Thread: Atkins

I have spent months looking for ATKINS FRANCIS HENRY born Oxford 1847 - died Balham London1927 in the 1911.
So far I have tried variations on Surname and Christian name as well as reversing them. I have picked all Atkins of the right age any where and also all Francis's of age anywhere. No luck
He was not at any of his Childrens places either.
Any bright ideas out there please ??

Have you tried

1) Just ATKINS and County of birth

2) searching the surname name & county in decade sweeps in case there is an error,

3) if the 1891 census info is correct, has he remarried, then you may be able to find the 'wife'


geneius

Hi Deerwatcher

The details you give suggest that he may be Francis Henry Atkins - the author who wrote under several names - maybe try Fred Ashley - Fenton Ash or Frank Aubrey - if this is your Francis Henry for your 1911 search - my husband is a huge fan of this amazing writer and we have a lot of additional information especially on his 1900 court case if indeed he is your Francis Henry!!

I would certainly be interested in the details about his 1900 court case. I know him from his books as well. It looks like this may also be the same person that received patent #566 in England, on Feb. 14, 1873, for "Improvements in apparatus and in the materials and appliances employed for the filtration of water, sewage, and other fluids, whereby manure and other valuable products are separated, precipitated, and obtained therefrom." [Chemical news and journal of industrial science, V. 28, July 4, 1873, p. 241.] (A search at books.google.com will find this reference.)

Hi ChaveyD,

Welcome to Ancestry Aid. Yes I think you are right about the patent belonging to Francis too as he was an engineer, as well as an author and journalist. So, I have transcribed a couple of newspaper articles for you which give some detail of the case.

The Standard 12 Oct 1900

Police Intelligence
Bow-Street

Francis Henry Atkins, otherwise Frank Aubrey, journalist, of Forest-place -villas, Leytonstone, was charged before Sir Franklin Lushington with obtaining credit to the extent of £150 by false pretences. Mr. Frayling, of the Treasury, appeared on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He said that the Prisoner was arrested on the charge of obtaining credit to the extent of £150, but it was stated that the total amount was £575, the fraud having being committed in connection with the Charity Act Publishing Society and the Printing and Publishing Syndicate. The Society had been registered, but was being wound up : the Syndicate had never been registered. As the Prisoner was not arrested until Wednesday he would ask for a remand, after calling formal evidence of arrest. Detective-Sergeant Collins, of Scotland-yard, stated that yesterday afternoon he went to Hastings House, Norfolk-Street, Strand. He found the Prisoner in an office on the fourth floor. On the door were the words “Charity Aid Publishing Society.” Witness told the Prisoner that he held a warrant for his arrest for obtaining credit for £150 by false pretences. The Prisoner made no reply, and he said nothing when the warrant was read to him. When asked to give his name, he said “Francis Henry Atkins. I am a journalist, and I write under the name of Frank Aubrey.” He had some memoranda and 15 pawn tickets in his possession. In reply to the Magistrate, the Prisoner said he had no solicitor, and would reserve his defence. The Accused was remanded, Sir Franklin Lushington offering to accept as bail two sureties of £100 each.

