POSED AS BAILIFF

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 13, 21 August 1930, Page 12

POSED AS BAILIFF

FIRMS DECEIVED BY TRAVELLER STORY OF EARL'S LIBRARY IN COUNTRY. V

Impudent pretence on the part of a mas that he was bailiff to the Earl of Selborne and to Lord "Wolmer, was revealed at Marylebone when Albert Arthur Harris, 27, traveller, of Eustonroad pleaded guilty to two charges of false pretences. Det.-sergt. Winter of Scotland Yard explained that Harris's activities had eattsed a considerable amount of annoyance to a large number of people and there had' been many complaints. His method was to call upon London firms and obtain their confidence by representing that he was bailiff to either the Earl of Selborne or Lord .Wolmer, or that -he. was.a Wiltshire farmer, named Mr Wroth, and give substantial orders for goods or Work to be done. He told Mr Trout a librarian of Eustonrroad that the Earl of Selborne wanted to start an estate library at Hathpshire and required a large number of new books for that purpose and also wanted 2,800 volumes rebound. Having thus obtained Mr Trout's confidence he mentioned that he HAD HAD A MOTOR OAR COLLISION. and that he had not brought sufficient money with him to. pay for the repairs. He was advanced 10s. That was the first charge. In the second case, Harris represented to. a Mr Bruce of Arlington-street, Piccadilly, that he was Mr Wroth, a Wiltshire farmer and required his dairy lined inside with Vitrolite. He then.told his usual story of the motor smash y but it was a doctor 'a bill- this time which troubled him. Mr Bruce gave him 12s 6d. —The magistrate remarked that Harris did not seem to have made very much out of it all. . Det.-serget. Winter replied that at the time of Harris's arrest at Oxford he was ordering motor ears on the representation that they were for Lord Wolmer, and there was no doubt that, had he not been caught there would have been other matters. During this period he had obtained the sympathy of a number of people and quite frequently he had been taken out to lunch, tea, and dinner bypeople who believed him to .be the agent of Lord Wolmer, or the Earl of Selborne. The officer added that Harris had three previous ednvictions for fraud including a term of six months. Harris pleaded that he was fed up with that sort of thing and he wanted honest employment so that he could start afresh.—The magistrate, passing sentence of six months' imprisonment, stated that he must protect the public