HEARTLESS DECEPTION.

Patea Mail, Volume XLIV, 26 November 1920, Page 1

HEARTLESS DECEPTION.

PRETTY JEWESS DEFRAUDED A young Dutchman's courtship of a good-looking Russian Jewess has ended disastrously for both of them.

For while the lady has lost her life savings of over £2OO and also a prospective husband her erstwhile lover has boon sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and recommended for deportation.

His name is Maurice Emmanuel Valencia (27), a diamond polisher, and he appeared at the London Sessions on a charge of having obtained £2OS 10/ from Sarah Bialia, of Greonlancs, London, N., by false pretences. Counsel stated that the couple met at a picture palace at Hackney last April, and after about an hour's conversation Valencia proposed marriage to the lady.

Later in the same month he suggested that Miss Bialia should start a business as a diamond polisher with him after marriage. With great difficulty she raised the money mentioned in the charge, and Valencia went to Dorking to rent a lock-up shop. After that he was not seen for some time.

In Juno he again went to see the girl, who by that time had only lid. left. Ho said, “Well, you had better give me that,’’ and he took that and again disappeared. After this he obtained a passport for Holland, but before ho could leave the country he was arrested. The fact was that he was a married man with two children.

Miss Bialia, a liiuulsomc young Russian Jewess, s:iicl that prisoner gave her a watch, which by Russian custom signified an engagement. He said he loved her very much, and told her his father was a wealthy man.' iSho advanced various sums and tools for benches for the diamond business, having to pawn all sorts of things to get the money. The engagement was celebrated by a party at her mother’s house, for which prisoner himself made tfcc cake. Cards had boon presented, witness stated, announcing that the proposed new diamond business “had branches in Amsterdam and Hatton Garden.” Valencia in the witness box said ho was a Hutch subject, but had been in this country since the age of three. He flatly denied all the allegations, saying that it was Miss Bialia and not he who proposed starting a business.

Ashed whether his relations -with Miss Bialia were purely on business lines, he replied in the affirmative. “Then tell me,” counsel asked, “why did you write a letter addressed to ‘Dear .Sarah,’ and containing such terms os ‘Dearie’ and Darling’”’ Prisoner did not reply.

“Now, about tho engagement cake.” asked counsel. “How do you account for that?”

“It was not a cake at all,” was the reply, “only a bread pudding (laughter). I showed them how to use up the stale bread.”

“And about the watch?” Mr. Hut chinson proceeded. “I sold her that for £3,” said pri soner.

‘‘So that this romance was a purely business affair'?” commented counsel.

The jury found prisoner guilty, and a previous conviction at Liverpool tor larceny was proved.

A detective said Valencia went to American during the war 1 . Prisoner was proceeding to make some remarks about Miss Bialia’s character, when counsel handed in a document which ho said was “ an absolutely blackmailing letter,” containing brutal and untrue statements. The Judge said he thought the story an extraordinary one at first, but having seen the prisoner in the box he (juilc believed that a clover rogue could easily deceive the girl. He passed sentence of six months’ imprisonment, and recommended prisoner for deportation.