A SWINDLER IN THE NORTH.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11848, 22 July 1893, Page 2

A SWINDLER IN THE NORTH.

Career of a Norfolk Islander. Once ajjain the career of a swindler has, says the B.Z. Herald, to be recorded, this time neither a religious impostor nor a quack medicine vendor, but simply a penniless adventurer who for several months past has been travelling from place to place in the North, victimising everyone who was foolish enough to lend a credulous ear to his fanciful tales of being heir to a fortune of .£53,000. Leopold Auckland Christian, 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 here from Norfolk Island. He was first heard of at Awanui, lodging with the family of Captain Subritzky, of the schooner Medora, in which vessel he arrived there from Auckland. However, Christian's stay in this district was only a brief oae, as the father of a young lady with whom he is said to have fallen in love pave him paremptory 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 Rjssell, where he took rooms at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, and gavo himself out aa the heir to a fortune of X50.000. He acted in a manner befitting so important a personage, and so impressed a certain elderly lady that sic introducod him to two yonng lady visitors, and entertained him at balls and parties. Meanwhile the landlord had his suspicions aroused by the fact that his visitor never appeared to have any money in his possession, but his fears were allayed for a time by Christian giving him a sealed officiallooking document, which he said contained »ape*s relating to the legacy of £5C,000. Soon after this Christian set out on horßebacfe for Whangaroa, and the publican, on opening the sealed document found that it contained a cabinet-sized photograph of an old identity of Bussell, and a seaman's certificate of discharge bearing tbe name of a person in tho locality. On arrival at Whangaroa, with characteristic effrontery Christian pretended to the natives that he was a policeman in close pursuit of a criminal, and obtained from them a fresh horse, leaving his other, as he said, till he should return. The next heard of him wag at Herekino, where he was recently arrested, and conveyed to Mangonui, and tried and convicted on seven different charges, one charge for obtaining money under false pretences, (including in these charges waa the lady'a gold watch referred to), also lirceny as a bailee of a horse, and a charge of imposition. He was sentenced to nine months' hard labour, and committed for trial for the horse-stealing.