The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-29 00:00:00

RUNAWAY DEBTORS.

,aeb.
firm of Worthington and Coltman, drapers of Stockport,
In August last Joseph Coltman, a linen-draper, of the
absconded from England with about 900/. worth of pro-
perty belonging to his creditors. The inquiries which were
made into the circumstances of his disappearance led to the
conviction in the minds of those who were plundered, that he
had for some time contemplated flight, but his crediters
were not of the class to be swindled with impunity. They
immediately set to work. A docket for a fiat of bankruptcy
bad been struck to be worked in the country : but the cir-
cuity attendant upon getting powers under a fiat, determined
the creditors in London to dispatch a gentleman after the
fugitive with powers to arrest him, and attach the goods in
America, to which country he had withdrawn himself. 11!
was traced to New York, to Montreal, to Quebec, and
other places with a shopman who had accompanied him
on his flight, and it was found that, he bad sold the goods
he had absconded with, through an auctioneer, immediately
on his arrival in the other hemisphere.
The intimate knowledge which the gentleman who,
pursued Coltman possessed of mercantile matters, and
the facilities rendered to him by the Americon authorities,
enabled him to trace the goods, and to attach and se-
cure the whole. The fugitive, it was found, had changed
his name to Evans, commenced a religious course, and in
order, no doubt, to compound for the sins he had com-
mitted in England, set about the good work of correcting
the evil ways of the people of America by preaching on the
doctrine of Christianity. The agent for the creditors hav-
ing traced his hotel, made inquiries about him, and was ill-
formed that he had gone to a place at a distance of about
twenty miles, to hold forth on the Word of God. A
room next to that in which the preacher usually slept was
allotted to the gentleman who was so anxious to meet
with him ; but, by some mischance, Coltman received
hint from somebody that it would be prudent not to return
that night, and his luggage was put into legal custody, when
it was found that he absented himself, the agent having
left England for the purpose of acting with a sort of deci-
sion that was not to be mistaken. It had been ascer-
tained that Coltman had gone to La Prairie, to give the
people a sample of his holy intentions, and he was pursued
thither—but he had previously left that place for Toronto
or Buffalo, and, as no doubt existed that wherever he was
he was bare of property, the pursuit was stopped, and the
agent applied his attention solely to the contents of the
portmanteau, which was opened in the presence of a she-
riff's officer, and which contained, among other acceptable
matters, two hundred sovereigns, with a list of the names
and addresses of the persons to whom he had sold the goods.
By the great activity and zeal of the agent for the cre•
ditors, the whole of those debts were secured, and the
preacher was then stripped of the whole produce of the
robbery.
Several places had been enlightened by the holy zeal o,f,
this orthodox preacher, who had wrapped up, along with
the other valuables in his portmanteau, the heads of the
sermon which he was to have preached that day.
The goods which had been delivered to the parties
whose names had been found in the list, were re'
linquished in duo form by the shopman who accom-
panied Coltman, and to whom the agent gave his
wearing-apparel ; and Coltman himself did not ven-
ture to make his appearance during the interesting
proceedings, with respect to the securing of the
property. The presence of the latter wes, as he bad no
more than a trifle of silver in his pocket, very readily
dispensed with, although it would have been considered as
a compliment, by the agent of Mr. Coltman, had he, in
his new and venerable capacity of preacher, given him
prayer or two to secure his safe return to this country.
The shopman, upon finding that the speculation of his
employer was in an awkward condition, was seized with
fit of honesty, in which he stated, amongst other matters.
that Mr. Coltman regularly kept his eye on tine list of ar-
rivals by vessels from England, and that it was surprising
to both that the name of the agent, which was well known
to them, was not, upon any occasion to be found there. It
is unnecessary to mention that precautions were taken to
guard against impediments from such a source.
Mr. William Parenton, the agent for the creditors,
having put into course the requisite steps for the final con-
version of the property on account of the creditors, arrived
in England by a late packet. If the decisive plan upon
which the agent conducted this business were usually
adopted, and vigorously followed up, a vast deal of pro-
perty, which is considered as lost the moment it leaves
this country, would be recovered, without the shadow of
a doubt.