The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-04 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED FRAUD

A person assuming to
.be a lady called about .a
fortnight since at the residence of a solicitor in Ili-
bridge, and produced an unexecuted engrossment of
a. lease, purporting to be a lease from Mary Ann
MOntagu,Cf Privy-gardens, to John GraY, of Henley-
upon-Thames, of a farm called Grosvenor Farm,
stated to be near Henley, at a rent of 500/. per annum.
The lease was admirably draivii, and properly
stamped, the stamps .:'hearing the IlainpShire mark
upon them, a stamp of 4/." being `dated ,Nov. 29,
1841, and the. second, of it., the 30th- of No-
vember, .1843. - The deed altogether bore an ap-
peara,nce of being completely authentic. The person
represented herself to be the lessor, Mary Ann
Montagu, and .that she was the owner of- the farm
demised, the existing lease of which would expire at
Lady-day, when the lease then prOduced was to be
executed; that the title-deeds of the property had been
deStroyed in the fire at Hillingdon-house, where she was
at the -time on a visit ; and that she was very desirous
before the completion" of the lease to hive her loss re-
paired by the preparation of fresh deeds, or some other
evidence of her title, for the satisfaction of the tenant,
if, it could in any, way. be accomplished. She made
an.appointment to call on the following Monday to
furnish instructions and full, particulars of her title to
the property. Upon her again calling, her statements
were somewhat at variance with her former a,ccount,
inconsequence of which inquiries were instituted,
Which led to the discovery- that her representations
,Were entirely false ; but as there was no apparent ob-
ject for 'the deception, the professional gentleman to
Whom she had applied did not 'apprise her- of the in-
vestiation Which he had Made, in the anticipation
that her intentions might be-discovered, and perhaps
an extensive fraud be thereby frUstrated and exposed.
At. a third interview she arranged for an appoint-
'ment with the alleged tenant of the farm, to meet her
at the solicitor's office, for. the purpose of execut-:
ing., the. lease. It having been ascertained that
;there was no such, person as John Gray residing near
Ifenley, no letter was written,i
but on the' 25th the'
appointed day, the soi-disantigary.Anp Montagu
duly made her appearance, accompanied by a respect-'
ably-dressed young man, who stated" himself to be
John Gray, jun., the song of Mr. John Gray, the
tenant of Grosvenor farm ; that his father had, upon
reflection, determined not •to renew his :lease from,
Miss.,Montagu ; and.that he, .with his father's con-
sent, had proposed to become the tenant, it being
father's intention tO assign over to him aids farming'
'stock, and to assist him with capital: To confirm this'
statement a letter was prOdueed, purported. to 1104,
been written, by the •father. In some way
likely. likely. by inquiry at the Henley post-offiCe) it had been
ascertained by the parties that no letter had been written-
,to the tenant., Mr. J. Gray, jiin.; had been well tutored
in his: part thus far, but on, being requested to take a
seat in another room, apart from his instructess, where
a policeman was introduced to his acquaintance, his
assumed character required. more art than he was
master of, and a few searching questions elicited
,
that the aspiring wotild-be-tenant of Grosvenor-
, farm,. at a relit of 5001: per annum, was a servant in
the employ of a farmer at Colham-green. Unfortn-,
ilAte!y no evidence of an overt aet of fraud could be
obtained to justify giving the parties into custody ;
but it was apparent that there was for some purpose
a,deep laid scheme, in which other parties of more
plotting capacity than Miss Montagu, or her pre-
tended tenant, are Concerned. The woman represent-.
ing. herself as Mary Ann Montagil is about thirty
years of age, has a strong French accent, and speaks
of herself as having resided- a long'time on the Con-
: tinent. She is Well conversant with titled names,
I; and very plausible in her :Manners and statements,
4114 apparently amply provided with a Supply of ready
money, It is, hoped that this exposure .may possibly
lead to detection of -.other parties c'encerned, or at•
least prevent the accomplishment of- the fraud else-
'where. The lease has been retained by the solicitor;
tafacilitate any further investigation.
. •

,FRIGIIITUT. ACCIDENT 'AT NANTTaLa:-i—lt is with
unfeigned sorrow that we have .to announce a melancholy
%and fatal accident which happened at these Works, last week.
4t 'appears that ,four colliers ,
were descending the pit in a
bucket, when the .chain broke ,and they ;were in a moment
launched into another world. -Nohlame is attached- to any
non. Two of the unfortunate sufferers have left wives and
;large families 4,0 Jament their loss. ,
,:Sevpral: others were so
,L„dreadfully injured, ._that little.:holls,arcat,present enter.
tained-of their