The Sun. — 1866-10-12 (London, England)

IMPERSONATING A DECEASED BROTHER, AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.—An indictment was to have been preferred at the Dover Quarter Sessions on Monday against a man who gave the name of George Peter Mumford, for obtaining moneys under false pretences. The case was surrounded with circumstances of an extraordinary character Some 28 years ago there lived in Dover a respectable family named Mumford. One of the brothers, named George Peter, a seaman, in 1838 went upon his last voyage from England to St. Kitt's in Sir John Rae Reid's ship Julia. The Julia being lost with all hands three days off St. Kitt's, and nothing more being heard of George Mumford; who up to that time had been in the habit of regularly communicating with home, his family concluded that he was drowned, and went through all the forms of mourning for the lost brother. After the lapse of 28 years the family on 7th August last were startled by Peter's resurrection—or rather by the appearance of the prisoner, who claimed fraternity as the long-lost brother Peter George Mumford. Arriving from Calais, the prisoner proceeded to a tavern kept by Mrs. Bartlett (whose maiden name was Mumford), and accosted her with the words " You're my sister Sarah, and I am your brother George." Though Mrs. Bartlett failed to recognise in him any of the features of her supposed lost brother, he was greeted within the dwelling, and a brother, Mr. Benjamin Mumford, was called in. On his appearance the Ftswoenreer producedat once a addressed re othersse d membershim as borfotthheerfate and seemed d Likenesses readily identified by name by the prisoner that all was real oremed to the bedsicieref tote nbde e d. removed Prisoner, a s toat of a •he "his mother," a bedridden old lady, George, yearsand by her Lir: Oson being questioned how he whetherhi his request' et, relationship was tak,eEt n was lost with all hands, lay kissed alongside her, tel herd her o nhethwealsvhde.r could have escaped when the ship t f cke joint whe •u t o chief mate finger was kn od ou o my throuot that I and anotheh r man left the the prisoner said, "Lock here at my finger—that is how and I had a row; why ho ship three days before she was wrecked." On being asked had not written home he replied that he had done so repea-edly, and had sent £3O and other sums of motley for "his mother," which she had never received. He added hwhatekv o whatever that since he had been away ho had lived in California, in Spain, and for the last fourteen years he had been keeping an hotel in New York. On the strength •of his statement that ho was in hourly expectation of a considerable sum of Americanmone yfromcoCntstlual, m Calais, wrsh.eßrearhtleethtaldetlhefttmLave it in a charge rthhee asked both in money and kind, and the family their rejoicings by excursions togethor to ept up different parts of the country which were to revive recollections of times and events more than twenty-eight years ago. What astonished the family more than all was the wonderful memory of "brother George," for he recounted the mos trivial circumstances occurring just prior to his going to sea twenty-eight years ago, such as making a mark over the doorway of their residence at Charlton, a fight taking place at Ewell, a walk down Ratcliff-highway to the Docks, and his bringing era stepsm monkey kie n y uponhome the from scene—one ab r oad At length an elder broth Mr. Henry Beer Mumford, Trinity pilot of London; he, less credulous and with perhaps a better recollection of "brother George" than the others, at once gave a clue to the scoundrel's deception. Inquiry was immediately made at the Bank as to the truth of what the fellow had since stated, that his money having arrived from Calais had been deposited .in the Bank ; and on this proving to be Use, the man was given into custody of the police, and a magisterial investigation served to expose so gross a piece of fraud and deception as to justify the man's being sent for trial by a jury. While under incarceration the fellow endeavoured to starve himself to death, and this failing, ho resorted to more determined means of self-destruction. Being under medical treatment, medicine was supplied to him in his cell. On a recent morning the warder, on visiting the cell, found the prisoner insensible and weltering in a pool of blood. The gaol surgeon was immediately called in, and on examining the cell the medicine bottle was found broken, and one of the pieces told by its appearance that the prisoner had used it, to sever the artery in his arm. There is not the slightest doubt that the prisoner contemplated suicide, for at the top of his arm he had tied tightly his neckerchief, thus causing the blood to flow freely, from the open artery. As evidence of insanity supervened, the man was removed to a lunatic asylum, where he is not likely even to recover so as to take his trial on the charge upon whiCh he stands mualitted.