A BOGUS VANDERBILT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 27 June 1911, Page 6

A BOGUS VANDERBILT.

CAREER OF A PRINCE OF SWINDLERS.

OLD BAILEY SENTENCE

Before ihe Common Serjeant at the Old' Bailey in London the trial was concluded' of William Lackerstein Joachim, otherwise Frederick Dennehy Vanderbilt, aged 48. described as an agent, of Marmion-road. Clapham, S.W-, on a charge of fraudulently inducing the Misses Taylour to execute five bills of exchange for £IOOO each. The ladies were the proprietors of a ladies' club in Graf ton-street. W. Seeking to open new premises at Cork-street, W., they got into communication with the prisoner, who represented' himself to be a brother of Cornelius Vanderbilt,

and an uncle of the Duchess of Marl

borough. He offered to provide money, >. and thejn executed five bills exchange, which, however, were never negotiated, Joachim arrested before he had parted; with them. Detective-Inspector Fowler stated' that the Duchess of Marlborough, whom the prisoner had desired to be called, and who i» at .present in the South ot France, had l been communicated with, but she had refused to attend'. Joachim went into the witness-box and addressed the court- He said his name was Frederick Dennehy Vanderbilt, anxi he added: "It grieves me very much to say it, but I am a natural child of the late- William Henry Vanderbilt. My mother's name is Ophelia Lucretia Lackerstein.

TALE OF £1,000,000 SETTLEMENT.

"I invited Mir William Kissam, Vanderbilt to "bring to this court the documentary evidence of my birth which he has He has sixty-four such documents. I wrote to him through the police and the gorernor of the prison, and the governor of the prison read me a replv saying that Mr William Kissam Vanderbilt had left Paris for America, and his address was not to be divulged. Of course. I cannot force a great man Jike that to come into court. His action lias lendercd me destitute of absolutely all means. "Among the sixty-four documents which my half-brother has —for he is my half-brother, although I call him my brother—is a deed of settlement from my father, leaving to my mother a million -pounds sterling, or, rather, the interest on a million pounds sterling. which she never drew. That is proof of my identity, and an answer to my sailing under false colours."

The pTisonier continued that in November, 1909, -her-wasMn Berlin, and had extensive dealings with Prince Franz Josef of Braganza, a nephew of the Emperor of Austria, and articles appeared in the newspapers about him. He thereupon wrote to his> three brothers — William Hissam Vanderbilt, George Washington Vanderbilt. and. Frederick William Vanderbilt —asking them for rfrotection against the newspapers which had published scurrilous articles concerning him. In those letters he appealed'to them, as their own flesh _ and blood to remove the unfortunate stisrna which, rested -upon: him because of his birth, which reflected disgrace upon their father. The prisoner signed himself "Your affectionate Fred." Legally they were not his brothers, but morally they were.

MYSTERIOUS "MURDER," The prisoner gave a general denial to the charges against him. Mr Ireycester (who prosecuted): Wheni did! "you first learn you were a natural' son" of William Henry Vanderbilt —From myt mother, when I was between the "ages of nineteen and twenty. I am; forty-eight now. I from the letters you have read that the Vanderbilt family have repudiated you —Yes. And! threatened to prosecute you?— Only one of. them. You have not a single piece of paper to show your connection! with the Vanderbilts- —Mr William Kissam has sixtyfour. - /

The Judge: And he has already repudiated you? —No, not always. Mr Leycester : They do now ?—Yes. Explaining why he was called Joachim the prisoner said he was adopted ■by his mother's sister, whose name was Joachim, to cover his mother. He added that he was substituted' for" a real child, William Joachim, whose father had murdered him; and the substitution; was to cover both his mother's position; and the murder. He kept the name of Joachim, until his mother's demise about seven years ago. FRAUD ON A PRINCE.

Divisional Detective-Inspector Fowler said- that the prisoner appeared to have come to this country in 1882 a.nd then married' a. woman- named Martha Douglas. 'Be left for Calcutta the same year, an-di was away until 1897 working for hie father, who was a merchant. His real name was William Lackerstein Joachim.

In 1901 the prisoner obtained possession of a power of attorney from a man named Deeson, resident in India, who fradi some right as a claimant to be Earl of Milltown and Baron RussboToaigh. letters froni Leeson authorising Joachim to act for him in the furtherance of the claim appear to have been obtained from Leson by Joachim's brother in India. ' Having armed himself with these,"lie inserted advertisements for a secretary at £IOOO per annum for John Leeson, Earl of Mdlltown and Baron Russborough. Applicants were told to reply William Lackerstein at Dukestreet, Strand-, which was a letter bureau. The prisoner replied: that he was prepared 1 to consider applications provided the applicant purchased ten bonds at £1 Is 6d- each, which he was offering-to the-public "to assist me m my undoubted right, title, and 1 interest, to' the peerage." - - - •

In tne same year he was in Berlin. and there by some means made the acauaintance of Prince Franz Josef von Brafanza, from whom he obtained bills to +?he-value of £325.000. Of this amount"-£125,000 was in respect of .- r.er.T.jas which were found; to be practically worthless, and £200.000 was for shares an a copper mine which was to be floated. The Prince, having ascertained that- he had been duped by a man representaTYr himself to be a Vanderbilt, placed Zthe matter in the hands of solicitors ,and a great number of the bills were recovered.

In MaCv 1904 the rvrisoner was sentenced to - twelve months' hard' labour at Southwark Police Corirt on two charges of obtaining money "by false pretences. At that time he confessed that he had committed', biqamv with Ethel Annie Bellamy;, at St. Clave's Church, Stoke Ne\vingtoi»r- : inr->T-une. 1901, but owiwr to the death of the witnesses <>f the first marriage no action was taken. He was released m April. 1905. and on July 10 married Annie Louise Grunde!!.

Mr Leycesfcer: Is,there any truth in his storv about being a natnral Bon of old Mr Vanderbilt Mr Fowler: Not .a shadow of truth, sir. . .'- The .prisoner was found guilty, and the Common Serjeant passed sentence of three years' penal servitude.