Story of a £25,000 Trick

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 13, 16 January 1936, Page 10

Story of a £25,000 Trick

MAN • Kxix'xixjSENTiNG FOUR I. MILLIONAIRES” I LONDUN. ; Aleutian ui i’uur American million Aires and ul a vumpicie outfit lor luig mg cauies was mauu by counsel wncu, nt Westminster lie tula a remarkable Tury of an alleged conspiracy to duiraud an Aii.-.-truiiau visitor ui £-3,UU'J uy a confidence trick. In the duck were Ernest Slater. Lhiriy-six, and Rose Staler, twentynine. ul’ Brixiun-ioad, S.W., cli.iigcu wild being 111 unluwiui possession ui banknotes valued al XIUJJUd and a pan ul diamond and pearl cull links. Further charges were added. These Conspiring with one Alarshall and one Gilmour and others to defraud Nicholas Alu!ton. Receiving J30,0U0 Belgian francs, knowing tnem to have been obtaineu by conspiracy, and having in their poo session I,J32,UuU Belgian francs, know ing them to have been obtained by conspiracy. in tue case of the woman bail waj reduced tu £uUU. Bail was refused m the case of the man. Mr. G. D. Roberts,- prosecuting, said that in July this year a man who described himself as an Australian wen:, under the namtfj of Alarshall, tu Air Mutton's address in Lancaster Gate terrace. They became friendly, went tu Brussels, aud Gilmour was introduced to Air. Mutton as representing at least four millionaires. Air Gu mour said lie was carrying through very important operations on the Antwerp Stock Exchange. *kt Gilmour's suggestion, Alarshall and Alutton moved tu Antwerp, and Mar.-.h:iJ said; “Can’t yuu allow us-to participate in these deals’” Gilmour said: “No,” and produced a letter purpuitiug Icome from a New York firm chiding him for the publicity which in-! characterised pluvious opeiatioiis. “That letter, ' said All. Rubens, "is a must important link 111 this case. Al; .Mutton lia> identified it as being similar to a letter found in the possession of Slater. - Continuing, counsel said Giiniuu; told the other I no that he had carried on a deal, and that Alarshall and ? bitton were each entitled to £B,OUO con. mission; but that before they could get it they must produce to the Antwerp Slock Exchange a. guarantee that they were each worth £25,000. lie added, “1 cannot get the money myself, but I have cabled to my brother-in-law in Canada, and 1 have got a cable back that he has gone to America.” “He produced a cable purporting to come from Canada. This is important, because in a suitcase in the possession of the woman Slater a complete outfit for forging cables—blank cable forms and a little printing outfit —was found. “Air Alutton ,<is son in Aus-

tralia and arranged fur £25,000 to In transferred to a bank at Antwerp. “The notes were handed over to Gil mour, and Air. Mutton never saw then again.’ ’ Alarshall went ot the Stock Ex change, counsel added, and came bad saying that he had invested all the money. Later Gilmour said that al the money h fl d been lost.