JOHN THE PENMAN.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1260, 23 April 1896, Page 9

JOHN THE PENMAN.

MANCHESTER, “LONG FIRM ” FRAUDS. THIEVES AY 110 NET THOUSANDS. At tho Old Bailey, in the first week in March, an old man, nearly sixty years of age, named Fred Josiali Kelly, alias “John tho Penman,” was indicted for obtaining goods by means of fraud to tho value of several hundreds of pounds. Mr Edward Parker Millie, the London manager of the Economic Smokeless Eire Company, of Shaftosbury-avenuo, received in the early part of ISO I an order from Messrs Kelly and Co., builders, of Brondesbury, for goods to the amount of £(>h. Tho letter from Messrs Kelly and Co. referred to the fact that they had been purchasing

stoves from several firms, and these and other plausible statements resulted in the order being executed. Tho application for a cheque at once exposed the fraud, but in tho meantime Messrs Kelly and Co. had disappeared, and with them tho goods. Tho matter was at once placed in tho hands of DetectiveSergeant Cole, a clever young officer of Vine-street, who succeeded in discovering that “ Kelly and Co.” form part of a notorious gang of “ long firms ” presided over by a clever criminal known by tho sobriquet of “John the Penman.” HAS MADE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS 111 “long firm” circles there is no one better known than “John tlm Penman,” who for the last quarter of a century has been mainly at the head of most of tho long firm swindles in Loudon. In many instances the goods so obtained, which consisted of all kinds, ranging from gas stoves to trucks of carrots, were not disposed of to the ordinary receivers of stolen poporty, who pay as a rule about "lie-fourth of their value. They werocarof'ully stored in a largo warehouse in Bermondsey, at which periodically sales by auction took place.

The advice of “John tho Penman ” was much sought after by both the English and foreign long firms in London, and it is

said that lie was a walking encyclopedia on the technical terms used by firms in describing their goods. It mattered not to him if he was ordering goods of wholesale builders, writing a letler to a country farmer for fruit or vegetables, or obtaining a quotation from a Bordeaux firm for claret. Much of his information ho obtained in a somewhat curious manner. In different parts of London lie made the acquaintance of various bookmakers, and to them ho imparted the information that he could always arrange a “ little loan ” for a clerk or cashier if the latter had in consequence of his betting proclivities “ gone a littlo back.” In this way he was introduced to clerks and other young fellows, and from them lie obtained many valuable “tips” as to the modus operandi used by the firm when dealing with orders. A “ little loan ” would bo arranged, and as soon as he had got his “young friends” fairly in his clutches ho would unfold a scheme in which they would have to assist in swindling their masters. In a case which tho special representative of tho Weekly Despatch lias taken some trouble to seek out and verify a very tragic ending was the result of a young clerk’s acquaintance. HE CAUSES A SUICIDE. Ono of his bookmaking friends introduced “John tho Penman” to a young

fellow who was employed by a largo cement firm, who at that time contemplated getting married. In order to add to his income and provide the necessary cash to take his young lady about, the young clerk resorted to betting, and each day during the racing season would have his “ little bit on.” In the result, he began at first with a few shillings from the “ petty cash,” but afterwards he had recourse to embezzling considerable sums and to falsifying' the books in order to cover his defalcations. This was just one of tlio “subjects” that “John the Penman” loved to operate on, and an introduction followed.

In order to pay up “ one or two little hills” and have a “ bit” to get married on, young P (the name is withheld, as it is likely that publication might bring disgraco on tlie young fellow’s aged father and mother)

BOUIIOWE1) OF “.IOiTX THE HENMAN*’ T2O,

Time came for repayment, and when that was not fori 1 coming, threats followed. Now came the suggestion tiiat the whole of the debt and interest could be cleared oil’, lie had only to assist the gang in getting hold of some JillO!) worth of goods from his masters, and it could very easily be done. Young P listened and wa tempted, and having once fell he could not shako the “ long firm ” oil’, and it was further suggested hut he should endeavour to get the clerks of other firms to join in the swindle.

An oversight, however, in the proper dating of a receipted account caused the firm to have an uxaminatian of the stock, and it was seen at once that young P had been a party to the fraud, lie was called in by the head of the firm and questioned, and discovering that tho “ game was up,” he rushed to the lavatory, and, drawing a revolver from his pocket, he blow his brains out. 11 is poor little wile, who was daily expecting to become a mother, when the news was conveyed to her fell to the lloor in a dead faint, and she is now in the Cano Kill Lunatic Asylum, hopelessly insane. Nothing could be more brutal than “.John the Penman’s ” treatment of his victims when he lias “no further use for them.” One of them, after assisting in a scheme that robbed a firm of .£“00 worth of cheese, was discharged from his situation, and when he applied to the gang for a few pounds to take him home, he was told to “ take Shanks’s pony for it,” he., walk the distance, some seventy miles.

IN THE HANDS OF/TIIE POLICE. In 181)0 “John the Penman” fell into tho hands of the police, and a sentence of twelve months followed. Now, -whilst serving out his sentence, lie boasted lie thought out tho details of many schemes of fraud, and these oil his release he explained to two most notorious “ long-firmors,” who, headed by a man now “doing” ten years’ penal servitude, at onco commenced operations on foreign firms, and goods to tho value of £o(J00 were soon obtained. A DARING MOVE.

