RELICS OF MRS GORDON BAILLIE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1201, 8 March 1895, Page 19

RELICS OF MRS GORDON BAILLIE.

From Our Own Correspondent. London, January 16.

Though Annie Frost, alias Mrs Gordon Baillie, is now occupied in cleansing dirty clothes and other utilitarian pursuits at Woking Convict Prison, the evil that she did lives after her, and has brought a worthy tradesman into the law Courts. This is Mr Joyner, the picture-dealer, the annexation of whose goods without due formalities led to Mrs Gordon Baillie’s incarceration. It may be remembered that a gentleman named Walter Taylor was charged by Mr Joyner with being mixed up with the fraud and given into custody. No case was however made out against him, and he now sues the excellent Mr Joyner for malicious imprisonment, &c.; damages <£looo. The defence was, of course, that appearances seemed against Mr Wm. Taylor, and to this end a brother of the defendant gave an interesting account of a visit he paid to 17, Talbot road, Bayswater, where the plaintiff’s brother and Mrs Baillie were residing, and where the plaintiff seemed also much at home.

On ringing at the front-door bell witness got no reply, but got in at the side door and asked for Mrs Frost. The servant called to another to ask if Mrs Taylor was in. She was not, and the servant told witness that it was the game person. Witness asked if there was a Mr Taylor, and the servant said yes, he lived there with Mrs Frost. They said Taylor or his brother would soon come in as they were in and out all day. They also told witness that the pictures had remained there one night, and were taken away in a cab. There was hardly any furniture in the house, and another feature of the Gordon Baillie menage was that the servants said they had not had their wages for three months. Suddenly there came a ring at the front door, and witness was astonished to see the servant come out of the side door and go round to the front of the house to see who it was. Witness went out, too, and saw it was the plaintiff. Standing on the doorstep he turned to the servant and said, “Has anything else come?” Witness said to the servant, “Is this Mr Taylor that lives here with Mrs Fx*ost ?” She said, “No; it’s his brother.” Witness asked plaintiff if lie knew anything of some pictures that had been left there a few nights previously. Plaintiff was “ orty ” —he said “My dear fellow, I know nothing about any pictures.” “No,” replied witness, “but you know a lot about the people living in this house. And unless I know where those pictures went to there’ll be a row.” They went inside, and after a few minutes’ chat with one of the servants plaintiff wanted to know “ what the devil ” he meant by coming there interrogating the servants. He wanted to know, too, if witness called that “ gentlemanly conduct.” Witness thought they might waive that point as he didn’t expect to meet gentlemen there. Plaintiff ultimately promised that the money and also an explanation should be sent that night. Witness asked him what he was there, and he replied that he was Mrs Frost’s “ secretary and financial agent.” Witness asked where she carried on business, and plaintiff had a delightful explanation. “ You don’t understand, my dear fellow,” said he. “This is a lady of great wealth and a philanthropist, who gives away such large sums of money that she often finds herself in an embarrassed position. I help her with her charities and look after her investments.” Witness replied, “You’re a liar, I’ll tell you who this woman is. She is no other than Mrs Gordon Baillie, the notorious swindler.” Plaintiff said, “My dear fellow, when that infamous woman was in gaol this lady was riding in her carriage.” Witness threatened plaintiff that he would go to the police, and in spite of plaintiff's persuasion did so. The defendant, William Joyner, stated that the value of the pictures was 2610 17s. He told how Mrs Baillie bluffed his errand boy out of the pictures. After Henry Joyner had seen plaintiff, the latter called at the shop, and asked the boy in the defendant’s presence to whom he gave the pictures. The boy said to Mrs Frost, and plaintiff said, “ It’s a lie, you must have given them to one of the servants. That lady was 60 miles away on that day.”