THE CHARLESWORTHS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1362, 13 February 1912, Page 5

THE CHARLESWORTHS.

RELEASED FROM GAOL. By Telegraph—Press Assoclation-OoDjrignt London, I'obruary 11. Mrs. and Miss Charlcsworth, who were eentenced to three years' imprisonment on February 21, 1910, have been released.

id£ fe DerbT . snire Assizo3 in February, 1910, before Mr. Justice Darling, May, otherwise Violet, Chnrleswoith, and her mother, Miriam Charlcsworth, were ind'c'*d, for having conspired to obtain iUOO by fraud and false pretences from .Mrs. Martha Smith, a widow of Derby, and upwards of .£SOOO from Dr. Edward Hughes Jones, of Khyi. Both mother and daughter were fonnd guilty, and were sentenced to fiyo years' penal servitude each, but the judge snbsequently reduced the sentence to three years each. An appeal against the conviction failed. According; to the ease for the prosecution, the- Charlesworths about the year 1900 Jived in Derby close to tho residence of Mrs. Martha Smith. Mr. CharleswoTth was s working engineer, and the family occupied a small house. Later the Charlosworths removed to Wolverhampton, and when tliere overtures were mado both by Mrs. Charlesworth and Violet to Mrs. Smith to advance money to help them.' Mrs. Smith was told by both that Violet would come into a fortune of i!(5,0fl0 when she reached the age of 21. Believing the story, Mrs., Smith lent them ,£4OO, nearly all of which she had lost, Tho family later removed to Rhyl, where the Charlesworths got-acquainted with Dr. Jones, who became engaged to Violet. She informed him that she would bo entitled to when she was 25, in January, 1909. She stated that the money had been left her by a Mr. Mncdonald, whom she had met at dances in Scotland, but whom nobody seemed to know, and whom it was supposed left her this money because he admired her. Soon Violet borrowed money from the doctor to help her until she became possessed of her inheritance. Altogether he let her have A London stockbroker stated in ovidence that he had lost J210.000 over transactions with Violet Charlesworth, whom he trusted because he believed her story of tho fortune.