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'E, 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 prisoner at once addressed him as "brother Ben." Likenesses were produced of other members of the family, and so readily identified by name by the prisoner that all doubt seemed to be removed as to whether tho relationship was real or pretended. Prisoner, at his request, was taken to the bedside of "his mother," a bedridden old lady, 91 years of age; he kissed her, told her he was her son George, and by her desire lay alongside her on the bed. On being questioned how he •could have escaped when the ship was lost with all hands, the prisoner said, "Lock here at my finger—that is how my finger was knocked out of joint when the chief mate and I had a row ; through that I and another man left the ship three days before she was wrecked." On being asked why he had not written home he replied that.he had done so repeatedly, and had sent £3O and othei'iiiins of money for "his mother," which she had never received. Ho added that since he had been away he had lived in California, in Spain, and for the last fourteen years he had been keeping au hotel in New York. On the strength-of his statement that he was in hourly expectation of a considerable sum of money from Calais, where he had left it in charge of the American Consul, Mrs. Bartlett let him have whatever he asked both in money and kind, and the family kept up their rejoicings by excursions together to 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 most 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 a monkey home from abroad. At length an elder brother steps in upon the scene—one Mr. Henry Beer Mumforkl, 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 false, 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 sento for trial by a jury. While under incarceration the he endeavoured to starve himself to death, and this failing, o resorted to more determined means of self-destruction. to Being under medical treatment, medicine was supplied him in his cell. On a recent morning the warder, and weltering warder, on visiting the cell, found the prisoner insensible in a pool of blood. The gaol surgeonty va i ra luineedbi aot ems called in, and on examining the cell e dicttellye was found broken, and one of thei pieces told ltdhebyarittesryaptpneharisance that the prisoner had used t arm. There is not the sligthtee st o topt of his arm he had tied tightly his neckerchief, doubt that the prisoner contemplated suicide, for thusat h 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 11.0 Stands COMlnAittea;  London, Chatham, and Dover Railway.