The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-08 00:00:00

SWINDLING AT MANCHESTER.

On Tuesday last, a person calling himself the Hon.
Charles Walter Fitzclarence, arrived at the Albion
Hotel, and remained there until Saturday last. On
Saturday morning he went to the Hulme Cavalry
Barracks, and having stated that he was a lieutenant
in the Ist Royal Dragoons, stationed at Portsmouth,
and that his servant having deserted from the regi-
ment, and entered either the 11th Hussars or the
69th Foot, he had come to Manchester in search of
him, he applied for assistance in apprehending the
man. He looked at several recruits who had newly
joined the 11th Hussars, but not identifying any of
them as his servant, he returned to the Albion Hotel,
and Lieutenant Dallas, of the 11th Hussars, sent a
sergeant to assist him in searching for his servant.
When the sergeant arrived at the Albion, the Hon.
Lieutenant ordered him into the coffee-room, gave
him a glass of wine, and wrote out for him a descrip
tion of the servant of whom he was in search. The
pretended Lieutenant then went out to make some
purchases, taking the sergeant with him. He first
called at Mr. Syddall's, haberdasher, Market-street,
where he stated that he was Lieut. Fitzclarence, of the
11th Hussars, son of Lord Auckland, 41, Whitehall-
gardens, London, and purchased several stocks, a
dozen of shirts, which were to cost nine guineas,
and a purse. The stocks and the shirts were to be
sent to him at the Albion Hotel ; the purse he took
with him, as he said that he should want it, being
about to get a cheque for 1,0001. cashed at one of
the Manchester banks. The shopman, seeing him
accompanied by a sergeant of Hussars, believed his
representation, and allowed him to take away the
purse; and he also put the shirts in hand for making.
Mr. Fitzclarence next went to the shop of Mr.
Hamilton, saddler, Market-street, where, by similar
representations as to who be was, and by the corro-
boration that was afforded to his statements by his
being accompanied by the sergeant, he obtained a
gold-mounted whip, worth 41., and a pair of spurs.
He also ordered a trunk to be sent to Mr. Syddall's,
in which his shirts and other purchases might be
packed. In the course of the day he told the sergeant
that he was the nephew of Lord Cardigan, and de-
sired the man to go to Sir Thomas Arbuthnot's, and
tell Lord Cardigan that Lord Fitzgerald wanted to
see him at the Albion. The man accordingly went to
Sir Thomas Arbuthnot's, but did not find Lord
Cardigan there. Mr. Hamilton, in the course
of the day, conceived some suspicions as to the real
character of the pretended Lieutenant; and on look-
ing in the Army List, he could find no such person as
Lieut. Fitzclarence in the 11th Hussars, he went to
the Hulme Barracks to inquire if anything were
known of him there. Not receiving a satisfactory
answer, he went to the Albion Hotel, where he saw
the Lieutenant, and, under pretence of being about to
put a five-guinea guard to the four-guinea whip, for
which Mr. Fitzclarence had expressed a desire, Mr.
Hamilton got possession, and retained possession, of
his whip. The impostor, however, still kept the spurs.
In the course of the evening Mr. Syddall, having also
entertained suspicions, sent one of his young men,
named Burns, to the Albion, to tell Mr. Fitzclarence
that he could not have his goods unless he previously
paid for them. Fitzclarence said that he would pay
for them if he could find change for a 1001. note.
Burns went out, and having got the required change,
returned to the Albion, when the swindler desired
him to walk up to his bedroom, and he should be
paid. The two then went up into the bedroom, and
then Fitzclarence told Burns that if he would hire
a coach, and convey him (Fitzclarence) and some
trunks, which, in facr, were not his, but
those of a commercial traveller, occupying the
next bedroom, to the Hulme barracks, he
should be paid. Burns declined to do this, but went
to the Town-hall, and gave information, in conse-
quence of which the impostor was apprehended by
Inspector Maybury. On being searched at the Town
Hall, a pawn ticket was found upon him, which he
coontrived to obtain possession of and tear up before
the officer had seen what name was upon it. He had
a German silver watchguard round his neck, the end
of which was inserted in his waistcoat pocket as if a
watch were appended to it ; there were, in reality,
however, only two bras§ seals upon it. He refused