Star.
London, England, 1824-10-25 00:00:00

FALSE CHARACTER.

BOW-ST R HET.
The following is a more detailed statement of the charge made
at this office by R. J. Wilmot-Horton, Esq. the Under Secre-
tary of State for the Colonial Department, against William Payne,
for having attempted to obtain the situation of butler in that Gen-
tleman's family by means of a false-clt:4—acter. :—Mr. Wilmot-I for-
ton being in want of a butler, requested kite Steward of the Tra-
vOlar's Club to advertise for one, and refer the applicant to the
Club-house in Pall-mall. The steward did So, and a great number
applied for the situation, and, among others, this William Payne.
fhey were all desired to write down their qualifications, references
to character, &c. in order th.tt they might be submitted to Mr. Wil-
mot- Horton ; and this being done, he selected from among them
William Payne as the most likely person to suit him. Ile had
given a reference to Sir Robert Harland, Bart. of Orwell Park,
Suffolk, with whom he said he had lived between three and four
years as butler; and in a personal interview which he had with Mr.
Horton, he stated that he had previously lived in the same capacity
with the late Marquis Cornwallis, and also with'Sir C. Cockerell.
—ln consequence, Mr. Wilmot-Horton wrote to\Sir Robert Har-
land, who was then at Brighton, and Payne immediately set off for
that place, with the intention, as it has since been ascertained, of
intercepting the letter and returning an answer to it himself. He
was too late to accomplish this ; and, therefore, he posted hack again
to London to intercept Sir Robert Harland's answer. Arrived in
town, he, by some means or other, ascertained that the whole of
Mr. Wilmot- Horton's letters were sent to the twopenny post, to he
delivered to him at his country-house near Richmond, and, therefore,
he instantly went down to the post.ofEce at Richmond, and by re-
presenting himself as Mr. Wilmot-Horton's butler, he obtained the
whole of his letters for that day. But this impudent stratagem
tailed hint at last; for it so happened that Sir Robert Harland sent
his answer by a special messenger, and it was to the effect that Mr.
Wilmot-Horton was about to be imposed upon by a rascal, against
whom the Baronet cautioned him to be upon his guard.—Upon
receiving this answer, Mr. Wilmot-Horton applied to the Ma-
gistrates at this Office, and he was taken into custody.

A search-warrant was also issued, with a view to recover the
letters he had embezzled from the Richmond Post-office; and the
officers, in searching bis lodgings, found a number of Lett( rs of re-
commendation, giving him a mutt excellent character. One of these
letters was signed " Somerset," and all of them bore the signature
of some person of distinction; but upon inquiry, the signatures were
found to be forged.
On Friday he underwent an examination befote two of the Ma-
gistrates of this Office, when he confessed his guilt, and threw him-
self on the mercy of the prosecutor • but the Magistrates were of
opinion that it was a most aggravated: case, in which Mr. Wilmot-
Horton fully coincided, and they therefore convicted him under
the Statute applicable to these cases in the full penalty of £2O. This
penalty he declared himself unable to pay, and he was sentenced to
three months' imprisonment in the House of Correction.