Police.
The Times, 1824-04-28T00:00:00

Bow-STrEET.-Yesterday this office was crowdled at an early hour, in consequence of the apprehension of a dashing womaa on several charges of swindling. The ndme of the accused was Eliza LouL7sa Eady, alias Plomer, alias Webster, alias Witn.7i11 She is ab:out 28 years of age, possesses an interesting countenance, is highly accomplished, dresses elegantly, and has perfiaps as much aldrcss and con?idence in a trying situation as ever fell to tihe lot of waman. The principal coniplainant was a gentleman frolu Dcvonshlre, of the name of Allen, who stated that he came to town about tlh:-e weeks ago, and while lodging at the G olden Cross, Charinr-cross, he ca0led one morning at the house kent by the deien'ant, No. 24, Chasing-cross (a better sort of coffee-shop), to take breakfast. Wh-.e at his repast, he asked the defendant if she let lodgiags, and she said she had a room vacant. They agreed upon terms, and oi the following Monday he took possession. He had been a short tiase there, when he had sonme conversation witlh her about a loan of money, which she had hinted slhe was in great need of. She said that she hall fbolishly been prevailed upon to endorse a bill for 381., which would be returned on that day, and unless she was prepared witli the moaey she should be arrested. She was not, she msid, at all accustomed to such things, and it would be a serious exposure if she should be unable to net it. She went nn to say. that s'ec was the widow of Captain Plomer of the 10th Hussars, 'vh3 h:d been dead several years, and niece to Sir Thomas Plomer by that union. She was in the Teceipt of 1001. a-year pension and bountv nmoney, which was paid at Cox and Greenwond's. She also said that she was the daughter of the late Gmneral Dunbar, for- merly Governor of Jersey, wbo was drowned at sea. The com- plainant told her he had no mnre money than he knew what to do with, but he had a sum about him which she might have, if she would return it on the following Saturday. This she faithfuUy promised to do; and he advamcel her 251. On the Thursday be- fore the Saturday arrived, however, she absconded from home. Ar. H4ALLs.-_Whlat do you call absconding ? Complainant.-Why, she went away suddenly, and without pay- ing inc niy money. Defendant.-I went away, Sir, to avoid that villain (pointing to the complainant.) Mr. IALLS desired her to be silent. The complainant added, that he had since inquired at Milessrs. Cox and Greenwood's, and found that she was not known there at all, and that the story of ner being the widow of Captain Plomer was an entire falsehood. Ilethenproduced several letters wlicl she had written to him, upon the subiect of a loan. Mir. HALLS, after reading the letters. said, " I should infer from these that the money was advanced to your ,ffoctioniate fricad Eliza in that character only,und not upon any representations made by her, whether true or false. Tbe complainant said it would indeed appear so, but there ras no truth whatever in the insinuations which she dealt in so largely. There were other persons weho had similar chargesto prefer. About a dozen persons atepped forward, and made charges of fraud aesinst her. but none of them amounted to more than this- that she had by lier imposing manners got the better of their pru- dence, and prevailed upon thens to give her credit. The defendant being called on to answer the first charge. rose from a chair with which she had been aceommodated on a plea of faintness, and said she begged leave to state, that the complrinant came to her hiouse an entire stranger, and when he first en- tered the coffee-room, she was busied in mending a bell-rope. She offered to leave the room, but he insisted that she should not. She, hotwever, left the room to prepare his breakfast, and when she returned he commenced reading aloud from a magazine some epi- grams, ciiiefy upon love matters, and put some jocular questions to her ipon the subject. She said she knew nothing abos t it, for she never wasin love: at which, he said, he marvelled wondrously, so finea creature as she was. She thought him foolish, but civil and therefore answered him courteouslv. He proposed to come and live in the house; and having an apartment vacant, she let it to him. She soon discovcred that he was not what she supposed hiim to be, a gentleman, for he took imuproper libert2es with her. One day that he met her on the stairs, he took her by the arm, and asked her where she slept ? She thought it a very improper question, but answered him tbatshe sleptin a room over his. he said hewas ex- ceedingly sorry for that, and as'sed her if the could not sleep in the room next to his? She replied in the negative. He expressed great attaehment to her, and offered to lend her money if she had occasion for it. She said she certainly had several debts pressing upon bc justat that moment, and a little cash wouldmundoubtedly he icrvi=e4to her. ESventually he lent her some money, and they becamn t inwrnstim , Je seduc;c4 her to his bed. They went subsequently to Windsor, and slept at the Swaui tlere, pfssing as man and wife. They came back, and an appoittment was moade to go to thetbeatre on Thursday night; but she had found his inan. ners to be so extremely disagreeable, that she left the house to aioid him. While she was making this defence, which was delivered in a tone and manner indicating perfect confidence antl self -post%Sion, the complainant paced about the rooAa clasped his hands together, and at the close of every sentence exclaimed in a tvneofperfeczastonish. ment" False! false! so help me God!