INGENIOUS FRAUDS UPON MILLIONAIRES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 84, 28 March 1908, Page 4

INGENIOUS FRAUDS UPON MILLIONAIRES

The Frenchman Lemoinc, who, it is alleged, swindled Sir Julius Wernher, the well-known South African magnate, out of £t>4,ooo by pretending to have discovered a prooess whereby artificial diamonds could be made which were indistinguishable from the real gems, has had many predecessors. Indeed, the fraud with which he is charged is nearly I half a century old, having been invented as far back as the year 18til by a man [named Gatwick, a Clerkenwell goldsmith.

Gatwick's method ot procedure was the now familiar one of enclosing certain ingredients in a. clay matrix, which was then baked in a crucible. When taken out and broken open, after having first been allowed to cool, a fine diamond wa9 found inside, lying like a kernel in a nutshell.

The gem was always a genuine one. But it need hardly be said that it had in no sense been " made " bv Gatwick, as was pretended.- The trick consisted in having two matrices, the one containing the diamond being secretly substituted for the one containing the supposed diamond-proaucing ingredients at some convenient time or other in the course of the experiment. Gatwick netted several large sums from credulous dupes, but eventually met with his deserts, being shot dead by a Kimberley miner whom he had defrauded of £OOO —all his savings. This happened in 1873.

Two years later there appeared in San Francisco an individual calling himself Professor Venner, who performed for his own profit a clever variation of the same trick. That is to say, instead of pretending to make diamonds, be professed to be able to manufacture at will any quantity of gold. The dupe, as in the above-mentioned instance, saw a mysterious powder placed in a clay matrix, and a nugget of gold presently taken out. So often did the. %elf-stvlrd " professor" perform this operation that he became known ihrouhout the length and breadth of America by the sobriquet of " Gold-Brick Teddy." Amongst other people lie swindled were Mr. Maekay. the Nevada "Silver King": Mr. Crocker, the well-known Californian multimillionaire, from whom he obtained no less than .€80,000; and Mr. Flood O'Brien, the mining magnate. After the States got too hot to hold him, " Teddy " went to Paris, where he swindled a wealthy French financier out of £18,000; and thence journeyed to London, where lie got into communication with Mr. S tree tor, toe well-known Bond Street jeweller. It speaks volumes for the clever scoundrel's plausibility that he actually succeeded in im--1 posing, for a time at all events, upon even that astute expert. Indeed, Mr. Streeter confessed after-

wards at the magisterial inquiry into the charge preferred against " Teddy —which was that of obtaining money by false pretences—that he at first really believed the prisoner's story. Later, however, when it was suggested that he should find £40,000 for experimental purposes, he Ijeeame suspicious and communicated with Scotland \ aril, wi Ji the result that- -Teddy's" projected raid upon the pockets of huglish millionaires was nipped iu the bud by a sentence of imprisonment. A verv elaborate scheme, having for its special object the swindling of American millionaires visiting London, wis unearthed by Scotland Yard detectives in 1890. As "no prosecution followed tlu details-werc never made public, but the writer can vouch, from personal inside knowledge, for the truth of what is here set forth in print. The gang of sharpers numbered ill all nearly a score of individuals, and ' o each was allotted lib own social role, which he practised until perfect. The next step was to establish a bogus club in a fashionable West End thoroughfare, to which prospective victims were to be decoyed. So far the plot differed not very materially from other similar ones which have been initiated over and over again, with more or less success, in most of the capitals of Europe. But what raised this one altogether out of the commonplace was the fact of th e bogus club being given the name of one which the Prince of Wales (as King Edward then was) was well-known to be in the habit of frequenting, and of which indeed he was actually a member. Moreover, one of the sharpers was " made up" so as to exactly resemble His Royal Highness, while others played the parts of men of standing in society who were notoriously his close personal friends; one, for instance, being got up as l>ird R , another as Bar in H , and so on. It may perhaps sound incredible that astute men of the world should have been deceived by play-acting such as this. Yet that many were so deceived, and that completely, is an undoubted fact. For this the stage setting was partly responsible, the " club" being luxuriously furnished. But apart from this, real genius was shown by the decoys, who, so far from appearing anxious to introduce the victims they luid marked down, were wont to raise all sorts of difficulties as to introductions, credentials, and so forth.

