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The following appeared m our…

PRESTON ELECTION.

THE RIOT AT A POLITICAL MEETING.

REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF A…

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" FATAL FIRE AT WANDSWORTH.

= STRIKE AT THE BRISTOL COTTON…

PRESENTATION TO LORD WIMBORNE.…

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THE CAREER OF AN ! ADVENTURESS.

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THE CAREER OF AN ADVENTURESS. PERSONATING LORD ARTHUR CLINTON. HER DUPES SWINDLED OUT OF £5,000. SEQUEL TO THE BOULTON AND PARK SCANDAL. EXTRAORDINARY STORY. (SPECIAL TELEGRAM.) Lord Coleridge has just been instrumental in initiating the prosecution of a. feminine ad- venturess, whose career may be regarded as the most extraordinary ever investigated by the police, or imagined by a sensational novelist. On Wednesday night Detective Price, of Bir- mingham, brought from Liverpool Mary Jane Fearneaux, who had been arrested by the Liver- pool police on the charge of con- spiracy, and obtaining by fraud upwards of £5.000, by representing that, she was Lord Arthur Pelham Clinton, who died—or, as she said, was supposed to have died—soon after a warrant was issued for his arrest during the well- known Boulton and Park case. The charges at pre- sent are for conspiring, with James Gething, of Birmingham, engineer; with obtaining by fraud £2,000 from Edward Beynon, of Sollyoak, near Birmingham and for obtaining, in the same way, £3.000 from Mr. Screen, The Brades, Oldbury, but there are several other charges to be brought for- ward. The male prisoner, who alleges that he is the dupe of the female prisoner, and that she has ruined him, and nearly all his relations, was brought before the magistrates in the morning and remanded, pending the arrival of the woman, when they will be charged together. The adventuress, who is the niece of one of the most distinguished provincial physi- cians, took lodgings at the house of a Mrs. Drew, of Aston, Birmingham, about seven years since, and after staying a short, time stated, as a secret which must not be divulged, that she was Lord Arthur Pelham Clinton, who had only feigned to have died, and for whom a warrant was out, but for whom her Majesty was about to grant a free pardon, and restore tho valuable estates which the Crown had confiscated from his ancestors." She graphically described how, as she alleged, the coffin of Lord Clinton was tilled with stones and buried, whilst the lawyers and doctors were bribed not to inform that the "corpse" had walked away. Mrs. Drew believing in promises that, she would be handsomely repaid, did not trouble about her rent, but, on the contrary, willingly advanced money from time to time to the young nobleman; and besides this, introduced" his lordship" to several of her relations, who were eagerly anxious to lend money on the same favourable terms. Mrs. Drew and her sister, Mrs. Ward, state that. they introduced tho woman to the male prisoner, who is their brother, and that he introduced her to Mr. Beynon, from whom she obtained £2,000, and to Mr. Screen, from whom she obtained £3.000 by various instalments of fromJUZOto £1,000, giving as securities" what purported to be valuable deeds and letters from Lord Coleridge, who she represented as her trustee. During the time that she was borrowing the money she frequently, or nearly alwaj's, dressed as a man in the height of fashion," with gaiters, lavender kid gloves, and walking-stick, In this costume "he" gained the affection of two young ladies, one of whom became so deranged upon dis- covering the fraud that she had to be placed in an asylum, where she is still confined. When arrested the Woman was living with her mother at No. 4, Gregson-street, Liverpool, and dressed in feminine attire. She is of a very slender build, and of extremely masculine appearance. During the journey she several times complained of illness, and wanted the detective to alight and take her to a station, but no notice was taken of the request, which was believed to be only a ruse to attempt to escape. When in the dock she might easily have been taken for a man, wear- ing, as she did, a stylish Newmarket overcoat, and her hair being cut quite short. There is no doubt that the woman has been assisted by some clever persons in her remarkable frauds. Some of the dupes have, at the woman's request, posted at different Post-offices letters to Lord Coleridge, and letters purporting to come from his lordship have been received in reply. In the same way have letters been sent and received for her Majesty the Queen and various other illus- trious persons. Some of the letters, signed J. C. Coleridge," thank the dupes for being kind to Lord Clinton, and state that they need have no fear of advancing any amount of money to him. On one occasion, after being on a visit to her Majesty at Balmoral, the adven- turess brought to Birmingham a poodle she said was Prince Leopold's dog, and that it had been lent to her by his Royal Highness, She was, she said, about to re-visit Balmoral, and asked Mr. Beynon to accompany her. 'Ahe offer was ac- cepted rather unexpectedly, the woman not thinking Mr. Beynon could spare the time. The adventuress and her dupe started for Balmoral, but at sight of the castle the former pre- tended to be very faint and ill, and returned, Mr. Beynon not, however, for a moment suspect-' ing that he was in the slightest degree deceived. The male prisoner states that he has been thoroughly swindled by the woman, who, he says, up to last week, he thought was Lord Clinton, and who by fraud has obtained all his money. He began, ho says, by being bond for her for several loans, all of which he has had to pay. He has in his possession what purports to be a security from Lord Coleridge for £1,000. Three years since he wrote to Lord Coleridge, reminding him of the "bond," and asking for help, but, he received a reply, stating that his lordship would put the matter into the hands of the police if he wrote again. He was not, he says, shaken in his confidence of the woman by this letter, and took the same to Mr. Beynon, who replied, "Don't write again to Lord Coleridge, or we shall none of us have a penny." Mr. Beynon at about the same time received a fictitious letter purporting to come from Lord Coleridge, which so satisfied him that the adventuress was really Lord Clinton that since that occasion to this week ho has never had any doubt upon the matter. The male prisoner adds that last week, being ill: and having lost all his money by lending it to Lord Clinton, he wrote again to Lord Coleridge, reminding him of the previous letter, and the bond he held of his for £1,000. Lord Coleridge replied, stating, I have placed your letter in the hands of the Birmingham police," and the result was the arrest of the man. So cleverly did the adventuress act that there is one dupe in Birming- ham, a well-known builder, who even now refuses to believe that she is other than Lord Clinton, and he believes that he has in his possession most valuable securities, which he received from the woman. A letter from a rela- tion of the woman's was received in Birmingham shortly after her arrest, setting forth that she was certainly the nobleman she professed to be. The adventuress on several occasions took her dupes to London and Liverpool, and is described as most lavish in the expenditure of money, taking a cab even to go a few yards or across the street. The Prince of Wales she "stated to be her most intimate friend, and, in the over two thousand letters and documents in the possession of the police and the dupes, the name of his Royal Highness is of frequent occur- rence. A strange feature in the case is, that when unable to obtain further loans, the remarkable adventuress took a situation as governess at Casemere Farm, Preston Bissett, near Birming- ham, but was given notice to leave, under the be- lief of her master or mistress that she was a man. She afterwards took a situation as attendant at Prestwich Asylum, Manchester, but did not remain long. Her latest freak was to write to some of her dupes in Birmingham stating that she had married a young lady in Liverpool. The reason she first gave for going to Liverpool was that it was at the request of some Cabinet Ministers, who did not wish her to be in London or Birmingham while they were preparing her Majesty's pardon and the restoration of the confiscated estates. This the dupes to the extent of £6,000 or £7,000 actually believed. The adventuress will be brought before the Birmingham magistrates on Thursday.

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