The Standard 27 Oct 1900

Police Intelligence
Bow-Street

………….. It was stated that the Prisoner pretended that he was about to start a magazine for the benefit of the London hospitals and a printing and publishing syndicate in connection with the Charity Aid Publishing Society. He appointed several gentlemen to assist him with the magazine and the Society, and the charge against him was that by false pretences he obtained various sums of money from them as a guarantee of good faith. Mr. Stuart Knapton, a publisher living at 22 Argyle-square, King’s-cross, stated that at the beginning of April last he saw an advertisement, in consequence of which he called at 8, Serjeant’s-inn, and there saw a Mr. Carlisle, and later on the same day, the Prisoner, said he was a novelist, and had started a scheme in the publishing line, and the profits were to benefit the hospitals. A Society – The Charity Aid Publishing Society – had been started, and he was bringing out a magazine in connection with the Society. He explained that when the magazine was thoroughly organised and fairly started, it was to be sold to the Charity Aid Society, and that the staff of the magazine would compose a kind of subsidiary syndicate, and that he had put £3,000 into it. He added confidentially that he did not intend to work for nothing, and said the magazine would be influentially supported in the West-end. He showed Witness a book entitled “Strange Stories of Hospitals,” and pointed out the names of Lady Maux and Mr. Iset, at the same time saying, “Those are the sort of people I have behind me.” The Prisoner showed Witness a letter from Lady Arroll, acknowledging on behalf of her Majesty the Queen the receipt of a copy of the book mentioned. He said Lady Arrol was using her influence to induce her Majesty to become a patroness of the Charity Aid Publishing Society. Going on to refer to his advertisement for an assistant secretary, he said the appointment had been filled, but he wanted a publisher and advertisement manager. Witness was requested to meet the Prisoner on the following day at Hastings house. Witness went there, and saw the Prisoner and Mr. Carlisle. There was a general conversation as to the working of the syndicate for working the magazine, and the Prisoner said he would give Witness and appointment if he would invest £250. He promised to give £3 a week as salary and a commission. The amount of which was to be decided later. Mr. Carlisle took a prominent part in the conversation, and seemed more anxious than the Prisoner was for Witness to join the scheme. Subsequently he accepted the situation and forwarded a cheque for £250, which was duly paid. Witness’s duties commenced on June 10 of this year, when he was sent to Manchester to interview the Secretaries of various hospitals. He stayed some weeks and received a letter from Colonel Clayton, stating that he (Witness) was not recognised in any way by the Society. In July he came to London as he had received no money for some time. He saw the Prisoner at the latter’s residence at Leytonstone, and complained of the way in which things were going on. The Prisoner said Colonel Clayton and Mr Mitchell were conspiring to do him out of the scheme. Mr Bodkin: Have you ever had your money back? Witness: No, I only had £19 altogether for wages and expenses. The magazine was to be called the Golden Cross Magazine. All I saw in connection with it was a proof of a short story and a few covers. The Prisoner knew that Witness gave up an appointment on a provincial newspaper to go to him – After other evidence, Mr. John Millard Mitchell, Landrock Road, Crouch-End, gave evidence as to paying the Prisoner £75 as a qualifying fee on being appointed clerk to the Syndicate at £2 a week. The Prisoner was again remanded.

And so the case went on with more stories of people being recruited to positions that were only available should they have money to invest. Francis’ partner in crime Rev. Frederick Holmes Carlisle, tried to wriggle out of his association with Atkins, but during the trial they both withdrew most of their pleas of not guilty and Francis received a sentence of 9 months hard labour and Carlisle 6 months in 2nd division.

Page Image - Central Criminal Court

So there are no doubts that as well as being an inventive writer – Francis was also a pretty creative con artist too!!

ChaveyD
Any use to you ??

Deerwatcher

The Patent was, according to Family myth, part of his work on Tower Bridge.


The following Times Archive and Standard references have been transcribed to make reading easier.

