A REMARKABLE STORY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1064, 22 April 1882, Page 4

A REMARKABLE STORY.

\ most extraordinary fraud has just come to light at Birmingham, which carries one s mind back to a cause celebre of a dozen or fifteen vears ago. It will be remembered that at just the same time as the first Tiehborne case was before the public, two or three young men, one 'of them named Bolton and another Parke, were charged with personating women for a felonious purpose. Lord Arthur Clinton, a cadet of the Newcastle family, was implicatedin these charges but he was said to have died*just before the trial. All the prisoners, however, were acquitted, and nothing more was heard about young Lord Clinton. The opportuneness of his death gave a color to the story that lie was not really dead, and a large number of people with a liking for the mysterious have always believed that he would eventually turn up again. Their credulity has proved an adventurer’s opportunity. For the last two or three years a person appearing to be a youug lady, and passing by the name of Miss Fearneaux, has been living in seclusion in Birmingham and the vicinity, and making the acquaintance when she could of wealthy merchants and others with a taste for the romantic. Her manner has been most winning, her confidence easily obtained her listener’s interest readily aroused. The story she told of herself was most remarkable, romantic and sad. In a word, she was Lord Arthur Clinton in disguise. Having in a moment of youthful folly disappear" . rather than meet unfounded charges, her (or rather his) estates had been forfeited to the Crown, and he or she, himself or herself, was liable to prosecution for what she had done. But, luckily, this poor victim of a cruel persecution was not without friends. Lord Coleridge and the rest of her Majesty’s judges had interested themselves in the case ; and shortly it was hoped the states would be restored, and all the young lord’s grievances redressed. Meanwhile Miss Fearneaux was in monetary difficulties "Would the kind friend to whom she was confiding her story help to relieve her immediate wants, and pay off some hardened miscreants who knew her story, and were levying black mail upon her ? Letters from Lord Col eridge were produced, written in the most friendly and familiar of styles, which, except, as it turns out that they were not genuine, proved conclusively the truth of this remarkable story ; and by it Miss de Fearneaux managed to extort fabulous sums from any number of wealthy and sympathetic dupes. The young lady is still before the police magistrate, and it would perhaps be unfair to say more about her at present. But her ingenuity is so great, and her ramifications have extended so far, that 1 should not be surprised if somebody in Australia has heard from her ; and if so, this little account of her story may not be altogether useless in assisting the euds of ] LILtiCC.