The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-20 00:00:00

THAMES.

a clerk, was brought
FRAUD BY AN INSURANCE AGENT.—Henry Webb,
ywarrant, charged with
a beforew ell
fraudulently obtaining from Elizabeth Collier, the
- res. s epda mg
oat:, fool: mae rl
sum of £2 135., under pretence of insuring her hus-
band's effects and tools on board
ship, during a
foreign-going voyage.
The evidence of the complainant was to the follow-
ing effect :—The prisoner called upon Mrs. Collier
and her husband before the latter went to sea, and
represented himself as the agent of the Marine and
General Mutual Life Insurance Society, in Leaden-
hall-street. He offered to insure Mr. Collier's chest,
effects, and tools. He was asked the cast, to which
he replied £2 10s. to insure £5O, and gave Mrs.
Collier and her husband several books and prospec-
tuses relating to insurance offices. He filled up a
printed form of the Marine and General Mutual
Life Insurance Office, which the husband signed.
After Collier had gone to sea, Mrs. Collier paid the
prisoner 10s., for which he gave a receipt now pro-
duced. On the following day she paid the prisoner
£2 more, and be demanded 3s. in addition because
the ship was laden with coal and iron, which made
the risk much greater than a ship laden with an
ordinary cargo. The 3s. was paid, and a second
receipt given for £2 3s. Mrs. Collier said that she
parted with the money ou the faith of the prisoner's
representation that he was an agent of the Marine
and General Mutual Life Insurance Society.

The witness underwent a long cross-examination
by the prisoner. Her evidence was not shaken.
She said that her attention was not called to the
fact that in the book which the prisoner left with
her her attention was not called to th,J fact that
the charge was
£2 123. 6d. for an insurance of £5O.
Mr. Robert Henry Allen, dock agent to the
Marine and General Mutual Life Insurance So-
ciety, said the prisoner was, not and never had
been, an agent of that company, and that Collier's
effects and tools had not been insured by the priso-
ner or any other person. The prisoner called on
him a few days ago, and said he had made a pro-
posal at the company's office to insure Collier's
chest, clothes, and tools, and that the proposal h
been declined. He asked the prisoner why the
money had not been returned when the office re-
fused to accept the risk? To which he replied that
he intended to apply
to a Liverpool office. Collier,
the seaman, had gone out in a ship called the Wild
Hunter, and the society with which he was con-
nected would not accept of any insurances upon a
visit of kindness.

Charles Abbott, No. 322 K, said he took the pri-
soner into custody last night in Poplar, and he said
he was about to pay the money he had received to
Miss Collier.

The prisoner made a long defence, in effect that
he meant to insure as promised, and that he never
represented himself as the agent of any particular
office.

The prisoner Was committed for trial.

THE GALE.

FISHGUARD, S. WALES, Wednesday Night.
The Sir Edward Perrott lifeboat, of the National
Lifeboat Institution, was launched this morning
(says Mr. Wm. Vaughan) in reply to a signal of
distress run up iu the roadstead by the smack
Gloucester Packet, of Cardigan, which was bound
from Milford to that place with a cargo of culm.
The lifeboat fortunately rescued the crew of two
men and brought them ashore in safety. The vessel
is fast driving on the rocks.

HOLYHEAD, Wednesday Night.
A m
to enter the harbour
this morning s h
in one
gale from the north,
schooner, in tryingrrifie
that came on suddenly (reports Admiral Schom-
s aa very terrific
berg), ran on the outside of the Breakwater, and in
a few minutes went to pieces. The services of the
lifeboat Princess of Wales could not be made avail-
able in the position the vessel was in, and the
rocket apparatus was accordingly sent down, but
before it could possibly reach the spot the schooner
had broken up, and the crew bad unfortunately
perished. The weather is now more moderate.