STRANGE STORY OF CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10009, 21 December 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

STRANGE STORY OF CRIME.

A really remarkable story of religious professions (says tho London Daily Telegraph) used as a cloak for crime has beon rovoaled in tho trial of a man named Hart, who has just beon sentenced to five years' penal servitude for defrauding customers to his Birmingham pawnshop. Mr. Hart for some years has lo 1 what is generally called a "double life." One of his characters was that of churchwarden of St. Mark's Church, a pious Churchman ol extremely charitable proclivities, with a penchant for reading tho lessons whop, allowed to do so. On the other sido of ! is nature he was a thiol and a swindler, if nothing worse. Being agent for a burglaiy insurance company, Hart naturally insured his own shop. And it was a somewhat curious coincidence that on threo separate occasions robbers should have broken into his place of business, thereby enabling him to put in as many claims for compensation. His business flourished, and ho moved Ironi Birmingham toOlton, where ho soon established a reputation for Tightness and philanthrophy. Had the vicar only permitted him to read tho lesions there, he was prepared to mako a present to tho whole congregation of new prayer and hymn books ; but, as tho vicar declined the pious transaction, tho gift was never tuado. Last year his wifo was discovered shot through tho head ; it was supposed that she had been cleaning a gun, as a duster was in her hand, and that sho did not know that tho weapon was loaded ; a verdict of " accidental death'' was therefore recorded. Only Hurt and one young child wore in the house at tho timo of tho death. It is said that for many yoars tho Birmingham police knew Hart to be ft dangerous thief, but had no definite legal proof against him. Various complaints, however, were mado of swindles perpetrated by Hart in the course of his pawnbroking business, ono of bis tricks being the substitution of pasto for real diamonds in articles of jewellery pledged with him. A gold oighteencarat chain, worth a large sum, was mysteriously transformed whilst in his keeping into a hollow njno-carat chain worth only a pound or two. He preferred, if ho could, to swindle- women who were unaccustomod to pawnbrokers' shops. One widow forgot to take her pawn tickot away after depositing a gold watch ; Hart accordingly stolo the ticket, and appropriate! tho watch, pretonding that it had boen handed to a stranger who had presented tho tickot. He frightened another poor widow, who pawned a sewing-machine, by enlarging on the awful legal consequences of some technical slip sho had made, .so that she fled from his shop, leaving tho machine behind. Ho promptly took it to a saleroom and disposed of it. Ho is said to have been engaged to a young woman of considerable possessions, to whom he gave a valuablo engagement ring which ho had stolen. This plausible scamp was on his way to church when arrested, and ho had the impudence to threaten tho polico with an action for unlawful arrest. The loarned Recorder seemed staggered at tho prisoner's cool effrontery, and remarked that in his judicial experience ho bad nover met with a similar case.