Reality versus Romance

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7138, 21 November 1894, Page 4

Reality versus Romance

* _ THE HEIRESS 10 L 150.000 STORY. A DISMAL COLLAPSE. DUNEDIN STAK CORRESPONDENT. London, September 14. — A vivid imagination taken in combination with what the masses call " gentile manners " and a good address is a valuable possession, and frequently provides ladies and gentlemen of flexible ethics with a bounteous livelihood. Its drawbacks are the unpleasant consequences which occasionally ensue when the bottom is knocked out ofji the too [capable romancists' tale?, and magistrates, pi/lice, and other prosaic persons enquire curiously into their methods of money-getting. Reflections such as these can, I fear, alone solace the prison - musings of Miss Burch, the *' heiress to L 150.000," whose proceedings formed the subject* of an interesting inquiry at Manchester last Saturday. Eighteen months ago the London papers contained the romantic announcement that a Miss Elizabeth Margaret Burch, of Ashford, in Kent, had fallen heiress to L 150.000. The circumstances under which the lady became entitled to the legacy were somewhat peculiar. **he was in May of 1888 -at least this is how her story went— standing in the crowd at the outer entrance to one of her Majesty's drawing rooms. In the crowd an old gentleman fainted or became weak, and Hiss Burch procured for him a glass of water. j t He asked her for her card, and ahe gave it to him, but it was an error to aay they " exchanged " cards, for he had not given her his. Nothing more happened then, and the occurrence had almost faded out of Misg Burch's mind, until the end of 1893, when a London solicitor called upon her, and after asking certain questions recarding the drawing room incident of 1888 informed her that the old gentleman she had played Samaritan to had died and left her in his will the sum of L 150.000. The solicitor even produced the very card she had given her benefactor on the lucky day. This romantic story went the rounds of the press, the lady was interviewed, and letters from all sorts and conditions of people poured in upon her. It will be something of a shock to those good people who believed in Miss Burch's story now to learn that she is in custody at Manchester on a charge of fraud. She is there described as Elizabeth Margaret Burch, alias •' Lady Russell," Mrs Cooper, Mrs Clark, and Mrs Barnard, and gave her address as Brunswick street, Chorhon-on-Medlock. The prisoner is a middle-aged woman, fashionably dressed, and wears a pair of gold spectacles. The circumstances of the charge against her are as follows : In consequence of complaints received by the chief constable. Chief DetectiveInspector Caminada was directed to make enquiries respecting Miss Burch. In company with Detective-Inspector Goodwin, he went to a house in Brunswick street, where she lived, and found her engaged writing at a desk. In answer to Mr Caminada's enquiries, she said she was a lady of means, and belonged to a titled family. She was soliciting subscriptions on account of the recent disastrous colliery explosion in South Wales, and was acting on behalf of the widow of Sir Andrew Clark. That lady, she said, was either atCowesoron a yachting cruise. Not being at all satisfied with this statement the detectives announced their intention of searching the house. The prisoner thereupon took them into a room and produced some letters, which she snid were all ahe had. Mr Caminada, however, instituted a search, md found a large number of other letters relating to subscriptions from charitable people. A number of books were also discovered, in which were entries of addresses of people in various towns who had been in the habit of subscribing to the National Benevolent Institution, London, and the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society, also of London. Where subscriptions had been received by the prisoner from these pe-ple she had ticked off the names and entered the amounts in a diary. Whilst the police were in the house eight or nine letters were delivered which contained money ranging from 109 to 03. The prisoner, added Mr Caminada, had given out that her name was Lady Russell, but that as she did not want her identity to be knowu, she generally used the names of Mrs Cooper and Mrs Palmer. Her real name, however, was Burch. Her modus operand! was to enclose a stamped envelope in the begging letter she sent. She admitted that she had been living on these subscriptions for some time past, but she was expecting to receive a considerable sum of money, and intended to repay what money she had spent out of subscriptions in her maintenance. Further, the prisoner ana her two sisters some time ago went into business in London as court dressmakers under the style of " Madame Augus-

ne." The venture, however, was not a saccesa, and the sisters became deeply involved in debt. Amongst the letters found at the house in Brunswick street were communications from solicitors asking for their fees. It is alleged by the police that the prisoner has since tried to make up some of her losses in the dress making business by means of subscriptions received from charitable people whom Bhe imposed upon. She did not confine her attentions to collecting money for the widows and orphans of the men killed in the South Wales disaster, but successfully "canvassed" on behalf of those left destitute by the Sandgate laudBlip, the Jabez Balfour frauds, and a gentlewoman " who has been left in straightened circumstances through the action of a fraudulent trustee." This lady proved to be a sister of the prisoner. The following ia a sample of one of the begging letters sent by the accused :— ** Will you be so good as to send me a small donation to help some of the widows and orphans of the 300 poor men who were killed in the South Wales colliery explosion. The poor things are left quite destitute, therefore greatly need our sympathy and help. Enclosed is a copy of a letter from a lady who has asked me to help them by getting subscriptions. It will tell you of their sufferings and needs batter than I can. Apologising for troubling you — I am, yours truly, Masion Clark." The letter gave h harrowing account of the disaster, and asked the recipient to write to some of those kind people who used to help her so liberally in all good works in which she was engaged before her marriage.