TITLED ROGUES CRIMES OF RUSSIAN NOBLES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 420, 16 November 1889, Page 5

TITLED ROGUES CRIMES OF RUSSIAN NOBLES.

o>n of the mostsensational trials which have ever taken place in Russia ha^ been brought to a close. The prisoners, with the solitary exception of their beautifvil female accomplice, are all men who until a few weeks ago were prominent at the Imperial Court and in society. They belonged to the be-fc clubs and bear names, which figure on the most brilliant pages* of llu^&ian history. Eleven in number, the ,yang consists of two counts, four noblemen of lesser degree, a judge of the civil tribunal, a couple ot ollicials of the police depaitment and a man unco famous on the turf in the vaiioiib capitals of Europe, but who, having squandered his vast fortune to the very last kopek, has been dopendent during the pa.st thiee years for his maintenance on the extraordinary beauty of his wife. The ciime for which they have just been sentenced to long terms of penal servitude in the coal mines of the ibland of Sangalhien is that of fraud, but ot a most ingenious and clever nature. ¥ov months past they have been in the habit of pledging small articles of jewellery at the Government pawn-broking establishment. By means of the application of chemicals they would then remove from the face ot the pawn-tickets all trace of the wiiting which bore reference to the object pledged, and to the sum loaned thereon, and would substitute in its stead the description of imaginary articles and equally imaginary loans of a tar supeiior value. In this manner the pawn ticket of a gold watch on which 200 iubles had been advanced was altered into the pledge of a diamond bracelet on which a sum of 2,000 rubles was asserted to have been lent. As the Government Mont de I'ietc never advances more than 50 per cent, of the cost value of the article pawned, io is always pos&ible to pledge the pawn-ticket itself for about half ot its face value to pri\ ate agencies, organised by speculators tor the purpose. The confederates, therefore, found no difficulty in disposing of their alteied pawn-tickets at an enormous proiit over their original cost. The pledging of the jewellery itselt at the Montde Piete was done almost exclusively by the married couple above mentioned. The erasure of the wiiting and the insertion of the new figures and designation was performed by Count Nicolas Podgoritchani, who was the leader of the gang, and by Noble yon Bashenow," both of whom seem to have been adepts at forgery ; and the final disposal of the altered tickets was confided to the remaining members of the band, all of them elegant and well-dressed young clubmen who would dash up to the door of the pawn-ticket agent in a perfectly appointed private carriage or sleigh, and would explain their urgent need of money on their pawn-tickets on the ground that they were m the midst of a most exciting game of baccarat at their club and required the funds at once to continue their play. Loans made by the Imperial Mont de Piete at St. Petersburg run for a period of twelve months. By an inconceivable piece of neglect the conspiiitors failed to redeem one of their earliest ticket? from the ticket agent before the term mentioned on the face thereof became due. The ticket agent therefore on the appointed date took the ticket to the Mont de Piete and der manded the diadem mentioned thereon as having been pledged in return for the payment of the sum stated to have been advanced and of the interest thereon. Of course the officials of the Mont de Piete, on referring to thoir books, at once ber came aware that a fraud had been perpetrated. Some surprise may be felt that men of such high social rank and standing should be driven to adopt these criminal means of livelihood. The fact is, however, that many of the aristocracy aroentiiely ruined. Their estates are either sold or else are mortgaged up to the very hilt to the various banks and money-lenders.