Now! Then! Anthony Brown of Bowling (Bradford) is detained for swindling the Otley parents of Wellington’s men

26 September 1810: Anthony Brown of Bowling (Bradford) is detained for swindling the Otley parents of Wellington’s men

Leeds Mercury. 1810/09/29. Leeds, September 29. Leeds. Get it:

Excerpt

This fellow, it seems, has been strolling about the country, and was last in the neighbourhood of Otley, practising upon the feelings, and extorting money from the pockets of poor people, who happened to have sons in the army, under a pretence that their sons had deserted, and, having taken refuge in his house, had sent him for a supply of money and clothes to assist them in their distress. And, the more powerfully to excite parental sympathy, he represented that the young men had at first concealed themselves in the haymow of a public-house, of which, as he said, he was landlord, and that they were found by the ostler, who had run his knife into different parts of their body, while cutting hay from the mow to supply the horses!

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

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Original

On Wednesday last, Andrew Brown, a notorious swindler, formerly of Bramhope, but late of Bowling, near Bradford, was committed to Wakefield House of Correction, on a charge of obtaining money under false pretences. This fellow, it seems, has been strolling about the country, and was last in the neighbourhood of Otley, practising upon the feelings, and extorting money from the pockets of poor people, who happened to have sons in the army, under a pretence that their sons had deserted, and, having taken refuge in his house, had sent him for a supply of money and clothes to assist them in their distress. And, the more powerfully to excite parental sympathy, he represented that the young men had at first concealed themselves in the hay-mow of a public-house, of which, as he said, he was landlord, and that they were found by the hostler, who had run his knife into different parts of their body, while cutting hay from the mow to supply the horses!

167 words.