THE CHARLESWORTH CASE

Otago Witness, Issue 2927, 20 April 1910, Page 65

THE CHARLESWORTH CASE

THE ACCUSED SENTENCED. COMMENTS OF THE JUDGE. CFeom Our "Own Corbespondent.) LONDON, February 25. At the Derbyshire Assizes two days ago, before Mr Justice Darling, Violefc Charlesworth and her mother, Mrs Charlesworth, were indicted - for having conspired to obtain £4OO by fraud and false pretences from Mrs Martha Smith, a widow, of Derby, and upwards of £SOOO from Dr Edward Hughes Jones,, of Rhyl. It was a Crown prosecution. The case was opened by Mr Adkins, who described how the large sums of money were obtained from Mrs Smith and Dr Jones on the strength of a statement that Violet Charlesworth was coming into a large fortune, which was in the first instance stated to be £75,000, and later £250,000. From Mrs Smith a sum of £4OO was obtained, and from Dr Jones, to whom she was engaged to be married until December, 1908, Miss Charlesworth' obtained £SOOO. The contention of th« prosecution was that the Charleswortr-* had always been in humble circumstances', and that there was no such person as Gordon, or Macdonald, the strangeljj person who, after meeting Miss Charlesworth at a ball, offered ta leave her £150,000 or £250,000. They, also submitted that the story about trustees, Colonel Williamson and M/ Williamson, had no foundation in fact.

Dr Edward H. Jones, of Rhyl, the court that he first made the acquaint* a nee ox the Charlcsworths at Rhyl iis December, 1906, when he attended Violet*,The whole family treated her with exceptional care, and she was waited upon hand and foot. He became engaged la Violet in May, 1907, and afterwards he let her have money on a variety of -psetexts. She wrote affectionate letters itf him, told him her fortune would be his when they were married, and signed herself on one occasion as " ever yout devoted and -some-day wife." Altogether he let her have £5430. A London stockbroker said he had lost! £IO,OOO in transactions for Violet. H« trusted her, because he believed the story of her fortune.

Mrs Charlesworth gave evidence in her own defence, and said she entirely believed what Violet told her.

In summing up, Mr Justice Darling said he must remind the jury, in regard to the mother, that there had been peonle who had believed in stories equally, as absurd as this. There were the Tiehborrie, the Humbert, the Koepenick, and other cases. The fact that a thing seenied incredible did not make it certain nob&dy believed it.

The jury, after retiring for about half an hour, found both prisoners guilty; of conspiracy and false pretences. In passing sentence the Judge said tha jury had found in regard to both of them a verdict which the evidence entirely warranted. .Addressing Violet, he remarked that she had taken the most! active part in the conspiracy. " You. must be an exceedingly clever and ingenious woman," he said. " You did i£ in order to obtain money. You promised yourself in marriage to Dr. Jones, and you took from him what were practically, the earnings of his life. You, Miriam* took a more active part in obtaining money from Mrs Smith, a woman in very straitened circumstances, who believed the story for a time. I thought thafc perhaps you had been deceived, but after the evidence of Dr Barrett I have come to the opinion that you were in possession of the idea when Violet was a very, young girl, and that you inoculated her, and she most ingeniously, by fraud upoM fraud, developed the idea and made it possible. You, Violet, are a woman wha might have had an honourable and even a distinguished future if you had properly applied your ingenuity. I cannot pass a less sentence than that you both. go into penal servitude for five years."'Uoon hearing the sentence Mrs Charlesworth swooned, and the wardress administered smelling salts. Violet seemed somewhat dazed, but she looked straight before her, without moving a muscle. Later the elder prisoner recovered and was led down to Ihn cells. Violet, a* she was leaving the dock, smiled faintly at somebody at the back of the court. Lilian Charlesworth was given permission to see her mother and sister before thej were removed.

The learned judge subsequently re duced the sentence to three years.