The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1892-09-23 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

REMARKABLE CHARGE OF FRAUD AND ATTEMPTED MURDER. _  At the Manchester Police Court, on Saturday, James H. Thompson, 23, the eon of a baker carrying on business in Manchester, was charged under a warrant with stealing the title deed of a house and estate in Manley Park, belonging to Miss Lucille Prescott, a maiden lady. The prisoner was further charged with having obtained from Miss Prescott, by means of false pretences, the sum of £3OO, and with stealing a quantity of furniture, valued at £200; and farther with having administered a poisonous drug to Miss Prescott, with intent to murder her. The prosecutrix was an intimate friend of prisoner's mother, and about nine months ago he led her to believe that a Mr. Roberts, a member of a well-known firm of solicitors in Manchester, was prepared to marry her. Acting on this pretence he induced Miss Prescott to sell a large house in Manley Park for £5OO, being considerably under its value, and to hand the money over to him for transfer to Mr. Roberts. Another house belonging to the prosecutrix was also sold, and, in this instance, she never had the proceeds at all, 'Thompson telling her that he had given it at once to the same gentleman. Prisoner also induced her to go to Limey, In the Isle of Man, to meet Mr. Roberts, who, of course, did not put in an appearance, and subsequently, on the 17th of August last, he sent her to London for a similar purpose. Before she left Manchester, Thompson told her he had recently seen her future husband, and that he had sent her a bottle of medicine which would cure the skin rash she was suffering from at the time. It had,he said, cost Mx. Roberts a lot of money, as he had got it from a doctor who attended the Prince and Princess of Wales. Prisoner particularly told her she must not take the medicine before getting into London, and said that when she did take it she was to shake the bottle well, pour the whole of the contents into a glees, and drink it. When she arrived at the Langham Hotel, to which she bad been directed by prisoner, she had not sufficient money to allow of her staying there,anff in the alternative,she took private apartments some short distance away, leaving a note containing her address for Mr. Roberta. After having had some tea, she retired to her room, and, before going to bed,took the medicine as directed by Thompson. The result was that, shortly after eight o'clock the next morning, after failing to elicit any answer from her, the landlord, a Mr. Blackwood, gained entrance to the room by a window,and found her lying in an unconscious state. He at once summoned a medical man, who certified that the lady was suffering from chloroform poisoning. A bottle not labelled, containing a few drops of chloroform, was found in the room. The polies were communicated with, and Miss Prescott was taken to the Poland Street Infirmary. She ultimately recovered from the effects of the drug, and then made statements to the police, which led to the arrest of Thompson. She told the detective that Prisoner bad induced her to sell her furniture for fifty pounds, and when his house was searched the whole of it was found there. On the warrant being read over to the Prisoner, he stated that Miss Prescott owed hums considerable sum of money which he had deposited with her from time to time. On the application of the pollee, a remand was granted until Thursday, the magistrate refusing to accept bail.