Mayfair "Playboys" Again

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 23, 28 January 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

Mayfair "Playboys" Again

CAR from their night club haunts 1 of recent years, four young Mayfair men are now trying to adapt themselves to the restricted prison life they are to follow for some time to come. For one of tliem, William John Miller, 2tl year olj clerk, it w ill be a period of triigic memories, for, within a few hours of learning of hi* »on'n sentence, Miller's father. John Wirtli Miller, was found dead in a gas filled room at his Folkstoiie home. Sentences the four men received at flcrli\ .\s-i/cs for a. country hoii-e raid P'a lined in a West, Knd club brought to an end ,i period of living In- their "its. and the judge left, them in no doubt us to his N lew of the chapter just, closed. "Four idle young men who had been drink nr..' and tooling their way round Mavlair and the West Knd, and. when phoi I ot money looked to see whom tliev could rob,'' was Mr. Commissioner Heuly's comment in passing sentence. Brought, to the Assize Court from Leicester (iuol manacled in pairs, but unlettered while in the dock, the tiien smiled when thoy heard the Court's decision. All four pleaded guilty to breaking into the residence of Mr. \\. I!. Uoyce, Liberal candidate for Louth, I.iiic-i, nf Chinlcy. Derbyshire, and stealilljewellery and furs worth .C.TH), and they were sentenced as follows:--l>a\id John Ilea (son Sneddon, '.ill. independent. I.i mouths' imprisonment. Hii liaid Norman Campbell, 2!l, aircraft ri \el it, I H 1110111 lis. William John Miller. IX months. John I'a I rick Wakelyn 'lopliam. 'JO, «ircra 11 pilot, I i inont hs. I lie \\ e.s|, Knd will miss these four "playboys." who had become familiar figures in noted nin lit. clubs. The police were able to bring to light Borne interesting details ot the men's 1i \ es.

Four More Go To Gaol; Two Fathers Commit Suicide

Topham, a Londoner, received hi« education at a well-known public school which he was asked to leave because of his general behaviour—and at, a university. Though he staved only fix months at the university, he passed a scierit ific t|iialifyinjr e*a in ina( ion. He wa« unstable and spoilt in early life. In Ift'J.'t, on his father's death, he was lett a large sum of money reported to !»• t'lo.oon—which he squandered in a few years. Well known at Folkestone, lie at 011 c t ill u* owned an aeroplane and was a. member of a famous flying club. He experienccd remarkalile escapes in two crashes while flying. He was compelled to rwiin from the club owing to objectionable lieha\iour and drink. Short of money for some months past, iopharn had been living on his wits — according to the police but hail never been convicted of dishonesty. It was to Topliam that Mr. Commissioner Ffealy directed his mmt etern words while passing >cnteiice. on have brought disgrace on a famous school and a famous universitv," he told him. "You have had the advantage of what, is known as n gent lonian's education, and it is terribly sad to see von in the situation in which you arc placed. "nut. you chose to associate with certain people, and \on mn-t not expect, lieca iisi> miii belong to a class to whom punishment may appear greater than to others, that you can go unpiiiiUhed." Topha iii'k closest friend. lleatsonSneiMoii. wax born in \yasaland, where his lather was a tobacco and cotton grower. Me came to Fngland at (he of eight. and was educated at a well-known grammar school and a. Scottish university. mill later was a farm pupil at .Ashford, Kent.

Tlieti lie got a job as a garage attendant. but was dismissed after six months for drunkenness. A period of service as an R.A.F. pilot sergeant followed, and. after his father's death in 1 !>.'{(!, he moved to the West Kikl, where he held an interest in a night club. He frequented night clulis, taking drink to excess and associating with |k'opie of undesirable character. The police described his downfall to <lrink. Ilea tson-Sneddon has had a previous f.lste of prison fare, having been given a 1 wo mouths' sentence at Folkestone tor driving a motor car dangerously. He also had a conviction for driving a car under the intliience of drink, and was once bound over at Bow Street for taking awav a car. Miller solved for a time as a solicitor's clerk at Folkestone, where ho was born, but in recent years he has not worked. He has spent in West End night elulifi the pocket money he has been receiving from his mother, and lias preferred I'lie company of undesirable young men of independent means. Regarded by the police as "very cunning," Miller also found time to indulge in a little housebreaking and office breaking during recent months, and asked the Court to take into consideration three cases from Folkestone, two from Walton, and one from Wevbridge. Campbell is a native of Belfast:, and received a grammar school education in l.ngland. He worked as a garage mechanic and a painter ln-fore being imprisoned for obtaining money by false pretences. A tM-a-week job as a rheters mate followed, but one day lie failed to return to work. He left, home in March and later associated with undesirable people, and took to drinking in night clulis. Campbell lias been living apart from his wife, and his counsel. Mr. I ioofTreV Smallwood, declared that the man took

to drink because of some domestic differences. He had, however, been reconciled with her, aiul she was going to help him make a fresh start. While in the dock, Campbell read and re-rea<l a letter he had received from his Tilling wife on his first wedding anniversary while he was awaiting trial. It contained a. message of reconciliation and forgiveness. According to the prosecution the actual breaking into and stripping of the country house was done by Campbell when the four motored to Derbyshire from London after a conference at a West End club.

Topham and Miller stood near, and Beaitson-Sneddon watched the owner of the house in an hotel 250 yards away. Police, after interviewing BeatsonSneddon, who stayed behind, telephoned to London. The others were arrested as they arrived in a car with the sitolen goods at a flat. When he passed sentence, the Commissioner made a reference to another trial known as the "Mayfair Case," to point out that the punishment there had been "striking." In the present instance, he observed, there was no violence, but in each case there came together four idle young men who had been drinking and fooling around, and when short of money looked to see whom they could rob. Police discovered the body of John Wirth Miller in a gas-filled room at his home in Folkestone, following the report of a smell of gas.

A friend of the family stated that for some days before his eon's trial Mr. Miller had been depressed.' "Mr. Miller and his wife felt the disgrace keenly," said the friend. "Father and eon were estranged. When the son lived at home they did not speak to one another. I think the father felt that his son's mode of living would bring about his downfall sooner or later." Mr. Miller, a German by birth, was a naturalised Englishman. He was interned at Alexandra Park during the war. He took out naturalisation papers after the war, and for many years had lived at Folkestone, where he helped his wife to run a boarding house. Two years ago the father of BeatsonSneddon, also sentenced for the raid, committed suicide at his home in Sevington, Kent. At the time his son was facing a charge of driving a car while disqualified.