The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-10 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

THE BORROWING SWINDLER.—This Court, and all
the avenues leading to it, was crowded to excess by per-
sons interested in the examination of a person named
William Wilmot Byron, who stood remanded from Friday
last, on a charge of being concerned with another per-
son, not at present in custody, in defrauding Mr. Mens-
ord out of 201., and also with having in his possession
a 20/..note and other property to a considerable amount,
of which he could not give a satisfactory account.
The first witness called wss Miss Charlotte F. White,
of 24, Connaught-terrace, E lgware-road, who deposed,
that on the 18th of July last she saw an advertisement
in a morning paper, offering a bonus of Si. for the loan
of 201. for one month. She replied to it, and on the fol-
lowing Monday the prisoner called upon her, and, pre•
seating her the note she sent in reply to the advertise-
ment, asked if she was the person who had sent it. She
replied in the affirmative, and he then told her he was
the person who wanted the money, and presented three
tea warrants of three chests of tea in each, which he
said he would deposit with her as a security, besides
allowing her 51. for the loan. The prisoner represented
the tea warrants to be very valuable, and she consented
to lend the 201. on his giving his note of hand for 251.,
and depositing with her the tea warrants in addition.
Mr. NORTON—Has the !tote of hand been since paid ?
Witness—lt has not, Sir, and the tea warrants are com-
pletely worthless.
Mr. NORTON inquired if there were any other charges
against the prisoner ? when a feshionably dressed lady
who sat at the solicitors' table jumped up, and said she
had a charge to prefer.
Mr. Ballantine—l had no idea there were so many
lady money-lenders.:
The lady alluded to here entered the witness-box.
She stated her name to be Frances Raymond, and that
she is the wife of a gentleman living on his property at
Swiss Cottages, Dalston. Ou the 15th of May last she
answered an advertisement in a morning paper, and
shortly after a person, who represented his name to be
Barnes, called upon her on the subject of the advertise-
ment, and said he wanted the loan of 151. for a month,
and agreed at the end of the month to pay 181. for it, and
also to place in her hand a tea warrant for six chests of
young hyson. She did not then make up her mind to
lend the money, and Baffles went away, but in a short
time after the prisoner called to know if Barnes had left
his pocket-book behind him. Witness told him no, on
which he observed that the pocket-book contained pro-
perty of the value of 5001., and said he supposed he must
have left it at some other place. lie then went away,
but in the course of the same evening both the prisoner
and Barnes again called, when the latter commenced a
conversation with her on the subject of the loan, and
spoke of the nature of the security. On the repre-
sentations of the parties, and believing the warrant to
be genuine, she advanced Barnes 151., fur which he gave
her his note of hand for 181, and also deposited a tea
warrant with her. On the Friday following the
prisoner called upon her, and said, " You will be
somewhat surprised that a person of my appearance
should be in want of a little money, but such was the
fact, and Mr. Barnes had kindly accommodated him with
some tea warrants to deposit as security for any small
loan he might require" She (witness) took shame to
herself in admitting that she had given a second loan to
the prisoner of 15/. more, and for this he was to give her
16/. 10s. for a fortnight; and he also, in addition to his
note of hand, deposited a tea warrant in her hands. She
had not, however, been enabled since to receive a single
farthing of her money back, and as for the tea warrants,
a gentleman to whom she had shown them assured her
they were not worth a single farthing.
Mr. James Northington, the keeper of a coffee-house
in Agar-strcet, Strand, said that the prisoner and six or
seven other persons were in the habit of frequently
meeting at his house, and having their letters directed
there. They met so often that they led him (witness)
and his family to believe they were persons speculating
in horse racing, and were very fortunate in their specu-
lations.—(Laughter.)
Mr. NORTON remarked, that the case was one which
required further investigation, and he should, therefore,
remand the prisoner until Friday next (this day week)
on a charge of obtaining money under false pretences.