A CALLOUS ADVENTURESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12478, 23 January 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

A CALLOUS ADVENTURESS.

THE STORY OF AN INHERITANCE At Marylebone, London, Francea Jonephla, Swut, alms Barton, aged 40, a married . man, whom a detective described as " 1" lous, indifferent, and hardened adventured' was belo re Mr. Curtis Bennett, charged w 4 obtaining £17 10 by false pretence" J* -tihce Lewmgton, the wife of a fmit. - rss,;;: Arl!lur ' s *■* The evidence was that Mrs "]*,*„ „ was introduced to Mrs. Islington b, Mr Lewingtons employer. Mrs. '•Barton" presented that her husband was a so'jj.J,!* of Bedford Row, and on March 28 last iu asked tor the loan of some money, Ril vin 6 she was coming into a sum of £7000 in til following June, ana wanted money to t the stamp duty. Believing her state™?*? Mrs. LflwinL'twn advanced her £2. and ,«k sequent 1 v let her have vaiious sums, am™,!!' in - t in all to £15 10s, some of which I withdrew by telegiam at her own exneJ.! from he. Post Ofli.-e Savings Bank account In the end she had only 30s left to her credit and that she had to withdraw, as her hi band fell out of work. The prisoner wl'." jested at Bristol by • Y\ lii'ams, when she .said her name ™. Swift, rot Barton. s Mr Freke Palmer. in pleading guiltr behalf of the prisoner said she was the "wife of a well-known Liverpool solicitor, but unfortunately he had deserted her and'eon abroad. Her story was that she was em titled to a legacy from her sister, but it wa* conditional on her severing her connection with a liran mined Barton, with whom she had l>ecn mixed up. and that she declined to do. So that her story was partly true and . partly false. Detective-Serjeant Davis deposed that th» prisoner had < '•>«! on this mode of living for a consider lime. She was a callous indifferent, and hardened ventures)' Quite a dozen cases for different offences might be brought against her. In one of th u m she and the man Barton took apart- [ ments. and after lwing fed on the best of everything they left, owing n bill of about I £•20; while in another they took over the I management of a public-house, appropriate*! | all the takings, and absconded. | Mr. Curtis Bennett convicted the woman |of a heartless and mo«t mean mW>ery. $he I nil educated woman, had got hold of a poor ! woman, and by working upon her credulity j had induced her to part with nearly th; j whole ot her bard-earned savings. He sentenced her to six months' hard labour.