MRS GORDON BAILLIE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 100, 28 April 1888, Page 8 (Supplement)

MRS GORDON BAILLIE.

JSIORJB ABOUT HER CAREER

TllU papers have been full of bits of Mrs Builiie'?; career since 1 laafc wrote, which only require to be pieced together r.o make a most fascinating romanoo of criminal ad vontuTCS. You may perhaps have heard enough of the lady already. If not, s-'orne of the following excerpts may amuse you : At Bow-street Police Court last Monday Mr Harding said : I wish, sir, to make an application about a person calling herself Mrs (l-orrlon Baillie, whose name has recently appeared frequently in the newspaper* of London and Scotland in connection with large swindling transactions.

Sir Vuughan ; But what ia it you want me to do 1

Mr Harding : In 1883 the same peiwn, under tlic name of Ann Whyte, in conjunction with a Thomas Wnyte, otherwise Knight Anton, defrauded me and my nephew of a houseful of furniture, at Waltbamptow, valued at about £300, and an 1 have the names of about 100 other persons at Richmond, Pinner, Watford, Walfchamstow, and Hackney, who also were swindled out of smaller amounts in the same year by her, I wish to a«k you, sir, how I can place the matter before the Public Prosecutor, as she lias continued this course ever since 1872, in which year sho had nine months' impritipmnenti. Mr Vaughan : Well, then, as far as I understand, all this happened at WalthamBtow ? Mr Harding: Yes. Mr Vuuglmn : Would it not be better to make an application in the district were the circunwtanccs occurred ? Mr Harding: Probably ifc would. I'll take your advice in the matter. But they arc now swindling in London, because as recently as a fortnight or three weeks ago this woman, together with a person named Frost, whohaslettersloft for him at 4, King's Bench Walk, Temple, obtained about £80 worth of jewellery from a jeweller at 32, Craven-rond, Bayswater, on approbation, and lie cannot get either his money or his goods back. Mr Yaughan told the applicant that the best thing he could do would be to go to the Treasury and Fwear the facts before the | solicitor, who would no doubt take the j matter up. Mr Harding's story is as follows:—Ho says that in 1884 he let a house, with live acres of ground attached, AT WALTH.UISTOW, to Mr and Mrs Wliyte. The lady, he declares, he recognises as Mrs Gordon Buillie. When Mrs Wliyte opened negotiations with him she told him that, her name was Hope-Johnstone. Among the references she gave was the name of Sir Frederick Johnstone, but sho added that she would rather he "did nob trouble Sir Frederick, although of course Sir Frederick would be very glad," &c. Her husband's name, she said, was Knight-Aston, and she stated— not that he was exactly a knight, but that he ought to be a baron if he only got his rights. They had taken the name of Whyte to conceal' their identity for the time, as their frionds would object to their connection with the stage. Knight-Aston was at that time singing in " Olivette " AT THE STRAND THEATRE. The rent of the house, " Stoneydown " — as it is called—at Walthamstow was £85, and when the gentleman saw the splendid carriage which Mrs Whytc drovo about in, and received good references— some of the names of his own friends in Nice—with whom ho never communicated, ho came to terms with her. His intention was to let the house unfurnished, and Mrs Whyte said she hacl furniture of her own. But when she was being shown over the house, she was so charmed with the suitability of the furniture and with the taste with which it was arranged that sho really thought it would be a pity "to displace it." She then resolved to buy the furniture. Mrs Whyte kept all the servants who were at " Stoneydown " when she arrived. She had three daughters with her, and while there gave birth to a boy. Six months had not passed before some of her creditors hacl found her out, SEIZED AND CARRIED OFF THE FURNITCRE, which had not yet been paid for. The landlord turned up at " Stoneydown " in a furious rage, and threatened to send for the police at once. Mrs White went down on tier kneen to beg of him not to do that, and promised to get the money from her solicitor at Birmingham immediately. He was induced to leave, and while he tried to find the mythical solicitor she and her husband had gone. The amount which she owes him for rent and furniture is, he says, about £360. The tenants left, too, withoutpaying the servants, to one of whom the tennis net and balla were presented in lieu of wages. Our informant says that Mrs Whyto evinced great interest in his mother, and wanted so much to be introduced to hor. In the course of a conversation regardingthis lady's dresses, Mrs Why be remarked, I suppose she pays for her dresses as she gets them, ]ust like myself. Oh no, he replied ; she keeps an account with , and he mentioned the name of the firm ; and Mrs Whyte went and ran up a bill with them. She i 3 wanted, added our visitor, by several people round Walthamstow.