A CLEVER ROGUE.

Evening Star, Issue 3847, 23 June 1875, Page 2

A CLEVER ROGUE.

lire Empire City has lately been visited by a distinguished chevalier tPincLustrie, whose tWin+J 30 nux wit . h , t . be “ upper ten ,{ soon led mm into an unenviable scrape. The person referred to, whom we shall designate as “ a party jMJj B ° f Johnson ” arrived at Wellington from Melbourne veiy recently, and brought with him several letters of introduction to the leading members of a certain church. He was a foreigner by birth, with a first class education, was well versed in almost every -subject, ana, by ms familiar references to persohs of high standing in Australia, showed that he had f OO ! 1 B °cmty there. By his friends he was mtroduced everywhere, and was ottered a Government appointment, but declined it. Ke, however, decided to temporarily accept a Government situation, but shortly afterwards permanent employment in his own profession—that of a civil engineer -presented itself, and Johnson was placed in a position of high trust.. It was observed that his gait was very peculiar, but this, he explained, was caused by his having broken both his ancles. The police, however, thought it bore a striking resemblance to the swing acquired by convicts from the habitual use of irons, and accordingly kept a sharp look,out upon their new acquaintance. The next mad from Melbourne brought a letter from the superintendent of Pentridge, informing them that by the previous steamer a notorious character had embarked for Wellington. With a photograph of the man, a verbal description and a prison record were forwarded. This latter, showed that he was about thirty-ftve years of age, sft 3m high, a native of Antwerp and that he came to the Colonies in the La Hogue m 1860. Ho was tried at Ararat on September 23, 1865, and sentenced to six years imprisonment for horse-stealing and for uttering a valueless cheque; and iu 1867 he was sentenced in Melbourne to ten years’ imprisonment for forgery and uttering. Thus mfifteen years Colonial experience he had received sentences of penal servitude amounting to sixteen years, though a portion of this had been renutted for good conduct in gaol. The record and description forwarded from Victoria tallied to a nicety with the man, and the police immediately waited on those who had been “gulled” by the illustrious character, and communicated the facts to them. They further sought an interview with “Johnson, and warned him that Wellington was no longer a desirable abode for one whose attainments were of such (Thigh order. The Melbourne police also stated that he was an adroit draughtsman, and that ©impound Bank of N.S.W. notes in his hands were marvellously converted into fives and tens. It u behoved that he merely went to Wellington with the intention of slipping off to Sydney with the view of decreasing the funds hut increasing the nominal capital of the above-men-tioned bank. In _ Wellington he passed under an aluie, and his introductions are believed to have been forgeries. We wonder whether Uunedm will be visited by this exceedingly impudent rascal