CLEVER WOMAN'S CRIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20668, 13 September 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

CLEVER WOMAN'S CRIME.

TWO SISTERS VICTIMISED.

ROBBED OF LIFE'S SAVINGS.

GAOL FOR MASTER OF ARTS.

"CRUEL AND WICKED FRAUD."

A fashionably-dressed woman, who was described as a sorvant, but who was a Master of Arts of Manchester University, was sentenced in London on July 28 to three years' penal servitude for obtain, ing money by false pretences and credit from various women, with intent to defraud. Sho was Bessio Horrocks, aged 35, and ahe gave her address as Northern Grove, West Didsbury, Manchester. Heartless and hypocritical deception of people that tho woman proposed.to befriend was established at tho Old Bailey. She won the confidence of her victims by a pretenco/to religious convictions as sincere no their own, and a desire —which may or may not havo boon genuine—to enlist in the missionary service.

With caution and diplomacy Horrocks discovered the financial position of newfound friends, and by a variety of false statements persuaded them to part with their life savings, which, instead of passing into safe and substantial investment as they expected, actually went into prisoner's own pocket. Once, before sho achieved scholastic distinction, tho woman inherited a considerable sum of monoy, and apparently the life of luxury she was ablo to enjoy at that time was responsible for eventual descent to petty theft and serious fraud.

A Previous Conviction.

Mr. Frederick Levy, counsel for the prosecution, said that Horrocks had perpetrated a, fraud on two sisters which was so cleverly engineered and plausibly carried through that tho two women had lost their life savings. Tho chairman, passing sentence, characterised the caso a3 one of " cruel and wicked fraud." Detective-Sergeant Nunn proved a previous conviction in 1926 for stealing a purse at Ryde, Isle of Wight, whore Horrocks was then employed as & school teacher. He said that when Horrocks obtained tho money from Mrs. Waite nnd Miss Lawrence she also received £4OO by similar means from a Miss Foster, living in the same house as herself at West Didsbury. , . ; ■ Horrocks was indebted to tradesmen in Newcastle, Manchester, Durham and Chester to tho amount of £350. Her mother died in 1917, leaving her £2200 in giltedged securities, and apparently she had been all over the countxy, driving about in motor-cars at othor people's expense.

" Hysterical Paralysis."

Dr. Morton, medical officer at Holloway Prison, was questioned about the health of Horrocks, who had been walking very lame, and said that there was no disease at all to be made out, and he considered that it was a question of hysterical paralysis. "If she were told she could go Bho would very likely run," added the doctor.

The Chairman: Rush out of Court?—l jthink so.

Mr. Levy, opening the case against Horrocks, said that Mrs. Lucy Waite and her husband came from Canada and took over tho management of Taverner's Hotel, ill London, where, iu the summer of 19£7, Horrocks stayed as a, boarder. She told Mrs.' Waits that she was a candidate for the Wesleyan Missionary Society, and that she was an M.A. of Manchester University. This latter statement was true. Mrs. Waite had herself been in the mission field in China, and she was impressed by Horrocks' statement. Tho hotel was to bo sold, and Horrocks told Mrs. Wait© that if she had a little money to spare she could help her to invest it. She said Bhe was a cousin of Mr. Edward Horrocks, a director of Messrs. Horrockses, Crowdson and Company, cotton spinners, of Preston and Manchester. The shares were held by the family, she said, but each shareholder had the privilege oF introducing a friend.

" Robbing Peter to Pay Paul." Horrocks told Mrs. Waite that a dividend had been paid of 17 per cent., and sometimes 20 per dent. She was so plausible that Mrs. Waite gave her £3OO fbr investment in the company. A little later Mrs. Waito left the hotel and obtained;a position as a deaconess at a mission at King's Cross. Mrs. Waite's sister, Miss Mary Lawrence, said Mr. Levy, was also induced to advance £2OO for investment in the company, ond neither of the two sisters had receivod a proper share certificate. Mr. Levy said that Horrocks was able to pay One or two dividends through " robbing Peter to pay Paul," because, having received tho money from the two sisters, she took money from one account to pay tho other. No person of the name of Edward Horrocks had been connected with tho firm of Horrockses, Crewdson and Company for a hundred years. Mrs. Lucy Harriett Waite, who was suffering from a broken collarbone, was allowed to sit in the wit-ness-box when she gave evidence. A number of lettors, in affectionate terms, stated to have been written by Horrocks to Mrs. ■ Waite from various addresses, including tho Wesleyan Manse, Aimfield Plain, Durham, were read.

A passage from ono letter ran:—"! do feci grateful tlmt I caino across you, darling. God certainly led mo to Taverner's that Saturday evening. You have boon a shoot-anchor to mo theite last three months."

Evidence Given by Accused.

liorrocks, who was stated by her counsel, Mr. J. 13. Cassols, K.C., to be in a had state of health, was also allowed to bo seated in the witness-box when alio gavo evidence. She said that after .she met the Waites nt Tuveiner's Hotel she understood that the financial position of tho Waites was rather bud, and alio desired to help them. Slio and Mrs. Waito had a common interest in missionary work. Tho Waites, said witness, asked, her if she was robilnd to tho cotton people, and a question of investing money arose. She mentioned (he nanio of Hori'ockses, Crewdson and Company as being a reliable firm, and said she understood the interest they paid wits high. Horrocks said that she had met a Mr. Edward Horrocks while on holiday at Skegness, and he told her ho had a substantial interest in tho company. She gathered that Mr. Edward Horrocks was ii director of Horrockses, Ci'cvvdson and Company. He was a man of about 50. ' Mr. Cnssela: Did you beliovo him?— Absolutely. Ho was certainly related to our family, and Edward Horrocks was a family name.

Horrocks said that she tried to see if sho could get any money invested for Mrs. Waito in the company, and sho wrote to Horrockscs and Crewdson, Piccadilly, Manchester, she having received a cheque for £3OO from Mrs. Waite. She received an answer that sho could not invest any money in the company. Witness said she did not toll Mrs. Waito, because sho had promised her a high rate of interest, and she felt that Mrs. Waito was depending on that in order to live. • " Like a fool," Horrocks added, " I decided to pay that interest myself." Witness said she paid the cheques of Mrs. Waito' and Miss Lawrenco into her current account at tho bank, and sho forwarded several securities of her own to Mr. Edward Horrocks to invest in tho names of Mrs. Waito and Miss Lawrence. Dividends became payable to her on those securities, and sho put tho dividend money into her banking account. She received 6£ per cent., and sho made it up to 14£ per cent., and paid it" to Mrs. Waite. Since that case had been on sho .had instructed her solicitors to try to find Mr. Horrocks, but they had beon unsuccessful. Mr. Levy (cross-examining): Do_ you say Mr. Edward Horrocks is a cousin of yours?—Ho is a cousin of my fathernot a first cousin. His address, said Horrocks, was tho Royal Exchange, Manchester, and sho had written him there. Mr. Levy: Have you a single letter or piece of paper written by your cousin, Edward Horrocks ?—I have not. Do you know Mr. Edward Horrocks does not exist, only in your own mind 1— But a man whom I know as Mr. Edward Horrocks does exist. 1 should recognise him again if I saw him outside this Court. Havo you ever mado any request to Scotland Yard to find tho elusive Edward ? —Through my solicitor, I have. The prisoner, who took the announcement of 1 hor punishment calmly, was assisted below by two wardresses.