SWINDLED TO DEATH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 16

SWINDLED TO DEATH.

A NEW ZEALANDER ROBBED OF HIS SAVINGS. SUICIDE THROUGH DESPAIR. A SAD STORY OF LIFE IN LONDON, AS TOLD IN THE PAPERS. " Can we not instruct the public prosecutor in this matter?" asked a live juror at the City Mortuary on July 5 in a voice tremulous with indignation. This oft-repeated question wa s this time suggested by the recital of one of the mo3t painful stories ever heard even in that sepulchral place, the coroner's court at the City Mortuary. ■ THE MORAL OF A TRAGEDY. On May 15 we (Financial News) gave a brief history of the Great Britain Co-operative and Industrial Printing and Publishing Company, Limited — a company conceived in sin and born in iniquity. It has now crowned its career with a tragedy. The substance of our story was that Mr Elson James Humphreys, the prime mover in the foundation of the company, had by fraudulent representations become the possessor of £419 belonging to three individuals, who had been induced by the promise of remunerative situations to deposit that money with Mr Humphreys and his confederates. One of these victims was a Mr William Harry L^ewis. who figured in our narrative as Mr "Monk,*' Mr Lewis was victimised to tho sum of £158, ttift greater part of it deposited with Mr Humphreys' end the remainder a loan made to the same in? •iividual. Thi6 money practically represented the whole of his means. Mr Lewis was a simple minded man of about 4Q, who had m^e a. \\ti\e money in New Zealand. When hugipegs became stagnant in the colony he came home, with his wife and his little savings, and looked round for gome occupation. Towards the close of January he saw this advertisement in the Daily Telegraph : — M Clerk and assistant secretary required. Must invest £100 to £200. Salary, £2 10s per week, progressive. — Address C. C," &c. He replied, and was asked to call on " Frederick and Co." at 164 Queen Victoria street. There he met Mr Elson James Humphreys, and there the first act in the tragedy was played. It is needless to rehearse each step in the deception practised by Humphreys on poor Lewis. The victim was appointed assistant secretary to the " Cfreat Britain Co-operative and Industrial printing and Publishing Company " at a salary of £2 103 a week, and was asked to deposit £150 as security for large sums of money which he was told would be under his charge. All the documents in connection with these transactions were signed by Elson James Humphreys, and by him alone. Falsehood after falsehood was told by Humphreys, sometimes aboat the company, sometimes about its pretended officials, occasionally about property alleged to belong to Humphreys, and npw and then about his family affairs. Mr Lewis received two or three weeks' salary, and then the supplies stopped. Ope Saturday Humphreys borrowed £10 from Mr Lewis, and of that loan only £2 was returned. Poor Lewis thus lost £158, which represented his whole available fund?, and got no salary. From April until his death he divided his time between trying to obtain employment in the city — no easy task for a man of 40— and attempting to obtain back some of the money of which he had been defrauded. Both efforts were vain. _ If he called at the office of the pretended printing company, he was met with a request td call on Mr Humphreys at his house in Fulbam, and there in turn he was referred back to the office. To keep a roof over his head, and to keep his wife and himself from starvation, Lewis parted with his furniture, till latterly he had to sleep on the floor. He had no friends in this country ; but the kindness of some neighbours helped to keep the wolf a little distance from the door. But at last, swindled ont of his meagre means, pushed about froai pillar to post by the authors of his misfortunes, ptervipg and in despair, poor Lewis shot himself trough tbe head, ' -'■■->"■■ ■<• The coroner's jury which Investigated the circumstances under which Lewis took his life has placed the responsibility in the right spot. The verdict was : " That the deceased took his life during a fi.t of temporary insanity, and that he was driven to this act by the conduct of Eleon James Humphreys. And the jury would add a rider that the public prosecutor be called on to take action in the case." This verdict is possibly a little irregular, but never was' there one more just The tpue of the "excplpMory letters which Humphreys wrp,te to this journal and his conduct at the inquest yesterday were sufficient to show the stam.p of the man. He is one of those sordid adventurers who form one of the greatest pests of the city of London, and, sad as it is, Mr Lewis' death may not be unavailing to others. We have times without number exposed the doings of men of the same tyjoe as Humphreys, who ruin the poorest eksT of Investors and wreck their households. Wehave begged the public prosecutor to come to the aid of these untiappy victims. While in one integral part of the United Kingdom the Qrown finds its highest duty to protect its subjects from fraud, in England the poor man seeks redress in vain. Unless he can prosecute at hiß own expense the swindlers go free. Possibly Lewis' death may stir the public proseputor and the Government to put an end to such intolerable scandals.