How many times do we see in the newspapers stories of people being conned by strangers knocking on their doors on false pretences?
This story from the Eccles and Patricroft Journal from April 1916 shows that things were no different 100 years ago.
However, the conmen may have been even cheekier than they are now: this pair of rogues managed a couple of nights’ free bed and board first before making off with the valuables.
Sarah Fegurson (no relation to the Royal, we presume) who lived at 375 Liverpool Road, Peel Green had a visit one evening from two strangers, James William Merchant and a chap named only as ‘Grundy’.
They told her that they were in the area looking for accommodation as they were due to start work at the electrical and manufacturing giant British Westinghouse, first thing on Monday morning.
Sarah had no room at her own home and took them to her friend’s Agnes Dickie’s house at 26 Peel Green Road in Barton.
The men told her that they were from Sunderland and had been discharged from the army as being medically unfit and would be working on munitions in Trafford Park.
To add authenticity to their story they told her that they had both served in the Liverpool Scottish Regiment and had seen action on the Western Front.
This was on a Friday evening and surprise, surprise, both men had no money on them but promised to pay for their board and lodgings with their first week’s wage.
On the Sunday morning both men said that they had to go to Victoria Station in Manchester to pick up a parcel. Merchant borrowed a coat and scarf for the journey while ‘Grundy’ borrowed an overcoat and eight shillings – all the money she had in the house.
They promptly vanished, no doubt in search of their mystery parcel.
Mrs Dickie decided to look in the bedrooms and found to her horror that a gold signet ring and a silver scarf pin were missing from her bedroom.
The two men never returned from their trip to Victoria Station and Sarah decided to inform the police.
Inspector Bentham from Eccles police station was given the case and he soon got a breakthrough when a man answering Merchant’s description was arrested in Rochdale.
The lucky officer journeyed north and searched the prisoner’s house where he found the scarf pin but sadly no gold ring.
Bentham escorted Merchant back to Patricroft and charged him with theft, however Merchant pinned the blame on the mysterious ‘Grundy’ stating that he had stolen the lot and had given him the scarf pin as part of the proceeds.
In court a different side of Merchant’s character was exposed when it was found out that “he had been convicted for almost every possible offence including theft and neglecting his family”.
In one last attempt to avoid being sent back to jail, Merchant begged the magistrate saying that if he were set free he would enlist with the army straight away.
The Chairman of the Bench had seen straight through Merchant’s web of lies and sentenced him to three month’s hard labour in Strangeways prison.
The mysterious ‘Grundy’ was never found by police – left to traverse the country at his leisure.
Main image: Peel Green Road – Salford Museum and Local History Library
