A Swindler in the North.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7269, 24 July 1893, Page 2

A Swindler in the North.

CAREER OF A NORFOLK ISLANDER.

A penniless adventurer for several months past has been travelling from place to place in the Eorth victimising everyone who was foolish enough to lend an ear to his fsncisful tales of being heir to a fortune of £50,000. Leopold Auckland Obriatian, the gentleman in question, who is now safely lodged in Mount Eden Gaol undergoing a sentence of nine months’ imprisonment, is a descendant of one of the mutineers of the Bounty, and recently arrived from Norfolk Island. He was ilr.it heard of at Awanui, lodging with the family of Captain Subrilsky, of the schooner Medora, in which vessel he arrived there from Auckland. However, Christian’s stay in this district was only a brief one, as the father of a young lady with whom he is said to have fallen in love gave him peremptory orders to leave the place. After obtaining from the young lady in question her gold watch as a souvenir of her affection, Christian moved on to Bussell, where he took rooms at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, and gave himself out as the heir to a fortune of £50,000. He acted in a manner befitting so important a personage, and so impressed a certain elderly lady that she introduced him to two young lady visitors, and entertained him at balls and parties. Meanwhile the landlord had bis suspicions aroused by the fact that bis visitor never appeared to have any money in his possession, but his fears were allayed for a time by Christian giving him a sealed official looking document, which he said contained papers relating to the legacy of £50,000. boon after this Christian set out on horseback for Wbangaroa, and the publican, on opening the sealed document, found that it contained a cabinet sized photograph of an old identity of Russell, and a seaman’s certificate of discharge bearing the name of a person in the locality. On arrival at Wbangaroa with characteristic effrontery Christian pretended to the natives that be

was a policeman in dote pursuit of a crimi

nal, and obtained from them a fresh horse, leaving the other, as he said, till he should return. The next heard of him was at Here* kino, where be was recently arrested and conveyed to Mangonui, and tried and convicted on seven different charges, one charge for obtaining money under false pretences (included in these charges was the lady’s gold

watch referred to), also larceny as a bailee of a horse, and a charge of imposition. He was sentenced to nine months’ bard labour, and committed for trial for the horse-stealing.— (Auckland Herald)