"THE RENWICK BEEF."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7203, 14 September 1901, Page 4

" THE RENWICK BEEF."

I MINER THOMPSON STRIKES ARICH^OCKET. [From Oub Cobrespondbnt.] ! LONDON, August 2. An amazing story of weil-nigfoj aanbecil* credulity was imifo3<fed) at 'B<y\r Stiree't last JYiday, when two confidence tricksters were charged before 'Mr De Kutzen wilth. conspiring to ■obtain money by falsa pretences front Mrs Anmie Benwilck, a Melbourne widow> -witih apparently moire money thai* coman'onrsense. The accused! -were a, couple of well-diressed and fairly good-looking men, arndi one of (them.., Oeorge Thompson, alias Stephens, da known) to a good many .people on your side of the "world. It may be ttafe gome there wouldl like ito renew the -acquaintance. Thompson calls himself a goiklmrner, and) he certainly exhibited a coni sidenabl© amount of skill in haindling 'tie Kenwick reef, -which, however, praml umcqmononly easy to work, and' yielded 1 readliiy ■to the snafaßnoincaili process of extraction.. His* " pal," wia Charles M'Neilyi, do «. -dentist by profession, bub apparently he (has found the ■extraction of miolars and) grindera much less prcfi'taiblle thara tthe estractian of caeih from the pockets tof comfid'dng females andi the addle parted tn£ ibis own sex. The proseoutrix was nob present to witness *he first of the rehearsal of hot comedietta, "The Henwick Reef," at the T.R., 'Bow Street. She faiad! ihiadi to leave for AuslzraMa 'before the .principail villains had been " -engaged l ,'" but toft wordl thaib when ithie Scotland 1 Yard Ibureau iha'dl found! the men for the pants she w'oiiM come ibaok to assume the — ahem !-— heroine's role. She also left behind! v~a scenario of the 2?lfty, and I think you will axlanit that its presemtation <ougjh)b ito afford a igocd) dleul of amuseanent to Bow Street patrons if the wi!dlaw keeps iher (promise. * 'Mrs Henwiek's .pllay, as read 1 vyver by the Clerk to Maniageir De 'RutKtni, tells how •Wddlow Annde, of Bourk? Stoe*b, left Melbourne ■with iher d'auglhtesr, "Daisy, to bear ■her company in the good ship Omiralh. A*t Marseilea a, man, calling ihi^nseltf George Thompson, cam© on> ?>oardL He miesßed at the same .table -with, the -widow, and tiold her how he came from Bend%o. On ■knidinig at Tilbury cm May. 25 Mra ißenwick, on. the «/d/vice ©f Thompson', want to stay at the Wesb Central Hotel, Southampton Row, Bkwmsbury. Later -a© the day, when out for aa airing, the -widow and Daisy met Th.oan.peon dm *he. street, and jje introduced l thenvfco anahber. man. 'as bfing. a f nilend of ihis, and 1 Itha* evemimig th© four dined at the Gairick Resba.ui«nt, Leicester Square. On *he reooanimieinidlatiiooM «f the other man the -widow Haf fa the West Central Hotel and 1 took rooms at the Hotei Cecil. One evening the daughter went for a -walk with Thompson <m f-ar as "tfhi& G/amck, -where they dimed, and 'ho introdluosdi her to> a jnlan who gave 'the maime of! MtMay. A-H three retuni'tid' to the Hotel Cecil, amd ' Thompson inihrod/uceid M*May to 4<he wMow, and the quartette became very "pally." Thompson said! the waa a widiower, aiwi asked Mrs Renwick to go to Kiria and get married} and : M*May proposed matrriage 'bo the daughter. . .'After staying at the Htfbel Cecil for a few days Mkj 'Renwdck and her daughter moved" to an- Ihotel in Finsbury Square, and from/ there to the Hotel Russell, on Thompson's advic*. Thiomipson mow commenced 1 to wooi widow with ardteur, andl "Wentually persuaded iher to 'go to Paris with Jiito, ihe paity being completed with Daisy and "M'May." Shortly before leaving London Thwanpson asked for the loan, of £100. He said , tie was expecting a. diraft fronu 'Melbourne for £1200 ; that in fourteen) months' time !h;is affaars would l be settled, and! be would receive a lot of money. Believing his statement, Mrs Ren-wick ■hamtd'etd' ibim> £100 in sovereiigns, andl during th© same week Thompson noticed that hi« inamoraita was wearing a diaimond ring worth, about £50. He asked the loan of it, but as it was 'the late lamented l 'Renwick's gift, the widow declined to pairt. Thompson, 'iiiowever, was mab to. bei baulked. He collared ■the ring by force, and 1 wore it in 1 spite of the lady's protestations. A day op two afterwards, when walking 1 fncni the Hotel Russell 'to the Holborn Restaurant, Mrs Remwick asked/ Tbomtp?«n. to mind hex purse 1 . Ho put the contents — about £40 in. gold — into his pocket., returned l the empty purse, and deoMnedi to aocouint for the money. Yet in spite of all, 'Mrs R<itJwick acconiipanii'eid him to Paris ! W'hiJst there Thiconipson iaduced 'her "to pant wiith £500, on a. sbatem©nt similar to that Hie mad© at tihe Hotel Russell. He intiwlu-ced tlva widow to a man who .stated thait> he was from Colum- j bra, aand t'haib his uncle hadl left Mm £100,000. This man said 1 to Thiomipson, "If you will prove that you 'a.re a main, of means I willi give you £500." Thompson thereupon saidl to the widtow, " Lend! me i £500 to show him tha.b I 'have it." A day or two later .tihe fcoListo woma'in lent him the money, and of course the man. never returned it, nor did h& lead the lady to the wkaa 1 as promised, " because," said he, " i'fa would iwfc be legal." But he would 1 marry Ivor in Lond'on wh'fji they returned. But when they 'did, Thompson* took the earliest opportunity of what the street bo-v» call " doing .a. guy," leaving the poor lone widow to lamen'b the> I'nss of about £800, a. couple of diioamond! -riTig'? anid a considerable ammmt of self-rtis'jurt. How Daisy fared Mis .Renwick's outline of " The Remvick Reef " did no-t: .disclose, buo doubt less *<he will have a. fair'v f,i,t part in the future pre«e»tn.t.ions of" i|, f piece. Manager ODe Kutzen, ithinks Thompson and M'Nelly will rill 'the roles selected for them ncl'miirably, and at pre..?enb t'hev are rehearsing under «upervisi'o« penciii:"the 'arrival of the rflst of "The Renwick Reef company, A^hen, after "publii: rolieavsals at, Bow Street, the eomHit'tt* will bo presented 1 ii> its ejTtir<itv at, it i.« presumed, the T.R. Old' Bailey.