Not unnaturally, strategy of this kind disarmed suspicion, and made the dup j s more anxious than ever to secure ad-

mission through portals so jealouslyguarded. Once inside, they were quickly relieved of as much hard cash as they could lie induced to part with at bacearat. But eveu then none ever " squealed." Indeed, most of them returned to America -without ever realising that they had been the victims of foul play, and happy iu the consolation that, even if they had met with a stroke of exceptionally bad luck, they could at least Doast that they had ha l the honour of playing cards with the (then) future King of England. 11l all the gang is believed to have cleared more than a quarter ol a million -terbivg ere it was discovered and broken up—a consummation largely due to Detective-Inspector Arrow, now Chief .-if I'oliee at Barcelona, who stumbled qui'ie accidentally iqion tlie fringe of the e.v tinordinary conspiracy. Perhaps,' however, after all, the bogus invention dodge has conjured more money out of the pockets of credulous millionaires than has any other single species of fi*uil. A good example of this class of trick was that engineered by the notorious Kcelcv, who obtained altogether something like £2,000,0011 from eute Yankee capitalists for the perfection and exploitation of his mysterious motor. Nor was lie ever brought to bonk, but persevered in the deception till his death, when the " mysterious " force- that drove his "wonderful'' machine was found to be nothing more uncommon than compressed air, conveyed by slender hollow wires from a secret underground chamber to his laboratory.

WVU-. of Monle Carlo fame, was another past-master in flic *ame lino ot bu*ine>-. obtaining large fiuua from wealthy investors on the strength of his marvellous " inventions," which -inn- lie promptly proceeded to squander at th'- gaming-tables. fl'he names of many other*, too, might be mentioned. And stilt the game goes merrily on. (»n]y tuc other day—so the -lory run- -a well-known London financier wa- victimi-ed hy a plausible v!v» t-laimed to have discovered what i> i'i-1 now the Ridden dream of all marine engineer-*, a reversible inrbine. More tnan Clu.OHIl was S6I einvd h\- tlie self-styled inventor, who ' diivetlv'aftonvard* disappeared, leaving behind Vnn a model :md a bundle of worthless and drawing. And now we have the ease of Hotm linchette. a Krenehman. who, this week's eable- tell us ha- l>y eoncerns rol,U-d the credtilon- pnUie of Frawc < t iho gigantic bUUi of £B.<»iAOfiO.

ROMANTIC STORIES OF FAMOUS FAMILIES.

WHY THE EARL OF BLESSINGTON MARRIED 'BEAU' POWER'S DAUGHTER.

COUNTESS WHO WROTE FASHION' NOTES I'OR £BOO A YEAR.

''No good to anyone!" Such was the verdict " Beau " Power, the " Tipperarv squire," passed upon his youngest daughter, Marguerite. "Beau" Power was one of the handsomest. men in the country. He was also one of the most reckless, improvident. and desperately bard up. Marguerite was a bitter disappointment Ho him. She was the youngest of three sisters, and " Beau " Power had set lus mind on those three girls marrying rich men. Rich sons-in-law might prove useful unless the fortunes of the Power family took a favourable turn. The two elder sisters were very beautiful. One married an English viscount and the other became the Comtessc de St. Marsault. " Beau" Power hasl "got them off well," but who would come and relieve him of that pale, thoi, weakly, uepjleeted other daughter—poo" little Marguerite? He came to the conelusion that Mag would be a millstone round his neck to the day of his death. 'No one would want to marry her.

Marguerite Power was only ten years of age when "Beau" Power took it inio his head to leave the countryside and seek one of the larger towns to try alii make his fortune.

