1938-09-29 — Page 3

THE HONGKONG - TELEGRAPH," THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER

29, 1988.

THREE YEARS FOR SPIRO, "HEAD OF

COMMERCIAL BRIGANDS"

Ghost Train,

1888 Flier,

His Life As Flying Officer, Rancher Does 60 m.p.h.

And Financier Of Plays

rend:. in the officer relating to this man. It

They thus had A document was afterwards found A surprise plea of guilty to nine: Broad-street, E.C. counts out of the 15 in the Indict the sta ̈ellents to whom they world ment against him led to the case of write. Stanley Grove Spire, 45, being dealt with at the Old Bailey recently sentence of eight years' penal servi- tude being passed.

A long and costly hearing had been expected, Spiro, who showed no emotion on hearing his sentence,

told

by the Recorder, Mr. Gerald wan Dodson:

were the head of a soclety You of men who were nothing else than n band of commercial brigands, and In that capacity you were preying on the community.

"Well, this is the end, and, as you know, it had to come."

Spiro returned from abroad early this year and was arrested at Barnes a warrant issued in February. 1937.

on a

In addition, said Mr. McClure, they started the publication of a thing called The Weekly Financial Review, or some such paper, clreuhurising the people who had no former connec tons. In that way they enlarged their clientele.

tu.

"Wealthy man. Nice to speak Puts whisky bottle on table. Likes to talk a lot. Been in India. Been a rubber planter. Feel sure you will get him."

A little ghost stole into King's Cross

station recently the little green ghost of an engine that pulled the Flying Scotsman in the days of fnot warmer and oil well lamps, 50 years ago.

With its large single driving wheel,

ed up on the firm. Prefers indus- it was so small us to be hardly irluls to gold. Says 'Yes' to every-noticeable beside the streamlined thing, but then switches.

locomotives and mighty Pacifles that Think £3,000 could be lifted." towered above it. Mr. McClure suggested that this showed the concern was only there to push shares which were quite worthless.

"And get him Spiro did, to the tune A PRISONER OF WAR of £17.000," said Mr. McClure. The

It took a very long time to dis-only letter Spiro ever put his hand to cover that this fraud that appeared in the hundreds of exhibits was one to be carried on in the City alone of this man. was really carried on at a number of addresses.

In almost every case the first tran- action was a good one in good stock. Then once the person had sent his money and bought some good indus- trial security. he was advised to sell und change to something else.

SPIRO'S OWN OFFICE

The charge against him was that?

and October, 1934, between

That was the method. The organi February, 1937, he conspired to de fraud such persons us might be in-sation was considerable. It was ulti- duced to part with shares or money motely discovered that the real fraud was not being carried on at the New to Moelran A. D. Henderson, stock

Broud-street office. It was of an brokers, of New Broad-street, E.C.

address just off the Haymarket.

Here there were two bronze plates, one stating "Anglo-African Corpora- "Scottish lun Ltd." and the other Gas Utilities Ltd. That had been Spiro's office since 1931.

"HEAD OF THIS SWINDLE" Mr. G. B. McClure, who with Mr. Gerald Howard prosecuted, raid this was a case which might have been before the court in June, 1937, when certain of Spiro's associates were tried at the Old Balley.

So far as the prosecution's in- quiries bad gone Spiro stood in self.

different position from very who were charged in 1937.

those

Mr. McClure suld that the Scottish Gas Utilities Corporation was a con- cern bought somewhere about 1932 from a rather abscure syndicate in Guernsey for £20,000.

A DEVONSHIRE VICTIM

Service With R.F.C. Det.-Insp. Thomas Gankersee: sald was 15 and a widower that Spiro

no previous with one son. He had

against him in this convictions country.

For while platform eight went when the East and back to 1888, West coast routes were viewing with esel other to make the best time from London to Scotland. In that year this valiont little engine, like a Liliputian among the glants, raced away to Edinburgh in 7 hours and 32 minutes.

She had behind her 4 train composed of the carriages in use 50 years ago, the LN.ER, having | arranged an excursion trip to Cam-

bridge on the ghost train.

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He had stated that he attended

BUSTLES AND BONNETS school in South Africa, where he was born, until he was 18. He then took

On the platform were Mamms, In 1930, Spiro, giving the name of up farming for about two years.

Papa, Brother (in a Norfolk suit and Maclean, called on a man in Devon-1

On June 15, 1917, after serving as deerstalker's cap), two Sisters (dear shire, who was alleged to be a vica cadet, he was appointed a second fluffy title things

and in bustles The man died and his relativesleutenant in the Royal Flying Corps. bonnets tim.

and carrying a monstrous a penny. Spiro had!

In November of that year he went to tennis racket borrowed from never received

France, and in December was taken museum) and a Young Man Afflanced pleaded not guilty to this count.

Another alleged victim, living in the prisoner, being repatriated in 1918. to Sis. (So one understood.) He neighbourhood of Liverpool, was an

Spiro had also stated that after de- wore a blazer and boater and all the old client of Maclenn and Henderson and was approached in that way. In mobilisation he returned to South Family waved very pretuly as the his cure he hurdly ever had communi- Africa, carried on as a cattle rancher little green ghost train steamed out. (The family, of course, were really Johannesburg until 1920, and

then i Alm folk who had come to lend purted with about £1,000,

came to this country and started on colour to the hauriting of Platform cations except by telephone, and he until 1923, worked for his father in

his own account as a general broker. 8.)

