The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-03 00:00:00

sixpennyworth of gin and water. He called for one
glass and I for the other; and after we had drunk it
he said, " Excuse me, I have business over the way ;
wait here for five or ten minutes," and he left me and
had scarcely got across the street when a man came
into the house and said, " Ah, Mr. Gibson, I am glad
to see you out ; bow do you do ?" I said I was very
well, and was waiting for a friend.
Mr. YARDLEY—Did you ever see that man before ?
Mr. Gibson—Yes, once before at the house where
lam staying—only once. We went upstairs to a
billiard-room and I seated myself near a window,
where I could see Mr. Smith come over again. When
I had stood at the window 10 or 15 minutes the man
said, " You had better give it up, Sir; he is not
coming back." A third person then came into the
room, and in a polite manner said, " I beg
pardon, gentlemen hope I don't intrude
is this a private party ?" I said the room
was as free for him as for us, and he seated
himself close to us, and called for brandy and water.
A conversation was then got up about America, and
the second person, whom I met downstairs, asked me
if I had ever been in America. I said I had not.
The second person said, " I have heard a good deal
of America, but I was never there." The third
person said he had just arrived from America. The
second person said he should like to know a business
man from America. The third person said he knew
nothing of business, and that he had lived as gentle-
man's servant to a bachelor in America, who died a
little while ago and bequeathed 22,0001., and that
there was a provision in the will that 4001. was to
be given to the poor of four different parishes in
England.
Mr. YARDLEY—Did he name the parishes ?
Mr. Gibson—No, sir. He said the parishes were
immaterial—he could choose which he liked. He then
asked me if there were any more poor people in the
parish to which I belonged. I said I had no doubt
there were. He asked me which parish it was, and
I said it was Wolverhampton, in Staffordshire. He
said if I could show him a sufficient proof of my re-
spectability, and that I was a man of substance and
fit to be trusted, he would give me 201. to dis-
tribute among the poor. He also said the second
person should have 201. to distribute among the poor
of his parish. After this was talked about for some
time, it was proposed to return to the City, and we
all three got into an omnibus and proceeded to the
Bull's Head public-house in Leadenhall-street.
When we got in there we had more brandy-and-
water. The third person, who was gentleman's ser-
vant to the rich bachelor in America, proposed that
we should meet him again, and receive 201. each.
The second person proposed that it should be done at
once, and the deceased bachelor's servant said he
should be happy to meet us in an hour if we could bring
him some money to convince him that we were re-
spectable men. I then went to Poplar and fetched a
101.-note and 531. in gold.
Mr. YARDLEY—And was robbed of the whole of it ?
Mr. Gibson—Yes, sir. At 10 minutes to 6 I re-
turned again to the Bull's Head, and waited until 10
or 15 minutes past 7, when the person who said he
had 4001. to distribute came there, and we were
joined by the other man, who produced a roll of notes
and said he had 501. in his possession.
Mr. YARDLEY—Are you sure they were bank-
notes ? Mr. Gibson—They appeared like it. I pro-
duced my money, and the third person said, " I am
now convinced you are respectable men, and will
give you 20/. each for the poor at some future time."
lie got up, as if he was about to leave, and the se-
cond man said, " Don't leave us. I will get you a
receipt for the 201. at once." The third man then
put a roll of sovereigns in his hat, and said he was
ready with the money. The second man put his 501.
in his hat, and said to me, " You leave your money in
it, and let us go out and get two stamped receipts for
201. each."

Mr. YARDLEY—For the poor of Wolverhampton ?
➢lr. Gibson—Yes, Sir. Well, Sir, I left my purse in
his hat.

Mr. YARDLEY—And your money too? Mr. Gib-
son—Yes, Sir, 1531., which I brought from Black-
wall. I was getting up to go away, and the second
one said " I will do the same as you have," and took
hold of my arm by the side of the door, when I saw
Mr. Smith, the prisoner, again. " Halloo," says I,
"is it you ?" and he immediately seized hold of my
other arm and was leading me towards the street,
when I saw the third man following us across the
passage. I immediately suspected something wrong,
and said " Let me go, let go my arm," but they would
not. I tried to extricate myself from them, but they
pinioned me and dragged me off the doorstep, and the
man in whose hat the money was ran across the street,
and I saw no more of him. The other two men also
disappeared immediately. I have never seen my purse
and money since.
Mr. YARDLEY—And you believed this story about
4001. being left to the poor by an American gentle-
man ? Mr. Gibson—Yes, Sir ; I was completely
thrown off my guard; they both produced a good deal
of money.
Mr. YARDLEY—Are you sure you saw the prisoner
a second time in Leadenhall-street ? Mr. Gibson—
Yes, Sir; he appeared all at once.
Mr. YARDLEY—You are a most credulous person,
and have lost all your money. What are you ? Mr.
Gibson—l am an engineer, and was in the service of
the Indian General Steam Navigation Company.
These are the wages which I brought home.
Mr. YARDLEY—ShouId you know the other people?
Mr. Gibson—Very well indeed, Sir.
Mr. YARDLEY said the affair was cleverly con-
cocted, and the engineer was made the victim of a
deep-laid conspiracy to defraud him of his money.
There was some evidence the prisoner was concerned
in the conspiracy, but, as the prosecutor was robbed
of his money in the City, the case must go to the
Mansion-house. He remanded the prisoner until this
day, when he will be brought before the Lord
Mayor. He directed the police to look after the other
sharpers.