The sun., 1903-11-22
YOUNG MARQUIS EASY MARK.
FELL victim TO S6O,OOO SVINDLE
nut LAWYERS SAVE HIM.
Arthur SCbrisbt, Confidence Man, TOOK
Advantage OF Marquis Of Downshire's
Guileiessness. but He II Convicted ard
Sent to Prison for Eighteen Months.

Advantage OF Marquis W po"he"'e
Guileiessness. but He II Convicted aud
Sent to Prison for Eighteen Months
Special cane Despatch TO THE Sun.
LONDON, Nov. 2l.-The proceedings OF
: the London law courts are marked periodi-
, cally by the appearance of young noblemen
in the irksome RI e of men Of business.
Atrial which ended to-day in the sent ence 10
eight cen months at hard labor OF Arthur
b Sebright for swindling the Marquis OF
: Downshire out of 900 in a single trans
action, est blshes new record in know
, nothingism.
+ The Marquis of Downshire is 32 years
old and owns 10000 acres. He has held
e the title since his infancy. Sebright
who is influen tally related, was an honor
ary equerry in Prince Christians house
hold twenty years ago and since then has
occupied chiefly the law courts with vary
ing degrees Of discredit. He has been
four times bankrupt, thrice with asset
nil, and is now an undischarged bankr pit.
A sister Of ex-Count ess Russell obt aimed
decree of nullity Of marriage against him
on he ground of his fraudulent concealment
of facts. He has been mixed up at other
times In litigation over bills of exchange
gilcled yout hs whose society he affected.
1t was case of this kind in which the
Marquis of Downshirc was the victim that
caused his downfall Downshire was din
ing with a woman in a restaurant when
8 bright. who knew her, but not him,
came up and started a conversation The
rest of the story followed the regular rule
1t Ia best told in the Marquis s own words.
to
companies He said he was bringing out
, q big one of 5000 900 capital called the
Credit Foncier of England. About week
later Sebright visited Downshir, and told
him he had sold some shares in his name
and that he had won 5000, The Marquis
was rather pleased and when told that
he should sign two papers before receiving
his winnings he signed them without
word They turned out to be bills Of ex-
change for $4,000 each The Marquis
met and paid one of them before his lawyers
learned the story or his friends could stop
him.
His crosse xamination yesterday elected
admissions that he drew hundreds of
checks in year, but did not know the diff
ference between check and bill Of ex-
change. He thought the two documents
signed for Sebright were checks, not ac-
teptances. His performance on the wit
ness stand was so genuine that the jury
had no difficulty in fiji ding that the case
was a barefaced swindle.
Sebright's method of capturing his man
is form Of confidence trick which is be-
coming rather familiar among flash finan-
cicrs here. II recalls the story of the al
legged unwillingress of members of royalty
that Whitaker Wright be prosecuted.
The circumstances then were that he, when
at the z,nith ~ his fame and success, with
the Marquis Of Duflerin, Lord Pelham
Clinton and Lord Loch among the directors
OF his company, secured an introduction
to the Duke Of Connaught. who visited him
on his yacht at Cowes. In a brief talk
he referred in complimentary terms to
Wi1ght's financial genius. A fortnight
afterward the Duke of Connaught re-
ceived a check for 100000 from Wright
with note saying that it was his profits
on the investment mentioned when Wright
had the honor of meeting him, The Duke
wished to return the check. but the story
goes that Wright wrote in the tones of in
jured dignity that, Of course, il the invest
ment had turned out badly he would have
expected the Duke to meet his loss. The
Duke is 80 ignorant Of company business
that he does not know until this day whether
he went int O the deal