A TRIP TO EUROPE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 240, 18 October 1901, Page 3

A TRIP TO EUROPE.

HOW A GOLD MINER DUPED A WEALTHY WJDOW.

[Daily Mail. [

George Stevens, alias Thompson, described as a gold miner, and diaries McNelly, alias McKay. said to be a dentist, were again charged at Bow street yester- [ day with conspiring to defraud Mrs Annie Henwick, a wealty Australian widow, of various sums of money and jewellery under circumstances already reported. Thompson, it will bo remembered, promised Mrs Henwick marriage, but it now transpires that he is a married man with children. While in prison awaiting the return of Mrs ltenwick, who had left again for Australia before he was arrested, Thompson wrote a letter to another prisoner in Holloway Gaol, wherein ho made a suggestion as to how Mrs Henwick and her daughter could be got out of the country, and explained very fully what they should do. The letter came into the possession of the warder, who took it to the governor, I and through the Home Office it was sent to the police. When Mrs Henwick attended in Court yesterday, site was dressed in a rich silk costume, and her daughter in a stylish lavender dress. It was stated that Mrs Henwick was a widow of some means living at Melbourne. In April last she left Australia on board the steamship Omrali, accompanied by her daughter Daisy, for the purpose of a tour in Europe. At Marseilles Thompson, or Stevens, introduced himself, and on their arrival in London the ladies stayed in several hotels in London with Thompson in close attendance. Thompson introduced them to MeNelly, or McKay, and a man named Cooper, of whom a great deal would bo heard later on

Thompson said he was a widower of means from Australia, and asked Mrs Rcnwick to go to Paris and marry him there. At about the same time McNelly proposed to the daughter, although ho had only known her about twelve hours. Thompson said he expected .£I2OO from Australia, and on the strength of the forthcoming wedding borrowed .£IOO from Mrs llenwick. The daughter was out at that time, McKay having taken her away, no doubt by a prearrangement, to see

sights. Later on Thompson admired a ring Mrs Remvick was wearing, and asked her for the loan of it for a few days. She said she could not part with it us it belonged to her late husband, but he took it from her finger by force. The ring (which was worth X'6o) was found on Melvay when he was arrested. Thompson, when he took tho ring, said that as they were about to be married what belonged to her belonged to him.

The party afterwards went to Paris together, and Mrs Rcnwick was introduced to aMr Morton. Thompson said Morton had inherited .£IOO,OOO from an uncle in Colombo. Ho asked Mrs llenwick to lend him XiiOO for a few minutes in order that lie might show Mr Morton that ho was a man of means. If he produced tho money he said, Morton would give him .£SOO. Mrs Rcnwick went with Thompson to Cook’s Agency, where ,£SOO was placed on the counter for her, but Thompson took tho money, and afterwards handed X4OO of it to McNelly.

Mrs llenwick, who is an elderly lady, and had some difficulty in making herself heard, went into tho witness-bov and gave evidence, and the acccused was again remanded.