Jekyll and Hyde Life of Broker

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 580, 5 February 1929, Page 11

Jekyll and Hyde Life of Broker

Married Man who was Engaged to His Typist

FRAUD AND SUICIDE

Astonishing revelations of a Jekyll and Hyde existence in real life were made at an inquest at Weybridge, Surrey, on a man who was widely known as Wilfred Herbert Butler, a successful stockbroker, but who proved to he Walter Henry Brown, a man who deserted his wife and children 14 years ago. Posing as a bachelor. Brown, alias Butler, had become “engaged" to a pretty 19-year-old girl whom he had employed as a typist, and had obtained her father’s consent to their wedding in January. A warrant, however, had been taken out against him on a charge of obtaining a banker’s draft of £609 by fraud. Another warrant, in connection with the sum of £6,000, was also pending, and Brown had obtained £2OO from a 24-year-old girl who had been in his employ for eight years. Rarely, outside the pages of fiction, has so strange a. case of double life —a veritable Jekyll and Hyde existence—been revealed as was the case at an inquest at Weybridge on a man who was found drowned in the Thames. For some years past a man. pa mg in the name of Mr. W. H. Butler, had been a member of the firm of Messrs. Grover and Butler, stock and share brokers, of Bank Chambers, Market Place, Kingston. Mr. Butler, who had been staying at Torquay for some months, visited London one day during the week of his death. Pie said he was going to see his solicitors, and arranged to meet his valet, Mr. William Nos worth}, at the Grosvenor Hotel at five o’clock. He failed to appear, how r ever, and a few hours later his body was found in the Thames. Inquiries were made, and one by one the facts of his double life were revealed.

“Mr. Butler” had become engaged j to his typist, a charming girl of 19. i living in Surbiton, but it was discov- j ered that not only was the name under which he had been known not his right j name, but that he was a married man whose wife is still alive. His daughter, who lives in Bath, is the wife of Mr. W. H. Shepherd, a well-known Rugby footballer. Wife Deserted Butler’s correct name, it. was as- i certained, was Walter Henry Brown, who until some 14 years ago was a ! stockbroker at Bath. It was a suspicion on the part of Brown’s wife that I d to the discovery j that the drowned stockbroker was her husband and that he had changed ! his name to avoid identity. Immediately she read of the tra- ] gedy in the newspapers she recognised him from the description given. Brown was formerly in a big way of business at Bath, where he was reputed to be earning as a stockbroker at least £2,000 a year. His wife said her husband deserted her 14 years ago, going away with another woman. She discovered him two years ago owing to the failure of certain Bath stockbrokers of whom Brown had remained the head. She obtained a maintenance order against him at the Bristol Police Court and the money had Tteen paid regularly to her through the Court ever since. Mr. Brown, while in Bath, was prominently connected with Church work and conducted a Bible class for young men which attracted an attendance of over 70 every Sunday afternoon. He also read the Lessons frequently at one of the local churches. Fiancee’s Surprise The news came as a great shock to Miss Rene Hutchison, who had believed herself to be the dead man’s fiancee. “This news is dreadfully upsetting. Perhaps for my daughter’s sake the less said about it the better. It will hurt her very much.” The most startling disclosure at the inquest, however, was a statement by Police-Inspector Goodby that Scotland Yard had informed him that following three weeks’ investigations a report was to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions with a view to obtaining a warrant for the man’s arrest on a charge of fraudulently converting £6,000, and that the Gloucestershire police had actually issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of obtainng by fraud a banker's draft for £609 10s. A young man wearing the uniform of ; the Salvation Army, who gave his name as Alfred Summerfield Brown,of Glas- ! gow, said he identified the body without i a doubt as that of his father, Walter Henry Brown, aged 51. He knew his father until he was 11 years old, and then again two years ago, when a maintenance order was made against him. Two years ago they discovered Brown through bankruptcy proceedings against his father’s chief clerk, and proceedings were commenced at Bristol for a separation order, £2 a week being awarded. That had been paid regularly. His father had de- 1 serted his mother and family in 1914. Wm. Nosworthy, of Claremont Gardens, Surbiton, Brown’s personal servant, said he knew him as Butler. % first met Mr. Butler at Torquay. "WlLi the man at Torquay were Miss Butler, who claimed to be his adopted daughter, and Miss Pratt, his secre- j tary. Later he took Whitecourt, at ! to live at Surbiton, and there a Miss ! Torquay. Three weeks ago he went Hutchison came to the house. Miss Pratt did not. His “Engagement” Miss Hutchison came to the house

because she was engaged to Mr. But lei\ so Mr. Butler told him. While at Surbiton Mr. Butler did not go out, but spent most of his time in the sitting-room. On Thursday witness accompanied him to London. They left about li o’clock in a hired car. They first went ; to the Grosvenor Hotel, and had lunch. The car picked them up again, and they went to the Mansion House. They went to Old Jewry, where Mr.! Butler said he was visiting his solicitors. He told witness to meet him at the Grosvenor Hotel at 5 p.m. He was there, but Mr. Butler was not. Witness waited until 5.30 p.m. Then the car came up and the driver asked witness if he had seen Mr. Butler. He went back to Old Jewry aud found the office had been closed since p.m. i Eventually he found that Mr. Butler ; had not kept his appointment with the solicitors. Miss Adeline M. Pratt, of Beresford Road. Kingston, said she was at Tor- ■ quay with Butler. She was first employed as his secretary eight or nine years ago, resigning in August. A “Mrs. Butler” j When she first went to the office she I knew a Mrs. Butler, whom she last 1 saw six years ago. She thought the woman left him. Mr. Brown’s son here rose and said his mother had never left Bristol, so the Mrs, Butler known to witness could not have been his mother. Miss Dorothy Irene Hutchison, of St. Ann’s Road. Surbiton, said she i was Mr. Butler’s fiancee. She had known him for over four and a-half years. She last saw him alive at about 11.10 a.m. on Thursday at Bexley House, when he said he was going to his solicitors to see about the purchase of a house at Tonbridge, to give her as a wedding present, and also about making a fresh well. under which she would be the principal legatee. The wedding had been fixed for the middle of next January. Inspector Goodby said that among the papers found on the body was a copy of a will, two blank cheques, accounts for o*~er £ 40, and a letter for Mr. W. H. Shepherd, the man’s son-in-law, saying that assistance had ! been offered for friendship’s sake, but that did not seem to be what Butler required. Girl’s Savings Later, it was disclosed that Brown had obtained from his secretary, Miss Pratt, the whole of her live savings, amounting to £l5O. and an additional sum of £SO. Miss Pratt, who is 24, had been in Butler’s employ for eight and a-half years at his office in Kingston. Although at one time the business was prosperous, recently Butler had not always been able to pay the wages of his staff. Such was the loyalty and trust that he inspired in Miss Pratt that for months past, her mother told a Press representative, she had j worked for him for nothing.