ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE "CONFIDENCE TRICK."

Evening Star, Issue 4182, 22 July 1876, Page 2

ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE "CONFIDENCE TRICK."

At the Guildhall on Tuesday, Thomas Challoner, who refused his address, but said he was an optician, and Edward Hall, living at 271, New North road, betting man, were charged on remand with loitering on I udgate hill, with intent to commit a felony, and further, they were charged with stealing LIOO in notes and gold, and a ring value L 3, the property of Mr J. Wilkie, of 107, Crescent road, Plumstead, gentleman.—On the 9th iust. the prisoners, in conjunction with two men named John Fowler and William Rowe, were charged with loitering on Ludgate hill with the intention of committing a felony, and tf.ey all pleaded guilty to the charge, A large number of flash notes were found upon Fowler, Eowe, and Hall, and on Challoner a L 5 Bank of England note. They all pleaded guilty, Thomas Dakin sentenced Fowler and me to three months' imprisonment and. hard labor, and remanded the prisoners Challoner and Hall. Since the remand the police had found that the L 5 note found upon Challoner was one of the notes stolen from Mr Wilkie. —Mr Wilkie stated that he resided in New Zealand, but was at present staying at 107, Crescent road, Plumstead. He arrived in London on »" ebruary 17, avd on the 22nd he was in Oxford street, when Hall came up to him, stated that he was a stranger in London, and asked to. be directed; to

the Memorial Hall. Ha to&ttm he did not know whewit was, asked him to accompany hun along 0»o*i street, on the way he asked him te%o into a publichouse and have a glass of beer. While they were there Challoner came, in and inqnired the way to the Agricultural Hall. Herepresented himself as an Irish farmer, and said that he had gained a verdict for a very large sum of money against *£ railway company, and he would give each of them LIOO to distribute amongst objects of charity, if they would show him an equivalent amount to Bhow that they had means of their own, and would not use the mosey that he gave them for themselves. He also said that he would give them each LlO for their trouble of distributing the money. He and Hall left Challoner and went to the City,..whew he drew out L9O from the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, and then went to an hotel at Islington, where they rejoined" Challoner. They had a long conversation a>out charitable gifts, and then Challoner asked Hall to lend him his pocket-book as a proof of his confidence in him. He did so, and Challoner left, but returned shortly afterwards, and gave it back to him. He. then'asked witness to do the same, and he did so. ,The two. prisoners went away, and .he saw no more of them until he saw them in Newgate, when he picked them out from Several others. He gave the prisoner Challoner a ring of the value of L 3 as a returnfbr the LlO he was going to give him for distributing the LIOO. —The prisoners reserved their defence, and Sir Thomas Dakin committed them for trial.—(The gentleman victimised as above is Mr James Wilkie, formerly of the well-known firm of Reith and Wilkie, t>f the Cutting, Dunedin.]