A Society Thief.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6751, 4 February 1892, Page 2

A Society Thief.

A most extraordinary case is now (London Dec. 18} being tried in the High Court of Justice. In the middle of last February a young lady named Ethel Elliott, Who was residing with her sister and brother at Bullous, in South Kensington, and who was the daughter and grand-daughter of men of wealth and respectable position, was stopping with a second cousin, Mrs Hargreaves, the wife ot Major Hargreaves, of Torquay. Mrs Hargreaves showed Miss illicit where her jewels, which were extremely valuable—one valuation being as high as £15,000-were kept. Mies Elliott left Torquay for London on the )Bth February. On the 19th a young woman of ladylike appearance sold some pearls to a goldsmith and jeweller named Spink, residing in Gracechurch-street, for the sum of £550, and received in payment a crossed cheque, the gave the name of Price, and said that she resided at an address in London. The directory was searched and it was found that the house she indicated was occupied by another person, and she then said that she was only st.pping there, and that her house was at Bradford, Yorkshire. On the 23rd inst she returned to Spink, and complained that the bank would not pay a crossed cheque, whereupon Mr Spink gave her an open one, and she went away. Between the 19th and 23rd Mrs Hargreaves complained to the police that her pearls had been stolen. Eventually it was discovered that they had been sold to Messrs Spink, and the photograph of Miss Elliott being shown them, (bey recognised her as the young lady who offered them for sale, and the clerk who cashed the cheque' gave a qualified identification. But she has accounted by many reputable witnesses for every moment of her lime on both the 19th and the 23rd, and it would bo physically impossible for her to have gone from her home

in South Kensington (o Spink’s and to have returned in less than an hour and a half. 'I he case has been already before the law courts in an action brought by Major and Mrs Hergreave against Messrs Spink for the recovery of the pearls, and Miss Elliott, who has since the occurrence married Captain Osborne of the Carabineers, is now proceeding against the Hargreaves for slander. The case is exciting a great deal of interest, and some rather remarkable developments are expected. [Cable intelligence has been received which states that the case came to an abrupt close on tho 22nd December. It was ascertained that Mrs Osborne (Mies KlliottJ had negotiated a cheque drawn by Messrs Spink, and her counsel thereupon threw up his brief ]