" You will lose what money you have got," a friend warned him. "There is one thing, though, that will be for the best —you may find a husband in time

'or Mag!" "It would bo a harder job finding i msband for her than finding a fortune; leelared the " Beau." At the end o ive years, when Marguerite Power wa ifteen, he was to have two surprises le lost all his money, as that friew Hid predicted, and Marguerite had, h ,vas astounded to learn, two lover; * Beau" Power had been prejudice, igainst the girl, and perhaps it liai >een that which had blinded him to til emarkable change taking place in hei donth by month it seemed, to thj3 rlio surveyed the girl with kindly eyes larguerite Power was growing rnori ;iid more beautiful. "Beau" Power' igly duckling was growing into a swan Che only person who did not recognis. t was "Beau" Power himself. But - 'Beau'' Power had eyes fo: ione of these things. He was awak ■nod, l'owever, to the fact tliat Mat ueriU' was worthy of his thought whei 'nc day a Captain Farmer, an officer u he British Army, came to him an: sked for her in marriage! The capta'i ras rich and belonged to a good family le was a man of bad habits—drunken iissolute, of violent temper—but Powe declared straight away that Margucriti hould marry him. The girl would b foul to throw away such a chance! lie informed Marguerite of the "hon mr" that had been done her by Fa'' uer, and that the marriage must tak ■lace as soon as possible, and then (lis orered from the agitated tear-sheddiii; 'irl why the Captain had sought hin irst rather than herself. She ha< c> •armer, and she loved another Giptni, durray. While Farmer had been witi ler lather -Murray had called 011 hei iad prnposed to her. and she had acee.it ■d him! "Farmer ha- a fortune and Muria; las not got a penny to bio*-, himsel vitli!" exclaimed the "Beau." He proceeded to utter the most tei •iblc threats against Murray. If M.ll ruerite did not marry Fanner she woul lever marry at all! From argument villi tiie stubborn, weeping girl, V." at her proceeded to violence, lie swur lie should marry the fortune. A fe\ noiiths later the gallant Captain Fai uer led to the altar a timid, shrinking reening bride! _ lie had married her against her wi. -when her heart he knew was givei 0 another—and perhaps uie recognitioj hat he could not gain her affection, rom the rival he had supplanted filled lev husband with fierce rage, l'or three noiiths the beautiful young wife had 0 bear the cruelty of her brutal ims>and. At times the neighbours heard icr voice raised in entreaty to him. and hen the thud 01 dull blows and hoarsehoutcd words. When the Captain went mt be locked his wife in a secure room. She had hardly enough food allowed her .0 keep her in health! The lieautiful. delicate girl was. it leeined. doomed to an early grave wh 'll 1 fortunate accident saved her. ller im-band. in a lit of passion, drew his sword upon a brother ollicer and tried to kill him, and for that offence he was condemned bv court-martial to be sent lo serve in a pestilent station abroad. Marguerite plucked up courage to air solutelv refuse to go with him. Captain Farmer left her behind, and the deserted. pretty wife tound a home in the house of iier brother in London. "One of the most wonderfully beautiful girls that Txmdon has ever seen,' wrote one who met her and who was reputed a good judge of female beauty. "And she is as clever and witty as ~ue is beautiful. If her life had not besn blighted bv her union to such a brute oi a husband* she might look for a oig matrimonial fortune." There was 110 doubt about it. Charles (iarilincr, the young, handsome, and enormously rich Karl of lilessingtou. was, it was plain to all who knew him, devotedly in love with her. Did the young girl-wife—a wife only in name- - ever dream what might have been 1 Hut she was bound for life. Captain Farmer bad returned from abroad. He had plunged into all manner of dissipation, had ruined himself by gambling at •1 card-table, and was now lying 111 P prison cell. Between Marguerite an. happiness lay that brutal, wrecked drunken gambler, disgraced, penniles; in prison for debt. _ One day she received a hurried mcs sage from the prison. Her husband had in a fit of frenzy, hurled himself fron a window, and had been killed by th fall. The young Earl hastened to tn widow's side, his face full of a Strang, light that expressed anything but soi row at the untimely fate of th wretched man. A few weeks later h proposed to her. Four months late " Beau " Power's despised daughter—th "unfortunate one of the family'—-hu become Marguerite Countess of Bices ington. "Never has society had a more dis tinguished queen," wrote one of tli fashionable chroniclers of the day. _ "Th splendour of the Blessingtons is 111 credible. Their house in St. James Square is superb." "Jieau" Power's despised daughte made a graceful hostess who cluirnie everyone. A partv at the Blcssingto. residence blocked all the streets in til neighbourhood with carriages. An amidst it all the young Irish gill a) peared a bright, joyous-souled ereatur. in spite of the terrible trulls and mis fortunes that had tilled her early life. Among all the throng that trowdci tlie rooms of the Blessiugton resident there was none more handsome than thpolished young French ollicer, Coun D'Ol'say. 11c was clever, witty, careles —just the man to win the heaits o main' of the Ixnuititul ladies i. met "there. D'Orsay »»- very quick!; discovered to be in love with the eliies daughter of the Earl by a former rnarr: age. lie made her his wife, and tli Karl presented him with £IO,OOO 01 his wedding day! Could such profusion last; peopn asked themselves. Huge as was th Earl's fortune, would he not soon conv to an end of it'/ But 110 dread of suel an event seemed to ever cross the nnnu of the Karl and his beautiful Countess lie had it palatial residence in Pans This is how the Countess dcserilied he own private apartments in it:— _ '•The whole tittiug-up is ill exqltisi' taste, and, as usual when my most gal lant of all gallant husbands that 1 ever fell to the happy lot of women t' possess interferes, 110 expense has bee) spared. The bed. which is silvered in -tead of gilt, rests on the backs 0 two silver swans, so exquisitely sculp tured that every feather is ill alt.i relievo, and looks as llcecy as those 0 the living bird. The recess ill winch 1 is placed'is lined with white fluteil sill; liordered with blue embossed lace, an. from! the columns that support th. fvie'/A 1 of the recess, pale-blue -ilk cur tains, lined with white, are hung, which when drawn, conceal the recess alto

