THE WIDOW'S BRACELET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12260, 2 May 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE WIDOW'S BRACELET.

END OF A BOURNEMOUTH AND LONDON ROMANCE.

An extraordinary story was told at Clerkenweli Sessions, when Frank Geiger, 26, a tall, slim-built, well-dressed fellow, surrendered to his bail to answer a charge of having stolen a diamond bracelet, worth £60, the property of Mrs. Agnes Neame Despard. Mr. R. D. Muir, for the prosecution, said prosecutrix was a lady who bad spent the best part oi her life in Kimberlty, but had for several yeans been resident in Bournemouth. She was possessed of considerable wealth, and she bad exercised that boundless hospitality for which the colonies of our Empire were so famous. As a result, her home became the resort of numbers of people who came to this country from South Africa, with letters of introduction'to her from her old friends in Kimberley. She was without children, and a widow, and so bad only herself to consider. Therefore she expended her great wealth in extending hospitality in this way. In July of last year accused went to her at Bournemouth, and said be . had met friends of hers in South Africa ' His letters of introduction, he explained, ' had been mislaid on board ship on the home--1 ward journey. Mrs. Despard believes his story, and entertained him. They met on several occasions, and after he left Bournemouth kept up the acquaintance by correspondence. Within a very short time, and without any provocation, be proposed marriage to her. She pooh-poohed the idea as absurd, on account of the great disparity in ages, he being considerably her junior. Nevertheless, the friendship was maintained and ripened. There was no doubt that the relations between them became of a very friendly character. She befriended accused in every way in which a woman could befriend a man. She gave him presents of jewellery, and advanced him money when he was in want of it. In the course of the friendship accused continued pressing Mrs. Despard with the offer of marriage. She resolutely rejected it. Matters went on until December, when prosecutrix came to London, and lived in a flat in Bedford Place, W.C. Accused accompanied her to theatres and other places of amusement. At the end of December Mrs. Despard had a large quantity of valuable jewellery, which accused was in the habit of handling occasionally, assisting to put on or remove articles of personal adornment. For various reasons prosecutrix desired at this time to terminate the acquaintance between them. She thought it had reached such a stage that it was undesirable to go further, and so, on the night of January 13 there was a rupture. Later on Mrs. Despard reported to the police that a diamond bracelet, a much-treasured gift from her deceased husband, had been either lost or stolen. She supplied DetectiveSergeants Davis and Baxter with particulars and a photograph, which was circulated to all pawnbrokers. On January 51 Geiger was stopped ottering the missing bracelet in pledge. At the Police Court accused was foolish and wicked enough, said counsel, to instruct bis legal adviser to suggest that the bracelet was a present to him, and. further, to attack the character of prosecutrix. If now he acknowledged that this was absolutely wrong he (counsel) was not- without hope of ending the matter. Mr. Charles Mathews, who represented the accused, said he was altogether mistaken in supposing that be had expressed authority to deal with the bracelet, and unwise to instruct his solicitor in the way he did. Mr. Muir thereupon offered no evidence, and accused was formally acquitted.