A "LADY AUDLEY" OF REALLIFE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXII, Issue 89, 23 April 1898, Page 4

A "LADY AUDLEY" OF REALLIFE.

' : * Jl JtEMARKAB^ DEOTPTION BY A I

1 A* pecpliarifstcry w.iS unfolded at ■'"- tlie Lo-fidon -'eWnty Sessions, in Lhe oas* of Alice Pick.'es (29) and her hitsbaudi i, Joseph Arthur Pickles (30), a, doctor, who were charged upon an indictment containing fourcounts with fronds on landladies. The oharges woro for obfaiuing . food au(J lodging by false pretences. '<■ Ly ; •■ The first case was that of a Mrs Lamming, a widow, in ccenpaaon of a lioune in "AmhnTeit Toad, Hack-" ney, On November 5 the prisoners •called, on her, and. in this case, as s ia every instance, " the womnn did . tho talking, while her husband acqutesoeilia what she said. She Baid that they bed beeD suddenly called -up from Yorkshire on a lawsuit torecover Some ihonsarfdS; ; of pounds/ ler name ■was .;,' Lady . Audrey,, Pickles," her oounVel'Sir Charleß Eussell, and a friend was a manager of tjie Bank of KngiUnd.' These were all umrue atytements.. Mrs Latoming,. h<,w«' ever -Credited them, and allowed tlio . doctor and his wife to stay in his hoiise and tun up a bill of £ 5 ss. They then left wiihoat notice. Then | going" to Miss Emily Bloxam> house at'Beresford road, Highbury ' New Parkj and telling a similar atoiy, and using the' name of " Lady I Kerr,". thP. female prisoner and her. hnsband gained admittance into the. placoj and running np a bill of £4 they disappeared. Other ladies tbey defrauded were Mrs Louisa - Comfort, otPetherton road, Cahnonbury, and Miss Tribe, who has a house in GnDton road, Claplmm. From the evidence which the police laid before the court it appeared tbat as long ago as April, 1596, «* Doctor anU Lady Pickles " stayed at the Arund'/l Hotel, Victoria limUnkment, and left owing their bill, Uttdouotedly, the chief Vjame in. the matter rested on ihe female prisoner. Her husband was, until he met her,* a thoroughly respeotable man— :a doctor -with nnmerouu qualification*?. Hqmpriied her .in . September, 1894, at-All. taints' Church, St. John's Wood; ' 'ehe\ representing herself •. ai -J* titlejl:- lady, and - signed ite' V certificate :aa " Lady Alice Antlrey Pioton Kerr." There waa, said counsel, a lady of that name, ' but -the female prisoner was cer- ~ tainly not, as her real najne ehe was Hannibal, and she was bronght up as a boot-finisher. Sue was convicted aud bound over in 1889, at the' Dais ton Po'ice Court, for stealing jewellery, horn houses. Deteciiye Thomas Davis stated thathe bad traced 20 cases in all Ltodon,./Bbe,had falsely - represented herself as niece ot the Marquis of Loihion, and Eaid tbat het' relatives wanted to put her away iri order to deprive her of £35,000, to which she was entitled The; mati was a member of the BoyoiiCoileg&of Surgeons, a 8.M., B.S , B A., and he had other degrees, '" Mr "0, P. Gill, for his client, the husband; told the bench that the case was one of the most remarkable that bad. ever, been before any court. His Lordship might be surprised, that any man could be bo deceived »b hia client had been, "Witbout in troduotioti, he made the acquaintance of the woman now hi% wife... .Bba'ipol(ftjpfjbet_rslfltixe'Sj. persons of title; and hersfelf as . '^J^dy;"Eejflv''..'At26yeirß'of age Bbe saidMe ■would be entitled to hit fortfiiie^.bttt-as< she: was_ not on >, good "teripfi wiih ber rea--, tions, and- as they would take stepe to prevent ber marrying be- . neath ber, r he waa never introduced to them.' Acquaintahce'ripened into affection, and they were married. in September,., lß94. . Before this it' had leen arranged ; that the doctor . . shouldibe introduced to her aunt- at Inverness, but daring the railway journey '> she, < so she said, caught sight of her. uncle, and, she. got out of the, compartment to speak to bim. The train 'ttaj ted before she came back, and the aunt waa never seen. The ; doctor . came' into . between i£lsW m£2006. before his marriage, and ; the:, woman, after . marriage, suggested that he bhould keep ber scce|d|ng; f o'ber position. To keep np t¥e; ? de6eption 'she had sent.telegTMDß.«3drwaed to herself signed in /the nanseß ol celebrated couLsel aud judges referring to the sttpi' Bnpposed to be due to her. On one occasion sbe took her hußband t& the Temple and apparently .went into counsel's chambers while he waited outside, fhe had , absolutely ruined the man. Mt M'Connell sentenced the man to * onej~ : . aad the woman to three ■ i months' imprisonment, with hard labour.'* ' ; ": ' '■ - 1 - '— - -