gother.'' , . For years Marguerite Power lived m L'ront splendour. Then <>u< i dny the world was startlotl to hoar I"lint the Karl had di«-il siuhlenlv. It was startled I still miiro to livirii that, while leaving fireat sums of money to others he lull left even CI 00,000 to JTUrsay. !lw husband of his daughter, hut who luid sin e separated from hi- wife—the ina<jui!iennt Eal'l of Blossiiijrton hail only 101 l his wife n veal'lv allowance of £2,(100! What wouhi £2,000 do towards keeping up such splendid oxtravagaiic P as sh* had heenmo accustomed to? 'Margiieiito Blossington returned to London, uml with lior came

D'Orsay. Once more the Counter netup a magnificent establishment at Gore House, Kensington, and D'Orsay gave her freely of his £IOO,OOO. The Counters determined to become an authors.-, and make a few thousands a year in books. She became fashion writer, at a salary of £BOO a year, to the Daily News.

At. last came the crash. Strangelooking men were in possession of Gore House. They were bailiffs, put in for money owing for silks and laces that the Countess "could not do without. D'Orsay's hundred thousand pounds hud melted away. lie fled to France to avoid arrest for debt! The " society, queen" saw the luxury and magnificence with which she had been surrounded vanish away as if it had been all a dream.

The sale of the treasures of (Jore House took nine Jays. All fashionabl". London attended it, intent on securing bargains among the wreckage of that splendour. One day,-just before the sale commenced, tlierc drove away fror-i the house a carriage into which was assisted a suddenly aged, grey-haired, haggard-faced woman. As the carriage drove away she turned eyes that were blinded with tears to the last home of tier splendour. The woman was Marguerite Countess of Blcssington. Sh-j was going to Paris to live in humble lodgings. Five weeks later London was astoun.ied to hear that .Marguerite Countess of Bkssiugtou was dead! She had died of apoplexy. Jler friends knew that site had died of a broken heart.