The Sun. — 1847-07-07 (London, England)

REMARKABLE CASE OF  DECEPTION.  A German collection of remarkable trials has just been published, which contains•some extraordinary cases of successful fraud. The first of these is that of a native of Berlin, of low extraction, named Grosjean ; who, under the assumed name of Carl Grandisson, made a splendid figure in several parts of Germany—appearin,' and disappearing at intervals throughout a period of twelve years, as a wealthy merchant travelling with his family for pleasure. At Heidelberg, especially, and in the neighbourhood of that city, he twice resided for a length of time, on each occasion with his wife and family—an object of general esteem and admiration. His establishment was of the richest kind ; his entertainments were noble and frequent ; his manners, except for a certain tendency to boasting, were thought to be in the highest degree winning and delightful. The public regard acquired by a prosperous air and sociable disposition was enhanced by the domestic virtues and admirable conduct of his very handsome wife. She seemed to be a pattern of propriety—cheerful and amiable when in company, but greatly preferring retirement ; in which she devoted herself with exemplary care—especially during the frequent absence of her husband on short business journeys—to the educecation of two lovely and well-conducted children. After this happy family bad lived for some time in Heidelberg, universally popular and admired, in 1802 some questionable circumstances took place in connexion with the members of a family that had become intimate with the Grandissons, in which an unaccountable loss of money cane to be talked of, with some other strange transactions, but all in a manner that appeared to reflect chiefly on ene of the young men of that family, who had fallen, as it seemed, hopelessly in love with the merchant's beautiful wife. The matter came to no certain conclusion ; the youth fled, and the Grandissons left Heidelberg in consequence of the disgust which this occurrence had caused. Eight years later they reappeared there, with the same splendid equipage and living in the same admirable manner. This second sojourn lasted for three years, when a mere accident led to the discovery of the facts which render the case surprising. The wealth of Grandisson was the fruit of a regular plunder of the public mails, which, without any accomplice in the act, he had systematically cairied on for years with entire impunity. His short absence was employed on expeditions of the kind; during which he must have committed almost countless robberies of large sums of money and other valuables, without detection in a single instance,— returning to the bosom of his family with the plunder which he had collected. The discovery was brought about, during one of these absences, by a letter, intended to extort money, from one who had accidentally found out some of his minor peculations and had traced the offender at last to his abode. It then became apparent that the whole life of this flourishing person had been a series of every kind of theft. While the wealth gained by his larger felonies was expended in keeping up a stately appearance, he could not repress the petty desire of stealing any trifle that fell in his way, in shops, dwelling-houses—nay, even in the very place where he lived on the footing of a grand personage. Yet of this not a suspicion was raised until the detection of his greater robberies had come to pass. The condition and history of the wife are hardly less curious than this long success of a wholesale system of plunder combined with the incessant bperaenctaicteonoefetehoenmse!oaonsesotiphielfrering. husband's Sheinapiqpneiatriesst,ohave studious to conceal them, wavering between fits of abandoned rsol per iNev pet, on on the w and sincerely desirous o to practice give a virtuous education t eashtiicenP conduct c.hnodl,,lonsigeknoittetrhvealdsecoefptdioomn adventurers at the outset. The man began his course of crime, when a valet, by robbing his master ; and soon to her children. Both husband and wife were mere tale, it may and felonies, on the grandest as well so long undetected, scale —so dexterously planned, and like romance than afterwards entered upon a career of pirietaesncoens,tthreeascmhaelrlieesst, that the story of them sounds more the a reality of the nineteenth century. To complete at Berlin, esbeea padded nt saht mt lei en tc a manner showing desperate resolution, before Ib.) eciot sin- hi et tni apprehendedeg suicide, hiins examination could take place.  le late Thomas Stilwell, -'---Esq.; navy . agent, Arundel-street, Strand, and of Dorking, Surrey, died possessed of personal property amounting. to 120,0001., which, together with his freehold estate, he leaves principally among his three sons, John, James, and Thomas, who are his executors, making a provision for his son William and some other members of his family.