SECRET LIVES REVEALED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23009, 9 April 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)

SECRET LIVES REVEALED

Drama Behind Old Bailey Trial' of Four May

THE fashionable bars of Mayfair, London, have lost four of their regular customers. Not for many months to come will those four exquisitely-dressed young men forgather to drink the expensive concoctions of some of the world's most famous cocktail shakers. To-day their 25-guinea suits and silk shirts have been exchanged for the drab garb of His Majesty's prisons. To the eyes of the bartenders they were well-to-do men abotit town, public schoolboys of high social position with not a care in the world and money to burn. But they also had strange secret lives which led them to crime and the dock at the Old Bailey, states The News of the World.

SOME parts of their careers were described to the Lord Chief Justice at the Old Bailey after they had been found guilty of various charges in connection with the £13,000 Hyde Park Hotel robbery, in which Mr. Etienne Bellenger, the jeweller, nearly lost his life. The disclosures led Lord Hewart to comment: — "The word 'education' has been used about each of you . . . All that it seems is that somebody lias spent money in providing you' with certain conventional opportunities of education. T'ho results are not impressive.

favourite tricks was to bet on whether ho could shoot out a bullseye at 18 paces, and invariably he won. Another of Harley's boasts was that he worked with "G" men. Indeed, ho would sometimes say that he had been a "G" man himself.

"That's where I learned to shoot," ho would say. Then, lowering his voice he would hint that, if lie cared, he could tell amazing stories of his adventures when '"shooting it out."

In Mayfair his nickname was "The Killer." The truth is that, just as he was a police "squeaker" in London, so he acted as a " 'G' man's nark" in the United States.

As a "squeaker," Harley fell far short of Edgar "Wallace standards. It is true that he "informed" on one or two small, petty crimes, but his value to' Detective-Inspector Fabian was summed up by the inspector himself, who declared that Harley "knew very little." Monte Carlo Gambling Wilmer, tho Oundle man, is probably the most tragic figure of tho four. Clever and presentable, he showed every appearance of rising high in the advertising world. Then he fell to the lure of London's night life, and as a result is now in convict's dress. Good-looking, tall and slim, he was something of an exquisite in dress. At 21 he married a girl of 18. To-day his wife is seeking a divorce. But before he married, Wilmer had seen a great deal of life. He was first chorus boy in "The Miracle," then a clerk, then a gigolo of sorts, during which lie drifted through all the best hotels of Europe. At Monte Carlo it is said of him that he has lost as much as £3OOO m

Tho men and theic sentences were:— Robert Paul Harley, 26-year-old son of a colonel and a Wellington College boy; seven years' penal servitude and two years' hard labour (concurrently), and 20 strokes of the cat. David Wilmer, aged 22, son of Brigadier Randal Gordon Wilmer, D.5.0.; educated at O'undle; five years' penal servitude and two years' hard labour (concurrently), and 15 strokes of the cat. Peter 'Martin Jenkins, aged *2, son of a wealthy merchant; educated at Harrow; three years' penal servitude and two years' hard labour (concurrently) . Smiled at Sentence John Christopher Mainwaring Lonsdale," aged 24, son of a wealthy City man; went to Radley; 18 months' nard labour. Harley looked calm and self-possessed and ho , smiled as he heard his' sentence. Wilmer's face paled when he

learned that he was to have the cat, and he half stumbled as he sought the sanctuary of the stairs loading to the cells. Jenkins, the youngest of the four, kept his eyes on the ground, and an audible sigh of relief passecj his lips when he realised that ho was not to receive the cat. Lonsdale, who took only a minor part in the affair, seemed to be Relieved by his comparatively short sentence.

one wild gamble. But lately in L 0 don, Wilmer, like Harley, was "broke. Wilmer wa<? concerned in one escapade in a Berkshire village which had a tragic sequel. On Boxing Day, 1936, he attended a dance in Newbury. Driving back along the a friend there was an accident. The car was ditched. Wilmer went to a near by publichouse —the Three-Legged Cross, Highr. clere —the licensee of which was 55-year-old Fred Greenaway. Scene at Hotel

As the men left the dock a buzz of conversation broke out in famous No. 1 Court of the Old Bailey. Two girls, friends of Harley and Wilmer, burst into tears. One man—Lonsdale's father —passed his hand wearily over his brow, and muttered, "I am glad it is all over." Sleek, , debonair, dark of eye and hair, Harley has been described as the "toughest" of the four, and it was his boast while on remand in Brixton that he "could take all that was coming." Mass of Nerves

Wilmer's story of what happened is this. "Wo got ditched in the fog outside the pub," he said. "I knocked on the door, and the landlord came down and refused us help and accommodation. He was extremely rude and slammed the door in my face." Then, Wilmer said, he shouted to Greenaway, who refused to come down again, so Wilmer smashed one of the .windows. Down came Greenaway. Wilmer hit him. Then he proceeded to attempt to break into an A.A. telephone box. The net result of that incident was that Mr. Greenaway preferred a summons of assault against Wilmer.

He boasted of his killings while in America, but it is now known that he almost invariably carried a "kosh" in his pocket in case his bluffing truculence was called. During the four-day trial, hfy was a mass of nerves. As he listened to the evidence, he tore sheet after sheet of paper' into tiny fragments. Son of a distinguished Army officer, his father died many years ago, and his mother's financial position suffered so much that he had to be tasken away from Wellington and 6ent into business. For a time he was a junior clerk and then went to Canada under the auspices ~of the Hudson Bay Company to learn farming. It was soon obvious that ho would not make a good farmer. Nor was ho more successful when ho enlisted as a private in the famous Princess Pat's Regiment, in which he served for three years. But if he were not a success as a farmer or soldier, Harley was a success with women. He had an easy grace, jind his cnxcfully cultiv&tcij "American gangster" air * attracted some of the prettiest of the younger Mayfair women. His foreign appearance— he, has Polish blood —made him doubly attractive to certain types.

