LETTERS TO RICH DRAPER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 177, 26 July 1913, Page 17

LETTERS TO RICH DRAPER.

HCSBAND'S ESE OF WIFE'S NAME. j £1,001) A VEAi: BY FALSE PRETENCES, j I An extraordinary case ot deception and j fraud was tiniohb-d in the King's Bench Division of ihe London Curls last mouth j before Mr Justice Atkitl in an action j brought by the exccut, is of the laic Mr! Henry Francis Hi, kins. :i member of the drapery linn of Messrs Dickios and Jones. Regent Street, VV.. againM Mrs Louisa Ahl- | ■„„-„. a widow, io recover £.-..4iS ft/ on | account of m.'iicy lent. Mr c. A. s-.hi. opening tic case, said sli.il Mr Henry DickiUb died on March 12, iniJ. lie had lived and died a very wealthy man. The defendant was the widow ot Mr August Friedricli A'Uilpb AJilhnni, '•■■h ,, s,i ,-ne t iin,- was s, silk merchant in a larsc way at the Quadrant. Re-ent street, bin tailed in is?.-, through ihe failure of a very .art,-,- ~,-,,, .\ very didleult question ban to be tried, as to whether the widow was th- borrower directly or indirectly of the .c,-,,li;s or whether the borrower w.is thc man now- dead. The borrowing, which began in January. IfHVI, cnntiDi.ed until December. WOK. Mr AJlboru died in January, lfluO, at the age of seventy-nine. From thai date ihe curious letters that induced Mr Hi, kins to make advances ceased. livery one of the advances, counsel S3id. was secured by a promissory uoie. The advances were made by idicquc drawn by Mr Dl-ckins on the Union of Ixindou and S-uilth's Bank. Regent Street, branch, pay able to Mrs Ahlboru, arid every cheque was reiurned lo tin bank endorsed '-Louisa Alilborn" er "L. Ahlboru." Thc cheques were all sent to two addresses —_. Hill Street, or ill. Hill Street. Beckham, where Mr- Ahlborn stayed with her husband. After the failure in IST-",, counsel sts.tcd. the Ablborns set up business as blouse manufacturers in Pectham, and Mr i Dickins was appealed to for help. "Mlßl.l'-.MINDEU SIR." Mr Scott then introduced the remarkable letter-. The lirst which he read was as follows: - Most iioldc-minded Sir and highly esteemed Benefactor, —Trusting these lines may reach yon In hrisuiy good health nnd very good spirits. I believe you. sir. on,- of the grandest of gentlemen I have ever met. . . 1 have much to be grateful to you for the generous I confidence aud singular indulgence exj tended to me by your noble self. I am J wrapped up in great trouble and my own j \ery deep grief. Alas, alas! I have to j announce to you the sad bereavement of j my dearly loved son Harry in ihe twenty I first year of his age. Counsel said this letter had a very largesized black edge. Mr turner, ihe -widow's counsel, interposing, suid Ibat his client was the second wife of Mr Ahlborn. Sh" had never heard of ibis son Harry, unless Mr Ahlborn had I him by the lirst wife. There was also a daughter Lydia whose death hud been announced in ti similar way to Mr Dickins. but she was alive and well and had a family. I Laughter.) Mr -Scott read other extracts. In reply io one appeal Mr Dickins wrote:— I had a misgiving that before long yoi: would be making some application which I was quite cetermined to refuse. 1 will provide £'2W this time on condition thai you write me to say you will apply for no more. WIDOW'S ItEITDIATION. Mr. Turner stated ihe defence. As to thc making or taking of these loans his client knew nothing whatever. Mrs. Ahlborn. a middle-aged wom-in, wearing mourning, gave evidence. Did you ever write a loiter to Mr. Dickins?—So. I never knew him. Did you know tha! yon- husband was drawing something like £1000 a year for some years from Mr. Dickins?—! bad no idea. Did your husband stop iu the house'.- — No, he generally went out. Sometimes he came in to dinner and would lie down for a while, but most times we did not see bini until midnight. The witness said that the handwriting of the letters to Air. Dickins was h.-r husband's, and thc cheques and promissory notes were endorsed by him-

Cross-examined l.y Mr Scott, who asked . ■■Hon do you account for none of these j j fit'ty-tlve letters from Mr. Dickins coming | into your hands':" the witness replied, I "My husband waited for ihe postman either .11 the gate or sittins by the window." ■ Do you seriously say tnai your husband J had between iliMo and £1300 a year and j was" spending i: with,-m your knowledge?— Uc did. i Where did he spend it?—l cannot under1 cannot tell you. 1 SPENDING Till-: LOANS. Mrs. Elizabeth Phillips. wife of the jli.-ens ,f th" Greyhound, r.-ckham. at th I period i:s question, said Mr. Ahlborn was n | customer at tlm. luoi-c. Her husband lis--,, to give Mr. Ahlborn open cheques for Mi Dickins' cheques. Thc cheques were ii.o-:-very large amounts :il lirst. but he am larser. They became so lsjrs-e that i-:,- I,.ink manager said Mr. l'liilllps was silly to give open cheques for iheiu until they Iml passed through the bank What used he to spend sit your house? — About £3, 10 or £7 a \\c-k. He no: only "used" our house, but one opposite, and one next door. lie said he had a factory, and also a new factory in the New Kent ltoad, and that he was doing a quantity ot wholesale work. lie also said he bough; silks at Whiteleys. We used lo advance him moticy on the cheques. He list d t,, take cabs frequently and would order a bottle of champagne and give the cabmau a giass. n.anslitcr i When we cashed cheques he would give the barmaid ll or £I'. and t,-i: her to treat herself to a new dress. Because I I discharged a barmaid he stayed away from Ihe house three weeks—(laughter)—and then I ascertained thai be was allowing thc girl fo a week. The wl-.ness added I hat sin- and her husband took the Brown Bear in Aldersgale Street.. Mr. Ahlborn used to have a botile or two ~f champagne, and customers would remark. "He can spend money." (Laughter.) She thought the cheques were in connection I with his business. Cross-examined: She never had one of the ! cheques in ber hand. ! Deliverins judgment, his I/ordship said jhe was satisfied that Mrs. Ahlhorn hud told the truth. Her husband seemed to have been an extremely wicked old man. The action was ill-founded. >nd judgment must Ibc for the defendant, with costs.