When this gang'.was discovered a warehouse in South London was raided, and some ten men arrested, including “John the Penman.” At the Old Hailey, the police were unable to convince the jury of the complicity of this notorious criminal and lie was acquitted. Now the detective oliicers engaged in the case did not attach much importance to the acquittal, having regard to the fact that they had another case against him in which he had written a letter to a firm acknowledging the receipt of some goods, and they knew that they could put that charge up against him. Accordingly when he left the Central Criminal Court he was shadowed, but, to the surprise of the detective, he did not go home—he went straight to the oiliccs of the firm he had swindled. He told them that he had come to pay them the account due, but that he feared there was some mistake in the order. “ Oh, no,” replied the manager, “ here is your own acknowledgment of the receipt of tlio goods.” ‘‘■lust let me look at it one moment,” said “•John the Penman,” in a cool and collected manner, and, being not in the least suspicious, the manager handed him tlio letter. Quick as thought “ John the Penman ” rushed to the fireplace, and, screw ing the paper up, threw it into the ilames. The detective, who had been watching, at once came forward, but bo was not in time to save anything but a few charred chips of the letter, which the police preserve to this day. Turning to the manager, “ John the Penman ” said, “I thought 1 could bring a job like this oil' if I tried, and both yen and this split (detective) can run along now and play marbles. Ocod day; hope you’ll spend a merry Christmas and have a happy New Year.” Job* l "’us quite right—the burning of tlio letter had removed the only hit of evidence that the police could bring against him. SOME CItUEL FRAUDS. A couple of “Johnthe Penman’s”pupils victimised a lot of farmers a few years and in many instances the frauds wore of a particularly cruel character, and led to much trouble-and suffering. These two worthies took a ground floor near the Borou-di Market, and had printed largo note-paper headings describing themselves as “Salesmen and Exporters.” By some means they obtained the names and addresses of farmers in various parts of the country, and from them they succeeded in obtaining largo consignments of farm produce. At the trial of these men the writer lemcmbers hearing the evidence given by a poor Leicestershire farmer, who said for some years he had had a hard struggle to make both ends meet in consequence of agricultural depression. At last he did manage to turn the corner, and he was depending on some twenty tons of carrots ho had grown to pay the arrears of rent and the taxes due. Ho was induced to consign these carrots to this London firm on the arrangement that he should receive cash by return of post. His feelings can

better be imagined than described whou he discovered that HE HAD BECOME'a VICTIM of some clever “ long-tinners.” He sto'od in, the witness-box a ruined man. . He was not able to pay his rent, and an ejectment notice was served on him, and he and his wife had to leave the farm and become servants to another farmer in the district. It wa3 a most painful scene to see this sturdy specimen of manhood lift his large red handkerchief to his eyes to brush away the tears that stood there, and there was hardly a person in the court, including the judge himself, who was not visibly affected. Then followed the story, told by DetoetiveSorgoant Gentle, of how the money obtained from this particular consignment of goods was spent in a wild debauch by a gang of “ long-firmers ” at the Derby, and how the coach which took them down was crowdod with well-dressed ladies (?) bent upon enjoying themselves, and consuming as much champagne as possible. “TIIE BITER BIT.” If there is one case more than another that entails much hard work on the detective who has it in hand, it is the “long firm ” case, and even when ho has succeeded in running to earth those wily swindlers ho gets but little credit,_ One “long firm ” is very much like another, and it is difficult to find in them anything sensational or amusing. One story, however, that the writer heard in connection witli “John the Penman” is too good to be allowed to go by. A firm of building material manufacturers in the Midlands had despatched to Messrs Kelly and Go. a small consignment of load piping to the value of .£ls. By the merest accident the head of the firm discovered that they had been victimised, and he accordingly laid plans to punish them after his own manner. He wrote Kelly and Co. that if the load piping was “ up to sample” he would supply thorn with large quantities at considerably reduced rates, and that ho would execute any order immediately. Now this was just what the Kelly “mob” wanted, as, owing to the depletion in their ranks, and the fact that they had to' “lay a bit low,” their finances were not in a very flourishing condition. NO TIME WAS LOST, and the next day an order was given for .£2OO worth of lead piping. The Midland manufacturer replied that lie had given orders that the goods should lie packed at once, hut that his firm had a [particularly good arrangement with the Midland Railway Company witli regard to the charges for carriage, and that it would pay Kelly and Co. to send them a cheque for =£2s, the amount of the carriage, as no benefit would accrue unless the charges were paid at tho point of starting. They hit, and that afternoon they railed every farthing they had together, and the =£2s was sent. The next morning a letter was received enclosing a receipt for tho =£ls and an acknowledgment of the =£lo on account of cost, &c., in discovering tho “ swindlers.” If one of them applied for the money it would be refunded, but that a very fine horsewhipping awaited the applicant. Tho =£lo is still in hand. The “ longfirmers” did not take kindly to the Midland manufacturer’s having a “ bit of his own” back, but their schemes to “have him ” proved fruitless. Kelly and Co. had so much building material on hand that they decided to build some cottages, and oven after they know that Mr Milne had discovered that lie had been defrauded they had the audacity to writo to the Economic Smokeless Eire Company to request that an expert workman of the company should go down to properly fix tho stoves. Tho honour and credit of bringing this notorious criminal to justice is due to Detective-Sergeant Cole, who so well succeeded that Sir Charles Hall sentenced prisoner to livo years’penal servitude.