The summons was due to be heard at Kingsclere in March. But the night before Mr. Greenaway was found snot —his brains blown out by a sporting shotgun. The inquest was held in his own public bar, and a jury found that he died from gunshot wounds, but whether by accident or design they could not say. The assault summons was withdrawn but Wilmer was fined £5 and ordered to pay £2 10s and £l6 15s 6d costs, for damaging the windows and an oak post at the public-house. Defending counsel then told the magistrates they were not dealing with a born bully, a harum-scarum, and an irresponsible drunkard, but with a man of 23, who bore the highest repu-

Yet,, unknown to them all, he was married. Ho married Miss Freda Margaret Wightwick, of Bexhill, daughter of an Indian Army officer, some 18 months ago. Miss \Yightwick was one of tho most beautil'ul girls in Bexhill. and soori after Harley met her he was telling liis'friends that at last he was head over heels in love.

Harley and his wife went to America, but soon after his return to England Harley left her, and was back in May fair tolling of his exploits on his previous trip to tho United States. Expert with Revolver One ot his closest friends, discussing Harley, described him as the greatest yarn-spinner he knew. "1 have sat with Harley half the. night listening to him." he said. "Always the hero of the stories was Harley. One of his claims yas that he had been private bodyguard to the Mayor of Winnipeg, and tlusfc he had driven a CardenLloyd.whippet tank and fired its guns during Communist riots. 'Boy, you should have seen them go down like ninepins, 1 he would say," Scotland Yard frankly discounts these # boastful stories, but nevertheless, it is a fact that Harley was an aco shot with a revolver. One ot his

tation, was hard-working, and had first-class references from his employer. Jenkins, Harrovian, and the bestlooking of the four, is a curious mixture. Effeminato in manner, ho was a poseur in everything he did. Even ilicking the ash from a cigarette was a carefully-acted gesture. An orphan, it is said of him that had he had the advantnge of home-life ho would have done well for himself. For a time he worked as half-com-mission mail for a lirm of City stockbrokers. But, as with Wilmer, the glamour of West End life was too strong. Soon he was known to hotel managers as a "bilker"—a man who would obtain food and lodging with no intention 'of paying the bill. In 1936 lie pleaded guilty to obtaining credit by fraud, and was bound over. Only a few months ago ho Mas "double-crossed" by his own friends, which should have taught him that there was little honour in the circle in which he was moving. He, the young man who boasted that he knew "all the tricks,' 1, was the victim of a simple,, confidence trick which would not deceived even the most gullible of strangers to London. Jenkins wau persuaded to withdraw £665 in notes from his bank. This was part of £IOOO lie had raised on a sum of £2500 which he was to inherit at the age of 23.

"Franco's Agent"

The £665 was to be his contribution to a scheme to soil aeroplanes tp Franco, which, according to his own statements, was to make him "a very rich man." Leaving the money locked up in his flat, he went to keep an appointment with "one of Franco's emissaries." Of course, no one turned up, and when Jenkins returned to his flat the money was gone. Weeping with temper, he went to the nearest police station to lay a complaint. Ho named one of his acquaintances as the suspect, but the money was never found, nor could the theft be traced to tho man he named. It was Jenkins who declared that he was going to marry Eleanoro Foster, wealthy United States girl, but this is indignantly denied by the girl herself. "I certainly am not going to marry Peter Jenkins. It is absolutely untrue," she declared. On another occasion Miss Foster is reported to have declared that she could not even recall his name

Yet it was Jenkins' story that it was to obtain money to enable him to travel to America to inarry thjs girl that induced him to agree to the Hyde Park Hotel robbery. That was his story, but it was not believed by police, jury or judge. Jenkins stole because he was in desperate need of money. Army Deserter The last of the four, Lonsdale, who was found guilty only of conspiracy, is fin enigma. Icy-cool at all times, with a lightning brain, he would have made fln excellent barrister. An old boy of Radley, ho was intended for the Diplomatic Corps. There his suave manner would have Btood him in excellent stead.

At one time he was an officer in the Royal Air Force. He lost his commission for overstaying his leave and for making false statements in explanation.

To-day ho is a deserter from the Dorset Regiment, which he joined under an assumed name. Had ho been acquitted he would immediately have been arrested on this charge. Previously ho had joined the King's Royal Rifles, and had been bought out by his father.

Chief-Inspector Burt aiso revealed in court that he is "wanted" in Paris on a charge of fraud. "I suggest he is a cheat," declared the Chief" Inspector.

Lonsdale's career has been colourful. He has been secretary to famous ftctressos, and was at one time manager of a Bournemouth hotel. He has fought in Franco's Foreign Legion, £tnd has tried his hand at arms-running on behalf of the insurgents.

Sued Society Girl In June, 1936, when holding an assistant secretaryship in the City, he sued a London society girl, Miss Pamela Blake, daughter of Lady Twysden, of Highcliffe, Hampshire, for islander.

it was stated that the girl made certain remarks concerning Lonsdale at the Florida Club. No defence was entered, and Lonsdale was awarded £SOO damages.

He said afterwards that he had brought the action in the hope of "cleaning up certain aspects of Mayfair life."

"Reputations can be ruined by the merest whisper," he said. "People will say the most dreadful things about others without the slightest foundation, and a fellow or a girl will find themselves cold-shouldered when they are entirely innocent.

"That is why I brought this action. I hope it will have a salutary effect." Lonsdale, short, chubby-faced, and growing slightly bald, was perhaps the most likeable of the four. He was a good mixer, and did not boast like Harley, pose like Jenkins, or drawl like Wilmer.