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Inspector Charles Richards and Charles Wells
Inspector Charles Richards, who investigated the Literary Fraud case involving Clarke and Campbell, also participated in handling the unrelated fraud charges against Charles Wells, celebrated in song as "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo."
Richards' testimony from Well's 1892 trial about his examination of the laboratory where Wells developed the "valuable" inventions he offered to investors:
CHARLES WELLS, Deception > fraud, 6th March 1893.
Reference Number: t18930306-349
Offence: Deception > fraud
Verdict: Guilty > no_subcategory
Punishment: Imprisonment > penal servitude
349. CHARLES WELLS (51) , Unlawfully obtaining from Catherine Mary Phillimore, and other persons, large sums of money by false pretences, with intent to defraud.
[...]
CHARLES RICHARDS (Police Inspector). On 28th November I went to 154, Great Portland Street and examined the premises—there is a basement, ground-floor, and three floors above—on the ground floor, just inside the door, was a cannon; there was a very old traction engine nicely painted, two models of engines, iron pipes and boilers—in the basement were three old boilers and a hot-air engine, a smaller boiler, and an old boiler with a gauge—I could not find any electrical depart ment—on the first floor was a clerk's office and a kind of private office, in which were some books; there was a letter book, from which leaves had apparently been torn out—I could not find any business books—the second and third floors were fitted up as living rooms; there were two bedrooms, a sitting-room, and dining-room—there was no appearance of a chemical laboratory, or a testing department—I found on the first floor, ready to be sent out, some letters similar to those that have been read, and some forms of agreement, some stamped and some not—I found writing-paper with a printed heading, "C. Hill Wells, C. E., naval architect," and some envelopes with "C. Wells, C. E.," printed; envelopes with "Novelty Company, Great Titchfield Street," printed; and also envelopes addressed to "Harvess Security, Piccadilly, at the office of Willing "; and envelopes addressed to Wells, at the Casino, Monte Carlo"; also some Casino admission tickets, and writing-paper with "Wells, Phillimore," and "Wells, Phillimore, and Trench and Co.," printed on the top.
Cross-examined. The shop was full of engines, wheels, cranks, pumps, gauges, and so forth—there was a yacht engine with gun metal fittings, and a donkey pump, a Patterson's dynamo with gun metal fittings, a high-speed steam-engine pressure pump, a small half horse power steam-engine, a drilling machine, and other things—in the private office was a steam-gauge, and two small models, and the model of a launch—I do not know a steam-gauge when I see it, but I took the names from the catalogue—in the office there were about 100 books—the things were all seized under an execution and sold—the traction engine fetched £20—I have not the least idea what was the total amount realised.
[...]
GUILTY .— Eight years' Penal Servitude.
---end
Sports Illustrated, November 11, 1974, link
He Really Did Break The Bank At Monte Carlo
Paunchy and middle-aged, Charles Deville Wells was not quite as debonair as the old song about him suggests, but for a while anyway he did succeed in outwitting the odds
J. A. Maxtone Graham
Later activities of Wells:
Truth, Volume 59, February 15, 1906, Pages 382-384
Two Old Bailey Heroes
South-West Coast Trawling Syndicate
Charles Wells, AKA Davenport
Rev. Vyvyan Henry Moyle
---end
WILLIAM DAVENPORT, HENRY MOYLE, Deception > fraud, 5th February 1906.
Reference Number: t19060205-242
Offence: Deception > fraud
Verdict: Guilty > pleaded guilty; Guilty > pleaded guilty
Punishment: Imprisonment > penal servitude; Imprisonment > hard labour
242. WILLIAM DAVENPORT (54) and HENRY MOYLE (71) , Conspiring together to cheat and defraud of their moneys and valuable securities, such subjects of His Majesty the King as they could induce to become depositors in the South & South-West Coast Steam Trawling & Fishing Syndicate, and to advance their moneys to William Dayenport as manager. Other Counts. Charging them with obtaining moneys and securities by false pretences and with intent to defraud.
[...]
DAVENPORT here PLEADED GUILTY to the first ten counts of the indictment relating to the false pretences.
MOYLE PLEADED GUILTY to the conspiracy counts. The Jury returned a verdict to that effect.
DAVENPORT, against whom a previous conviction was proved, from which he was liberated on March 1th, 1899— Three years' penal servitude.
A previous conviction was proved against MOYLE, from which he was liberated on October 19th, 1878, when, MR. COOMBE stated, he was given a vicarage, the circumstances of hit conviction having been brought to the knowledge of the Bishop, who was now dead, but who gave him another chance as a repentant man— Eighteen months' hard labour.
The COURT commended the conduct of the police.
---end
New York Times, January 21, 1912, Page 1
GET MONTE CARLO PLUNGER.; Charles Wells, Who Broke the Bank, Again Arrested for Swindling.
PARIS, Jan. 20. -- The remarkable career of Charles Wells, the "man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo," is recalled by the arrest of Lucien Rivier by a Scotland Yard detective. In April last Rivier disappeared from Paris, where he had been carrying on the business of a banker, taking $53,000 with him.
[...]
---end
New York Times, January 23, 1912, Page 3
TREASURE ON WELLS'S YACHT; Monte Carlo Plunger to be Brought Up at London Police Court To-day.
