ROMANTIC SWINDLE AT OXFORD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 681, 19 January 1866, Page 6

ROMANTIC SWINDLE AT OXFORD.

Xj.vtklv an event li»< occurred whichlias aflorded much gossip amongst all classes at Oxford, and elicited no little amount of conrmisseraiion for those who liave unfortunately been victimised. The chief personage in this romance is an individual -who adopts the name of "Wade Chater, and who some two months sincc took up liis abode in that city, and professed to be an engineer in connection with the carriage works of ; the Great Western Hallway. He obtained a , lodging in Thames-street, St. Aldgate s. with a , respectable widow, and shortly after be had j resided in the house it appears lie made over- j tures of marriage to tlie daughter, which were i accepted, and it was arranged that the wedding should come off at an early day. Haying thus far succeeded in one object, his efforts next appear to have been directed to raising the necessarv funds for completing the happy event, and an extraordinarj- stroke of good fortune j came opportunely to the fellow s aid, by, as lie alleged, the decease of" his god-father, a gentle' man of the name of Wade, who left him, as he represented, a rent roll of £"S,OOO or £10,000 a-year, derived from Datchet Park, near Windsor. exclusive of personal property estimated at £25.000. This circumstance was duly communicated to the family, and the young lady's good fortune was looked on with no little amount of envv bv the fair sex. Ko doubt seems to have entered the minds of anyone, and the idea of the genuineness of the story was further strengthened by the fact that a considerable amount of correspondence was carried on, and telegraphic messages were continually arriving, and ultimately a will was produced, purporting to be executed by Mr. Wade, bequeathing tbe estate to Chater. Thus it was that matters progressed until the happy day urew near, which was fixed for Thursday, but there was some hitch in the legal arrangements, and the affair was postponed, and Tuesday was named for the consummation of tbe happiness of the affianced pair,and immense numbers congregated in High-street, curious to witness the cortege, j wliieli was to be of a splendid character. But ; alas! another hitch occurred, which entirely altered the current of the proceedings—the bridegroom was not forthcoming, and there were ugly rumours that his career had been one of gross deception. Extensive preparations had been in progress for some time in anticipation of the event. A suburban villa at Summertown had been taken on lease for several years ; orders were given to a large upholstery firm, and the house was furnished in splendid style ; a wedding trousseau of an elaborate character was prepared. Mr. Boffin was engaged to provide a wedding breakfast and cake suitable for the occasion, with wines, &c.. of choice vintage: and Mr. Stroud's stud of horses and carriages were to be brought into requisition, that gentleman's instructions being to prepare ten pairs of greys —a work of no little difficulty—which, however, was fully accomplished. The ceremony was to be performed at St. John the Baptist Church (Mereton College Chapel,) and the service was to be choral, and the choir-men and choristers were to be made participators in the festivities on the occasion. Every member of the family was to participate in the fellow's good fortune ; a settlement was to be made on one and another, and th~ bride was also to be allowed a handsome jointure. But all were doomed to disappoiniijunt—the bridegroom failed to put in an appearance, and has not since been heard of. It would appear that he alleged that it was ueeessary lie should visit Datchet for the purpose of arranging for the spending of the honeymoon, and also for doing some legal business in London : and on Suuday he departed by the Great Western railway for that purpose, appointing to meet the brothers of the young lady at Slough, in order that they might accompany him to his estate at Dacliet. They accordingly went to Slough, and after waiting in vain at the station some hours for the arrival of the young heir, they proceeded to Datchet, where they ascertained that no person of the names of Wade or Chater was ever known in the locality, aud that there was no such place as Datchet Park. For the first time misgivings began to flash upon them that they, their sister, and the whole family had been made the victims of a cruel deception. They then proceeded to London, to an address given by Chater, which proved fictitious, and after consulting a directory a person of the same name was discovered. Hither they hastened, but no clue to the ir : ;sing one was found. Here their mission ended, and they became the bearers of the ill news to their friends. There, of course, was consternation, and the effect upon the lady can be readily imagined, and as it is said ill news travels fast, it came to the ears of the various tradesmen who had been so liberally patronised. The upholsterer lost no time in conveying the furniture back to his warehouse ; tbe wedding cake, breakfast, and wines were treated in the same manner, though the latter had considerably diminished in bulk ; .--nd, worst of all, it transpired that the poor "low, who was to have resided with her daughter in their new residence at Summertown, had broken up her home, and the fellow had succeeded in obtaining, not only the value of most of her furniture, but her savings, amounting to about £'30. Another member of the family was induced to part with £10; a female friend, the dressmaker, also suffered to the extent of £-10; the dresses, &c., as well as the suits of clothes, were not paid for; and it is said that he obtained the greater part of the young lady's clotliing, under pretence of conveying it to Datchet Park, in readiness for their arrival.