-Pure invention, your worship, on mv honour and my oath.-Not a syllable of truth, so help me God!" The lady maintained her composure. Mlr. IIALLS.-Givc me leave, Madam, to ask you one question. Are you the widowr of Captain Plomer ? .Defenda_t.-I hold the lease of the house at Charing-cross. Sly name is Eady; at least I am known by no other name. The question put by the magistrate was repeated several times, and at leneth she reluctantly admitted that she was not the widowof Captain Plomer. She was then asked if she had a husband of the namleof Eadv; and after great pressing she said MJr. Ealy was dead and that she had lived with but was never married to him. She was asked her real name; and after again being much pressed, she wrote on a piece of paper "Srs. Webster," and handed it to the Mlagistrate. Mr. HALLS.-.YOU now state yourself to be Mrs. WVebster. Pray who Ls Mlr. Webster ? The defendant conceived she was not bound to answer that ques. tion-and all she should say was, that Nr. Webster died in France. AIr. Garratt, a solicitor, said she had consulted him confiden- tiallY, about some property which she said belonged to her. She stated herselfto be the proprietor pf- an estate at North End, Ful- ham; and shlowed him a schedule which she had made out, and in which she made it appear, that her whole property, including 2,5501. in thefunds, amounted to about 6,900L She told him, she was iece, by marriage, to Sir T. Plomer, and consulted him as to the propriety of going into mourning when that gentleman died. He al. ways considered her to be of the highest respectability, and had so much confidence in her, that he introduced her to his own fa. mily, and became answerable for several debts of hers. She talked of her intimacy witl the family of Mlr. Ramsbotham, M.P., and other persons of distinction. A MNIrs. Withers next preferred a charge. She was the daughter of an elderly man who was waiter at the defendant's eoffee.shop, and she had let her have 201. upon the representations that she was the widow of Captain Plomer, and receiving 1001. per annum, and that she wanted that sum to enable her to administer to Air. Eady's will. MVlr. HALLS, who was joined by Sir R. BIRP. XE in that opinion, heldl that neither of the charges were tangible under the statute of false pretence. Credit had been given without proper caution, and the defendant could only be sued for the debts. ?r. Garratt contended with much eamestness that there was suf. ficient to go to a jury, and warned the magistrates, that if they suf_ fered a woman with such femintne accomplishments, such con3um. mate address and depth of cunning, to go at large, she would again be plundering the piblic with impunity. Sir R. BIaNIE.-People should be more cautions. They aTe so eager to do bisiness, that they will without inquiry give credit to Jack Straw or the Mlan in the M1oon. After some conversation, the defendant was about to be discharg- ed, when the following fresh case was brought forward :-AMr. Sa- muel House, a broker, in Sloane-street, stated that on Thursday last the defendant and Mrs. Dexter (a confidential servant of Mirs. 3ady's who was present) caine to his shop, and Mrs. Dexter said that her friend Msfrs. WVitnall had lately fallen in lov8 vith a young life-guardsman, and that she wished to furnish apartments for himn until she could get his discharge, when she intended to wash her hands entirely of soldiering, and take him to her friends in the countrv as soon as she could get sonie Dmoney to vwbich she was en- titled.' The witness told her he had no wish to dive into her private affairs: all kc wanted was a reference. The defenlant repeated the story; and said she wished only to hire some furniture for a short time. She stated her own name to be WVitnall, and said that she lived with Mirs. Eady (irs. Dexter), who kept an hotel at Charing-cross. MIrs. Dexter asserted to this, and sail she had kent it for five years. Witness made inquiry, but not being satisfied, he did notfuirnish the goods. In answer to this charge, rhe defendant and her confidant denied using the pretences alleged by M)lr. House. The principal defend- ant treated -he whiole matter with great contempt. and said she bad been dragged forward bv the maliceofilhr. Allex, who was a disap- pointed tman, because he could iiot obtain her exclusively to him- self. It was true that there was a young man in the Guards wbom she was very fond of, and she did intend to precure his discharge: therefore she had uised no false pretences. Mr. HALLS was of opinion that this case was sufficiently strong to go to at jury, and he ordered MIrs. Eady and Mrs. Dexter to give bail, each herself in 401., and two sureties in 201. each, for a misde- meanour in attempting to ohtain goods from Mr. House under ftlse pretences. The witnesss were hound over toprosecute. POTICE.