AN INGENIOUS FRAUD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1671, 5 March 1890, Page 3

AN INGENIOUS FRAUD.

The career of an enterprising swindler has again received an unexpected ! check at the bands of the detective police. Frank Leslie, a young gentleman of good address, who, under the respective alituet of Thoß. Dynon, J. ! T. Henderson, Jan. Price, John Payton, H. J. Brown, Thos. Henty, and M. Gk Petty, has served numerous sentences for obtaining money under false pretences,, was arrested on Tuesday night by Detectives Lomaine and and Jennings on a charge of conspiracy to defraud. The scheme thus unfortunately nipped in the bud was as ingenious as it was simple. The initial step was to secure a quantity of note paper, bearing the imprint of Kiltura Station, New South Wales, and armed with this* inexpensive "kit" the adventurer proceeded to address a curt communication to the Esplanade Hotel, St. Kilda. Dating from Numurkah, Leslie, under the title of M. J. D'Arcy, intimated that he was the proprietor of the Killura Station, and that, expecting, shortly to visit Melbourne, he was anxious to engage rooms at the Esplanade for a period of some weeks. The date of his arrival was uncertain, but in the meantime be requested that the management should receive any parcels

which came addressed to him, and keep them safely until he should claim them in person. Simultaneously a young lady, signing herself "Marie D Arcy," addressed a series of letters on the same note paper to various tradesmen in Melbourne ordering certain goods, all of which were particularised with much care, and requesting that the parcels should be sent to the Esplanade Hotel, St. Eilda. With each package, it was expressly stated, the invoice was to be forwarded, because, the fair correspondent ran on, " Mr D'Arcy objected to running small accounts, and always liked to remit a cheque in settlement with as little delay as possible." No suspicion was aroused, and the goods were duly sent to the Esplanade where the obliging manager received and carefully stored them pending the arrival of the distinguished guests. But suddenly an unexpected contretemps occurred. Mrs D'Arcy was attacked by a serious ill* ness, and her husband wrote disconsolately that he was unable to leave her bedside, and would be compelled to relinquish his projected trip to the metropolis. He requested, however, that the parcels addressed to him should be handed over to a Mr E. Kirkby, who would present the letter in person. The first communication was dated 10th August, and two days later, Mr Kirkby called, expressed his apologies, and went away taking the numerous packages with him. In a day or two more the tradesmen began to make inquiries, and the fraud was exposed. But the birds had flown, and nothing more was heard of them until a chance circumstance threw the principal into the hands of the police. On the 6th September the manager of the Beaconsfield Hotel, St. Kilda, received a letter, bearing the headline of Killura Station, and purporting to be written by Mrs M. J. D'Arcy, at present staying in Bairnsdale. Mrs D'Arcy requested that rooms should be retained, and all parcels kept until her arrival. The request was entered without suspicion, and the parcels came to hand with unfailing regular, ity. At last a blundering carrier took one of the packages to the Esplanade Hotel in mistake, and the manager, finding himself in the presence of an old acquaintance, at once telephoned to the Beaconsfield Hotel. The detectives were called in, and Detectives Lomaine and Jennings took up their residence in the hotel and waited events. On Tuesday evening, and not long after their arrival, a young man presented himself, armed with a letter, in which Mr D'Arcy expressed regret that his wife had been taken seriously ill, and asked that all parcels addressed to him should be handed over to his friend Mr Leslie. The bearer was at once arrested, and lodged in the city watch house. — " Leader."