of Potter's-bar, Middlesex. The de-
ceased was first seen in the neighbourhood on the Sunday morn-
ing previous, lying down in • field, apparently asleep, but was
disturbed by the bailiff of the farm, to whom he said he had been
dreaming for three or tour nights that the world was on fire. lle
afterwards spoke to and convened with several other persons in the
place, to one of whom he said he came out of St. James's new
building—that he had been walking on the water two or three
nights. In some parts of his conversation he appeared to be
quick, intelligent, and rational, but the general impression wail
that he was deranged. He was last seen on Sunday morning,
going towards the house and grounds of Mrs. Carpenter; and le
is supposed that some of the family, in their way out of the
gate. to go to church, had accidentally left it open, and,the deceased
had by that means gained access to the pleasu:e-grounds. About
one o'clock on Monday afternoon a labourer in the employ of
Mrs. Carpenter observed two boys take a hat out of die water and
leave it on the bank, as they said, to dry. Ile took it up, and
went into the house, and mentioned to the family that he was
afraid that somebody was in the water: and in consequence, he
watchtd, and frequently went to see if he could observe any thing
on the surface. On Thursday evening, about dusk, he saw some-
thing about the size of • bung on the surface of the water, and
next morning it had risen mush higher. Ile got a boat, and
obtained the assistsince of two men, and went to see what it was.
The distance was about 21 yards in the water. When they reached
the spot they found it to be the body of a man floating in the
water, with his head upwards, as if he was standing. One of
the men in the boat put his hands under the armpits of the body,
and the boat was drawn to the shore, and the body taken out of
the water, and curried to a public-house in the neighbourhood.
No trace of the deceased's name or residence could be diesto-t
veted ; he had nothing in his pockets but 6d. and two pieces of
paper like sugar-papers. He appeared to be between 40 and 50
years of age ; had black hair, turning grey, and which appearcd
to have been recently shorn off she crown ; about five feet six
inches high ; had on a black coat anti waistcoat, blue cloth
trousers, a fine linen shirt, with no mark on it; white cotton
leggings, short black worsted hose, and Blucher, or ankle shoes ;
a white cravat, but no &twits; sad in his person then appeared a
degree of respectability.