The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-18 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY FRAUD.

The following narrative of an extraordinary fraud com-
mitted by a son upon his parent, appears in the advertising
columns of the Suffolk Herald:—
" An appeal is made in favour of two individuals, advanced
in life, who have become miserable and dependent under
circumstances unexampled on the score of fraud, but, as
applying to their case, of a singularly distressing and un-
natural cheracter. The objects of this application are Mr.
and Mrs. Neale, long known in Bury St. Edmunds as in-
dustrious and respectable tradespeople, carrying on the busi-
ness of stay-makers in Abbeygate street. An only son,
whom they educated and launched into the business of life,
as well as their means enabled them, became in 1837 assistant
to a medical practitioner, named Wilson, in Kingsland- road,
London. In that capacity he attended a patient of his em-
ployer. named Cooper, whom he then represented to his
parents as a gentleman of fortune, having taken a great
liking to him (Charles Neale.) He, (C. N.) in continuation
of the same tale, represented himself as the travelling com-
panion of this rich gentleman, whom he afterwards stated to
have died at Hamburg, leaving him sole heir of his large
property, said to be £30,000, in Three per Cent. Consols,
shares in public companies, houses in Hackney, Clapton,
&c. He pretended, however, that others had set up a false
claim to this property under a former will, particularly a
servant of the deceased gentleman, named Wilkin, who
had instituted proceedings in Chancery, in order to pre-
vent him (Charles Neale) from taking possession. By fur-
ther plausible representations he impressed his parents
with a full belief of the truth of his story, and having
carried that point, had no difficulty in obtaining, what is
too evident to have been his object, the possession of what
money they had, or could, upon the strength of their credit,
borrow. In pursuance of this object, he regularly sent down
documents containing voluminous details and reports of ex-
aminations before the Master in Chancery, and from the
plausibility of many of these, and the acquaintance shown in
them with the law courts, there is reason to suppose that he
had learned assistance in his nefarious design. The unsus-
pecting parents fell victims to the deception so cunningly and
villainously contrived, and his repeated applications for money
to carry on the suit, and protect his right in law, were an-
swered times almost out of number with sums latterly raised
on the sales of their business and stock-in-trade, of every do-
mestic article which could be converted into money, under
the idea of coming into immediate possession, and of large
sums borrowed from individuals, who having inspected the
documents referred to, had no more doubt than the parents
themselves of the truth of the statements and the safety of
the sums advanced. Up till the end of July last was the un-
natural deception practised unsuspectedly, the then needy
and almost destitute parents contriving means still to meet
their son's urgent demands, under an assurance that a settle-
ment was at hand, and they should be speedily relieved from
their anxieties and remunerated for their outlay. A few days
after the plot was detected. A letter was received from the
son, lamenting the failure of his expectations and the neces-
sity which he was under of quitting the country. Subse-
quent inquiries have laid open the completeness of the impo-
sition. The Mr. Cooper referred to died, not at Hamburg,
but in London, and left no property. No suit of this de-
scription had been heard of in Chancery. Charles Neale has
absconded, leaving his defrauded parents deep in affliction
and menaced by want. The only hope now left them is the
recovery of their trade, which the lady who purchased it from
them, sympathising in their distress, is willing to restore on
payment of the money advanced. Some generous friends and
former customers have expressed their willingness to sub-
scribe to enable them to effect this object, bat a few only
will not serve to carry it into effect. This statement and ap-
peal are therefore submitted to the public., '

THE APPOINTMENTS.—The present on dit is, that Mr.
Blackburne being certainly Master of the Rolls, and Mr.
Smith Attorney-General, Mr. Seargeant Greene is to be
Solicitor, and Mr. Brewster Sergeant. It is also said in this
case Mr. Keatinge is to be Castle adviser. We do not give
these latter statements either on "authority," from 1` head-
quarters," or as the opinion of the "literary and scientific
circles." They wear, however, a certain air of probable
authenticity which entitles them to be mentioned.—Dublin
Statesman.