For several years Spiro had been associated with sharepushers.

Early in 1937. police inquiries head. On Feb. 0, 1937, reached!

that day warrants were Issued. On Spiro left this country.

Within the

week or 10 | previous days he had got in cash £12,000. He must have known the stage which the inquiries had reached.

The little green engine-a perma- nerit exhibit in the York Rallway Museum-reached 60 m.p.h. and ar- three minutes rived at Cambridge

needed handling Letters which were always taken thore and nearly always were dealt with by Spiro him- In February, 1936, a concern called Bunt and Co. was started, and it was

head of schedule. said Mr. run by Spiro's lieutenants. That con McClure, as the head of the whole cern might have been started to ope- worthless securities of this sharepushing swindle which rate the same went on for practically the whole of 1935 and 1930."

"I put him forward,"

Spiro while so acting kept his the background. The hame in

and

Maclean of when the game Henderson got into bad odour.

Employees, said Mr. McClure, were one gigantle the whole thing WAL

1600,000 TURNOVER

method adopted was that he got hul sent from one place to another, and McClure. "Banking accounts show aing their losses approximating £108.-

on a

£17,000"

"I cannot give any real idea of the magnitude of this fraud," added Mr. turnover of just under £000,000.

"I am not suggesting anything like that sum was the proceeds of fraud, FOR but I do suggest fant a very large proportion of the proceeds of cheques and securities handed to Maclean and Henderson went into Spiro's own pocket."

000.

he

FINANCED PLAYS Det-Insp. Gankerscer added that Spiro, in addition to sharepushing, had financed the production of plays. With regard to the activities of Maclenn und Henderson and Bunt and Com- pany, 31 people had complained to transactions," but he did deny that he

was the sole person responsible.. the police, supplying particulars show-

MRS, SPIRO'S DEATH

Mr. Hemmerde added thol A number of other complaints had would not be frank if he were Sug- been received, but the people can-gest that Spire had no idea that a cerned declined to furnish particulars. I warrant was being issued, but at that. Spiro had given information to the time his wife was terribly ill abroad,

investigations into und died soon afterwards. pollee to help certain matters.

Subsequently he was strongly ad- Mr. McClure said the amount in- Mr. E. G. Hemmerde, KC., who, vised to return and he did. He then Mr. McClure then dealt with volved in the indictment was about

Mr. totally unprovided for. charge relating to the purchase of £85,000. The whole of the account Mr. Derek Curtis Bennett and shares by a man in East Anglia whose to which there had been pleas of not Bernard Gillis, defended, asked if be made guilty altered that amount by certain-Spiro had not done a considerable nume he asked should not public.

ly not more than £10,000.

amount of legitimate business before During their inquiries

the police coming to this country before he got slip of paper on which was in touch with sharepushers. found written:

"Small house about six miles!

"Spiro refused to divulge anything replied Det. Insp. from Birmingham. Retired coach-about that," man. Very cautious. Hus check-Gunkerseer.

of a well-estabilahed old business in swindle. Scotland, which had carried perfectly

reputable business of gut-"SPIRO GOT HIM side stockbrokers.

The fraud began when that con- It was obtain- cern was taken over. ed by purchase, and the well-known Scottish name of Elphinstone wAS used, a man named Elphinstone pur- chasing the Arm in that name. The real purchaser, however, was Spiro. HOW FRAUDS WERE ENGINEERED

Man Who "Talked A Lot"

Many Addresses

The purchase was followed up by tcking an office in London at New

This man, he said, was visited by Spiro in the name of Royston. So persuasive was the thut, within an hour the mur had promised to for- ward to Spire securities to the value of over £17,000,

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with Mr. St. John Hutchinson, K.C., found that his small son of 10 was Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co., Ltd.

DEVOTION FOR HIS

SON OF 10 Anxiety To Make Good

He was interested in a very suc-

cessful play, "Balalaika," in which he

found that during his absence all his Eat at rights and those of his wife had somehow disappeared.

hoped to make about £50,000, but

Spiro was most anxious to make good and to retrieve the position in which he found himself. He was a man of strong personality and con- siderable ability.

He was anxious to do something so that his son, to whom he was de- voted, should not be ashamed of his

Mr. Hemmerde said that Spiro re-father. turned to this country knowing per- fectly well what he had to face.

RECORDER AND "COURAGE"

"When he left the country at the

The Recorder, passing sentence, beginning of 1937, he instructs me, said he took into consideration that he was practically without any means the plea of guilty had saved a costly

trial.

at all. Having been abroad the best part of the year, he returned in the "One thing, at all events, can be

same condition.

said about you," the Recorder con- "You are not wanting in

"To make him out us the one per-nued, son who received money is not fair, courage, and that may enable you to with achieve what it is said it is hoped you' There were other persons American accents whe were con- may achieve when you have explated the crimes to which you have pleaded cerned."

guilty."

Spiro had himself lost quite heavily in some of the concerns.

The sentence on him would be one of five years' penal servitude on the He not only served in the wur, Yo-counts of false pretences, and three lunteering at the beginning of it, but years on the three counts of fraudul- In the South African Mounted Rifles, ent conversion, making eight and saw active service during the in all. On the count of conspiracy South Africa rebellion.

there would be a further sentence of Spiro did not deny that he was the one year's imprisonment, but leading actor in "these deplorable would run concurrently.

years

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1828 (ma@um) 1938

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