---end
Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVIII, 26 November 1912, Page 8
'MONTE CARLO" WELLS
Inspector Charles Richards, who investigated the Literary Fraud case involving Clarke and Campbell, also participated in handling the unrelated fraud charges against Charles Wells, celebrated in song as "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo."
Richards' testimony from Well's 1892 trial about his examination of the laboratory where Wells developed the "valuable" inventions he offered to investors:
CHARLES WELLS, Deception > fraud, 6th March 1893.
Reference Number: t18930306-349
Offence: Deception > fraud
Verdict: Guilty > no_subcategory
Punishment: Imprisonment > penal servitude
349. CHARLES WELLS (51) , Unlawfully obtaining from Catherine Mary Phillimore, and other persons, large sums of money by false pretences, with intent to defraud.
[...]
CHARLES RICHARDS (Police Inspector). On 28th November I went to 154, Great Portland Street and examined the premises—there is a basement, ground-floor, and three floors above—on the ground floor, just inside the door, was a cannon; there was a very old traction engine nicely painted, two models of engines, iron pipes and boilers—in the basement were three old boilers and a hot-air engine, a smaller boiler, and an old boiler with a gauge—I could not find any electrical depart ment—on the first floor was a clerk's office and a kind of private office, in which were some books; there was a letter book, from which leaves had apparently been torn out—I could not find any business books—the second and third floors were fitted up as living rooms; there were two bedrooms, a sitting-room, and dining-room—there was no appearance of a chemical laboratory, or a testing department—I found on the first floor, ready to be sent out, some letters similar to those that have been read, and some forms of agreement, some stamped and some not—I found writing-paper with a printed heading, "C. Hill Wells, C. E., naval architect," and some envelopes with "C. Wells, C. E.," printed; envelopes with "Novelty Company, Great Titchfield Street," printed; and also envelopes addressed to "Harvess Security, Piccadilly, at the office of Willing "; and envelopes addressed to Wells, at the Casino, Monte Carlo"; also some Casino admission tickets, and writing-paper with "Wells, Phillimore," and "Wells, Phillimore, and Trench and Co.," printed on the top.
Cross-examined. The shop was full of engines, wheels, cranks, pumps, gauges, and so forth—there was a yacht engine with gun metal fittings, and a donkey pump, a Patterson's dynamo with gun metal fittings, a high-speed steam-engine pressure pump, a small half horse power steam-engine, a drilling machine, and other things—in the private office was a steam-gauge, and two small models, and the model of a launch—I do not know a steam-gauge when I see it, but I took the names from the catalogue—in the office there were about 100 books—the things were all seized under an execution and sold—the traction engine fetched £20—I have not the least idea what was the total amount realised.
[...]
GUILTY .— Eight years' Penal Servitude.
---end
Sports Illustrated, November 11, 1974, link
He Really Did Break The Bank At Monte Carlo
Paunchy and middle-aged, Charles Deville Wells was not quite as debonair as the old song about him suggests, but for a while anyway he did succeed in outwitting the odds
J. A. Maxtone Graham
Later activities of Wells:
Truth, Volume 59, February 15, 1906, Pages 382-384
Two Old Bailey Heroes
South-West Coast Trawling Syndicate
Charles Wells, AKA Davenport
Rev. Vyvyan Henry Moyle
---end
WILLIAM DAVENPORT, HENRY MOYLE, Deception > fraud, 5th February 1906.
Reference Number: t19060205-242
Offence: Deception > fraud
Verdict: Guilty > pleaded guilty; Guilty > pleaded guilty
Punishment: Imprisonment > penal servitude; Imprisonment > hard labour
242. WILLIAM DAVENPORT (54) and HENRY MOYLE (71) , Conspiring together to cheat and defraud of their moneys and valuable securities, such subjects of His Majesty the King as they could induce to become depositors in the South & South-West Coast Steam Trawling & Fishing Syndicate, and to advance their moneys to William Dayenport as manager. Other Counts. Charging them with obtaining moneys and securities by false pretences and with intent to defraud.
[...]
DAVENPORT here PLEADED GUILTY to the first ten counts of the indictment relating to the false pretences.
MOYLE PLEADED GUILTY to the conspiracy counts. The Jury returned a verdict to that effect.
DAVENPORT, against whom a previous conviction was proved, from which he was liberated on March 1th, 1899— Three years' penal servitude.
A previous conviction was proved against MOYLE, from which he was liberated on October 19th, 1878, when, MR. COOMBE stated, he was given a vicarage, the circumstances of hit conviction having been brought to the knowledge of the Bishop, who was now dead, but who gave him another chance as a repentant man— Eighteen months' hard labour.
The COURT commended the conduct of the police.
---end
New York Times, January 21, 1912, Page 1
GET MONTE CARLO PLUNGER.; Charles Wells, Who Broke the Bank, Again Arrested for Swindling.
PARIS, Jan. 20. -- The remarkable career of Charles Wells, the "man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo," is recalled by the arrest of Lucien Rivier by a Scotland Yard detective. In April last Rivier disappeared from Paris, where he had been carrying on the business of a banker, taking $53,000 with him.
[...]
---end
New York Times, January 23, 1912, Page 3
TREASURE ON WELLS'S YACHT; Monte Carlo Plunger to be Brought Up at London Police Court To-day.
---end
Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVIII, 26 November 1912, Page 8
'MONTE CARLO" WELLS
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