A CLEVER IMPOSTOR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2295, 19 December 1891, Page 3

A CLEVER IMPOSTOR.

Some new light was thrown upon the strange career of Sylvester Dennis Egan, the inventor of a so-called motor, during the hearing of a civil case in the Wellington Resident Magistrate's Court recently. The New Zealand Times gives a long account of his career in Wellington, from which it appears that he married in England a boardinghouse-keeper with £SOO, who accompanied him to Wellington. After a term in gaol, Mr Egan suddenly burst upon the public as the inventor of a torpedo boat motor. He succeeded in selling his boat to four separate and distinct individuals for good round. sums, and disposed of imaginary shares to many young fellows about town for £5 and £lO. Having called in the police on a certain occasion, Egan was recognised by Detective Chrystal, who informed the gentleman who was backing him up while building his boat, with whom he was dealing, and an attempt was made to seize the craft. Egan threatened to blow out the brains of the intruders, and eventually managed to remove the boat. After Egan had duped several others, Mr T. K. Macdonald fell into his toils and formed a syndicate to push Egan's invention in England. It was about this time that telegrams were flying about all over the colony regarding a successful trial of the motor r in the presence of Sir W. Jervois and Admiral Fairfax. Mr Egan was shipped Home as an engineer on the Ruapehu to bring his motor before the Admiralty, taking his invention with him. The London customs authorities desired to make an inspection before the case was landed, but the fertile Egan threatened to shoot any person prying into his great-and invaluable seciet. He was so earnest that the officials gave him time to procure an official authority from the Admiralty to pass the invention without opening the case. Egan succeeded in procuring the order, but made quite a different use of it, as by showing it a pleasing verisimilitude was given to his story about being in treaty with the Admiralty for its purchase, and by its means he gained interviews with, and no doubt victimised, eminent persons. The Wellington syndicate were so dazzled with the splendid prospects depicted by Egan that one member declined £SOO first for an eighth and then for a tenth share. Meanwhile Egan, through the Matrimonial News, captured a wife with a clot of £4OO, representing himself as owner of a gold mine in New Zealand from which he received princely dividends. On the plea that the Czar was willing to give £IOO,OOO for the right to the invention, he spent a pleasant honeymoon on the Continent. His wife on returning to England learned that he had another wife in New Zealand, and prosecuted him for bigamy, but he got of from lack of evidence from this colony. Nothing daunted, Egan married again, was again prosecuted for bigamy, and on this occasion it is believed was convicted and sentenced. The castles in Spain reared upon the prospective success of the wonderful motor have vanished into thin air, and many a one in Wellington—some of them few would ever suspect of having been victimised—are considerably the poorer for making his acquaintance.