MEAN TRICKSTER

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 15, 19 January 1933, Page 11

MEAN TRICKSTER

IMPOSES ON WOMAN

MAGISTRATE'S COMMENT

"I think you are one, of the1 most heartless and hypocritical scoundrels that I have ever come across." These were the words of the Magistrate at the Westminster Police Court when sentencing John George Evans, aged 50, of Brighton, to fifteen months' imprisonment for attempting to steal £125 by means of a tricky from Misa Eliza Laughton, aged 80, of independent means. The Magistrate said that he was sorry- he could not increase the sentence. Charges were preferred, against Evans of obtaining two sums of £50 and sums amounting to £623 by false pretences from Miss Laughton. . Counsel said that £730. had been obtained from a credulous old lady by au amazing series of lies. Last April Evans was peddling needles from house to house, and called on Miss Laughton. From sympathy she gave Mm a shilling. Afterwards he wrote her a letter telling a long tale of misfortune and asking for'money to buy stock. Having got 12s he followed this by saying ho could got a situation as a butler if he could got his dress clothes out of pawn.-. He got the money for this and wrote that he had got a most wonderful job. His "misfortunes," however, continued to follow him. In some mysterious way Evans found that wooden blocks, bricks, and old newspapers had been substituted for his clothes, and he also had the bad luck to break six bottles of brandy in his employer's cellar. As his job dopended on his replacing the brandy and having clothes ho pleaded for money for this purpose. Next Evans got £10 which he saia ho had lost on a horse. He addressed' Miss Laughton as "Dear, saintly ■ Miss Laughton," "Kind and most merciful madam," "Dearest of England's ladies," "Most saintly lady on earth," "England's brightest angol," "The saint of Belgravia," and "The angel of Belgravia." In other'letters he said he was praying for her daily and "longing to sco her saintly faco and shako her holy hand." • • . A final request for £125 led to investigation by Miss Laughton's bank manager because she had already used over a year's income. A sum of £298 was found at Evans's lodgings. Evans said that he had spont a lot in gambling and bought 100 tickets in the Irish sweep.