The Times 12 October 1900. Reference 36271
Police Courts
At Bow-Street, before Sir F. Lushington, Francis Henry Atkins, 53, the author of the "Devil Tree of Eldorado" and "The Queen of Atlantis", was charged on a warrant with obtaining credit to the extent of £150 by false pretences. Mr. Frayling, of the Treasury, appeared on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions. He said that although the prisoner was merely charged with obtaining £150 by false pretences the total amount which he was alleged to have unlawfully obtained was £575, the fraud being committed in connexion with the Charity Aid Publishing Society and an unregistered company known as the Printing and Publishing Syndicate. Detective Sergeant Collins, of Scotland Yard, gave evidence of arrest of the accused, whose professional name was said to be "Frank Aubrey", and remand for further evidence was ordered. Bail in two sureties of £200 was allowed.
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The Times October 19th 1900 Reference 36277
Police Courts
At Bow Street, yesterday, before Sir F. Lushington, Francis Henry Atkisson, 53, professionally known as “Frank Aubrey”, the author of “The Devil Tree of Eldorado” and “A queen of Atlantis”, was charged on remand, with obtaining credit to the extent of £150 by false pretences. Mr. Bodkin (instructed by Mr. Frayling, of the Treasury) appeared for the Director of Public Prosecutions; Detective-sergeant Collins represented the Commissioner of Police. At the outset Mr. Bodkin remarked that, although the specific charge on which process was granted was for that of obtaining credit to the amount of £150 by fraud, other charges of a similar nature would, on a future occasion, be preferred against the accused. It seemed that in the summer of last year the prisoner had an idea that it would be to the advantage of London hospitals if a magazine were started, the profits of which should be given to support their maintenance. As was usual in this class of case it was necessary to obtain assistance from people who were willing to deposit money as a guarantee of their honesty, good faith and so forth. Accordingly, in August, 1899, a clark and assistant secretary were advertised for. The advertisement was inserted through the agency of an individual named Carlisle, M.A., at whose offices at Serjeant's-inn, Fleet-street, the prisoner carried out his idea. A Mr. Mitchell was the first applicant. At his interview with the prisoner the latter told him that his scheme had been taken up by very influential men and that it would be necessary for him to deposit £75. It was evident that at this time the prisoner was in need of money, because a day or two later he wrote to Mr.Mitchell saying that it would be good evidence of his intentions if he would forward £10 on account. On August 25 he agreed to accept the situation and paid £75. In November offices were taken at Hastings-house, Norfolk-street, Strand, in conjunction with Colonel Clayton. He, it appeared, had seen an advertisement emanating from Carlisle's office for a gentleman of influence and capital. He agreed to advance £1000-payable in various sums – to start the company, which was to be known as the Charity Aid Publishing Society. It was arranged that Colonel Clayton should be the secretary of the company at a salary of £3.5s a week, and that the prisoner should have £6.6s a week for performing the duties of editor-in-chief-duties which must have been of an exceedingly light character considering that there was not the slightest attempt ever made to start the magazine. During the month of October Colonel Clayton advanced, in various sums, £850 for the purpose of starting a company; but, in addition to that , he gave the prisoner a personal advance of £150, which he said he wanted for certain expenses, including the salary of Mr. Mitchell. Of this latter sum Colonel Clayton received back £50; but it was perfectly clear from the banking account that that £50 came out of moneys which were subsequently obtained from other assistants. The company was started in February of this year, the total amount of the capital nominally paid being £10. In the following April, again through the attractive name of F.H.Carlisle,M.A., further clerks were advertised for. There were three applicants – Messrs Knapton, Lowman and Morgan – to whom the prisoner represented that was about to float a printing and publishing syndicate in connexion with the Charity Aid Publishing Society. They were all engaged, and were induced to part with £250, £150, and £100 respectively for qualifying fees. Mr Lowman was to be the secretary, Mr. Morgan undertook the duties of a clerk and Mr. Knapton was to have charge of the outdoor advertisement department. He was sent to Manchester to interview secretaries of hospitals in that district, but, after being there for a few weeks, he received a communication from Mr. Mitchell and at once returned to London. A demand was made for the prisoner to repay all the money which had been advanced to start the syndicate, but at the opportune moment he ceased to come to the office. Eventually he was found living at Leytonstone. He was again asked to refund the £575, but declined, for the simple reason that he had not the money. At the present time the company was being wound up, not a very arduous duty considering the capital was only £10. Mr. Bodkin added that as soon as Colonel Clayton discovered that those clerks were being asked to deposit sums of money he took a course which showed that his part in the transaction had been an entirely honourable one from the beginning to the end. In the course of his evidence Mr. Lowman said that Mr. Carlisle had advised him to put his money into the business. He added that when he spoke of a security the prisoner pooh-poohed the idea and considered his status as editor in chief was sufficient a guarantee. The prisoner was remanded.
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The Times