The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-13 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

Mr. Frederick William Routledge, alias Captain Rout-
ledge, a person of gentlemanly appearance, about sixty
years of age, was placed at the bar, before the Hon. G.
C.,Norton, on a charge of swindling Mr. Richard H.
oapnd at appeared
the for the
prisoner.
Johnson, of the flint-glass works, St. Helen's, Lance-
s h iTrehe
,out
books,of bills,l3l
.16as.nd
Mr. Gamesdocuments
fu pea
pri-
soner's residence furnish ample proof of the existence
of a system of wholesale swindling, almost incredible,
and the case, when brought to a proper maturity, will
disclose one of the most gigantic swindles and frauds
that has come to light for years past. The prisoner,
who is known at different parts of the metropolis, and
who is said to be a Waterloo officer, a Captain Rout-
ledge, has been for nearly thirty years the principal of a
gang of swindlers, who have victimised the pablic to a
very considerable amount, under the assumed titles of
Wigram and Co., Taylor and Co., Hill and Co., Green
and Co., Hankey and Co , Gurney and Co., and latterly
as George and William Bruce; and so ingenious have
been the plane of the gang that during these thirty
years they have set the police at defiance, and carried
on their operations with great impunity. Their plan of
proceding was this:—They forwarded printed circulars,
headed " Commercial information, and temporary as-
sistance to merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and
private gentlemen of respectability," and offering
bills of exchange to any amount, drawn and accepted
by "respectable" parties, and at such dates us
might be required as a temporary assistance, provided the
parties receiving such bills provided for their payment
on their coining to maturity. These circulars they
addressed to many persons of respectability in every
town in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and by this
means they were afforded ample scope for their nefarious
praatices. Persons requiring temporary assistance, and
net able, or not wishing, perbaps,to put their sawn paper
into circulation, write to these swindlers for bills, vary-
ing according to circumstances, and for these they were
called on in- the first instance to pay a large bonus in
ready money. The bill so received, and which in
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, was made payable
at a London banker's, the parties get discounted at a
local banker's, or by private monied friends, and some
days before they become due an intimation is received
from the awindlere reminding the party of the fact, and

stating the necessity of forwarding a remittance to take
it up. The dupes, supposing they are dealing with
honest and honourable Mel), forward the amount to the
swindlers, who at once put it into their pockets, and
leave the hill to it, fate; and this was precisely the case '
in the instance of Mr. Johnson. That gentleman, how- I
ever, finding that he had got into such hands, made
application to Mr. Robinson, the superintendent of
the P division of police, and he at once placed the
case in the hands of Sergeant Qiinnear and Robert ;
Melville, two of his most intelligent and active
offieers, and the result has been the apprehension of Rout-
ledge, the captain of the gang, and it is hoped the break-
ing up the nefarious and monster swindle. The officers
having ascertained that a registered letter, containing
Johnson's remittance. and addressed to Messrs. George
and William Bruce, Frances-street, Newington, had been
addressed to No. 21 in that street, they called there on
Friday, and inquired for Captain Routledge, but were
told no such person resided there. They forced their way
into the parlour, and there found the prisoner sitting at a
desk, with various letters, documents, and a bill-book
before him. Quinnear, addressing him, said he was an
officer, and should take him into custody on a charge of
fraudulently obtaining from Mr. Johnson, of St. Helen's,
Lancashire, the sum of 2131. 165., and he (the prisoner)
replied he knew nothing about it. The prisoner, in reply
to the question or the officers, admitted that the bill-book
before him was his, but that the whole of the documents
did not belong to him. On examining the place, the officers
found a truckload of circulars drawn up with a cunning
and skill calculated to deceive the devil himself, or at
least the most knowing. Also a number of letters from
persons who had been and were about to be victim-
ised ; in fact, the assortment presented a " grand
exhibition" of documents, the most perfect that human
ingenuity could devise for carrying on a gigantic system
of swindle. Amongst the things so found were thirty
bills, amounting in the whole to 3,5171. Bs., and about
the same number of bill• stamps in blank, with the ex-
ception of the acceptance, which were in different names;
seventy-six sovereigns, half-notes to the amount of 741,
a piece of black broad cloth, duplicates for cloth to a vast
amount, and ether things important to the case.
Sergeant Quinnear said that from a letter which he
had received from Mr. Johnson, it appeared that about
the 10th of August last he received a bill of exchange
from Messrs. George and William Bruce, of Frances-
street, Newington, for 2131. 165., for which he had to
pay 101. commission. The bill, which purported to be
drawn by Mr. William Balfour, merchant, of Glasgow;
accepted by Mr. Henry Boult, merchant, of King-street,
London; endorsed by Mr. W. James Selkirk, commis-
sion-agent, Commercial-road, Limehouse, London, was
dated the sth of August last for four months, and became
due on the Bth of December last, that day being Sunday.
Mr. Johnson remitted its amount in a registered letter,
to take it up at the banking-house of Messrs. Glyn, Hal-
Wax, and Co., hut this was not done, and the bill was
returned to the country bankers who discounted it, with
19s. 6d. expenses. (Sergeant Quinnear here produced
the bill-book found at the prisoner's, and pointed out
an entry of this very bill, with the name of Mr. Johnson
before it.)
The prisoner here denied that he had acknowledged to
the officers that the bill-book was his.
Mr. Superintendent Robinson beggedithat the magis-
trate would remand the case, as he had reason to be-
lieve that he would be able to bring forward others of a
similar kind, in which the prisoner was implicated.
Mr. NoaToet assented to this request, and refused bail
for the prisoner's future appearance.
THAMES.
Mrs. Mary Barnes, a respectable-looking woman, 26
years of age, was charged with attempting to utter a
spurious half-sovereign to Mrs. Ann Muldeary, tobacco-
nist, Sykes-terrace, Mile-end-road.
The prosecutrix stated that the prisoner came that
day to purchase a snuff-box at her shop, for which she
tendered a sovereign in payment, and received the
change in silver. The prisoner, instead, requested to
be accommodated with half a sovereign, which Mrs.
Muldeary brought down, and the prisoner requested to
have it weighed, which being done it was found to be
light. As Mrs. Muldeary always weighed any gold
she took, she was satisfied it was not the half-sovereign
she gave to the prisoner, and accused her of having
changed the coin, when the prisoner abused her in the
grossest manner.
The prisoner, who said she resided in the London-
road, Kingston, Surrey, said that Mrs. Muldeary having
weighed her sovereign with great nicety, she insisted
on having the half-sovereign weighed also, when it was
found to be light.
Mr. INGRAM questioned Mrs. Muldeary closely as to
whether some unweighed coins might not have got
amongst her cash. He seemed disinclined to commit
the prisoner, and accepted her own security for her ap-
pearance on Monday.