Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-11
END OF A GREAT CASE
Scotland Yard Sees the Last of "the
Great Bond Robbery"
ARRANGING TO STOP THE OIL WELLS.
Burning Of the Old Colony Boat
Fitchburg.
WHEAT MARKET EXCITED.
THE GREAT BOND ROBBERY.
End OF One Of the Most Famous Cases
SCOTLAND Yards Records.


End OF Ono Of the Most Famous Cases in
SCOTLAND Yards Records.
LONDON, April 1.-THE case known as ''The
Great Bond Robbery" which has been before
the courts for year and which has excited
much interest in stock brokerage and other
business circles, was brought to an end today by
the conviction Of the defendants, Walter Selwyn.
a stock broker, and Frederick Peach, on the
charge Of conspiring to defraud John Willis
Scears out of q sum Of ESQ.
Selwyn was sentenced to five years penal
servitude and Peach to fourteen months i'm
prisonment at hard labor.
HISTORY OF A CELEBRATED CASE.
The facts are that a parcel of Turkish
priority bonds and q small sum Of Mexican
bonds were issued in Paris for Es, 400 with the
Marine Insurance Company and dispatched to
firm OF brokers in London. They duly left
by train January IL. 1890, and were placed on
board the Southeastern companys steamer on
their arrival at Boulogne by the officials of the
railway company. On the arrival of the boat
at the English shore the majority Of the bonds
which had been taken on board were found
properly locked up in the safe. but two parcels.
those insured for 4,S00, we're neither there
nor in any other part of the vessel. Similar
robberies occurred in the month of March last
year.
Chief Inspector Abbelne of Scotland Yard
was sent over to Boulogne to see if he could
recognize among the passengers arriving there
any person known to him as q reputed bond
robber. On April 8 he caused to be arrested
by the French police four men whom he saw
leaving the steamer Breeze. One of them,
man named Powell. was found to be vigorously
masticatlng something. French police
officer seized him by the jaws. and, forcing
them open, took out of his mouth a mass of
somewhat pulpy paper, which turned out to be
ket of IN rtl laf tat fha
toria station. In Powell's hand another ticket
was found which related to a valise left at
Dover. This valise contained sham bonds,
which 1t was supposed it was intended to replace
by any genuine ones which might be stolen
on the voyage. Upon one Of the other men
were found two keys. one of which was mas
ter key for the locks of all the safes of the
Southeastern company's fleet. Another Of the
men had in his possession partly crushed wax
impression Of one Of the KEYS Of the Breeze
Impressions Of two other keys were found on
the fourth man.
Efforts made to bring abought the extradi-
ton Of these men were unsuccessful, but after
five months detention they were driven out of
France. The Victoria station ticket had in the
meantime been found to refer to hat box con-
tanning sixty-two of the coupons belonging to a
part Of one of the stolen parcels of bonds
while q search of the cloak room at Cannon
street station London, resulted in the finding
Of Gladstone bag in which were several of the
bonds.
Last July Mr.. Scears, a gentleman of in
dependent means received letter from Peach,
to whom he had lent f1O0, in which he asked
him to advance to a friend OF his-a Mr.. Mel
vilie-the sum of 81, 900 upon a quantity of
Turkish priority per cent bonds. Mr.. Scears
did advance the sum Of ESQ, and placed
parcel Of bonds which he received in return
from Peach with his bankers.
Meanwhile these bonds were stopped, and on
August 26 Peach wrote a letter to Mr.. Scears
saying the loan would be repaid in the follow
ing January. and. he added, he had arranged
with Mr.. Melville that the coupons due in Sep.
TENDER should not be disturbed.
Other inquiries made by Inspector Abbeline
brought to light the fact that the real name of
Melville was Selwyn, and that he and Peach
had been living together at Eastbourne and
that they had residences near one another at
Richmond. When Peach was first before the
magistrate his counsel applied for bail, and
to demonstrate the bona fides Of his eli.
ent in the matter undertook to restore the re-
mainder of the bonds. This was agreed to,
and Peachs wife took detective into an attic
and disclosed a hole in the flooring, in which
were all but three of the bonds he was in
search of, together with a quantity of cor
respondence between Peach and Melville.
Meanwhile Melville, whose real name proved
to be Selwyn, evaded arrest for some time and
wrote impudent letters to the authorities jeer-
ing them about the criminal proceedings. He
was at length arrested in a house in Hardwood
square. where he had been stopping under the
name Of F. Dalbein, esq. The prisoner was re-
luctant to give his name, which proved to be
Walter Selwyn. He also proved to be criminal
who had undergone sentences Of imprisonment
and penal servitude for forgery. swindling,
&C., and who was probably not not unknown
to America as there was papers in his possess
sion when he was arrested relating
to California. Selwyn used to dis
guise himself for criminal opera
tions by backing his mustache which il
naturally light. The whole amount of bonds
stolen by the gang, of which Peach and Selwyn
appear to have been leaders, was about c3O, GOO.
A large quantity Of the stolen bonds were re-
covered in Vienna. The actual robberies ap-
pear to have been impossible to trace to the
prisoners. AMI they were therefore prosecuted
for conspiracy to defraud.