Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Wednesday 09 July 1919

Victimising the Charitable

A well-educated man, Edmund Linsay (60), an unqualified medical dispenser, of no fixed abode, was yesterday at’ the Rotherham West Riding Court sentenced to two months imprisonment on two charges of obtaining charitable contributions by fraud, viz., 5s. at the Swinton Vicarage on June 23, and 5s. from Dr. Menzies, of Parkgate, on June 5.

Miss Steel, the daughter of the Vicar of Swinton, described the defendant’s visit. She said he looked as if he was ill, and she supplied him with some light refreshment. He represented that was destitute, and that for some time he had been existing on one meal day. Since the armistice, he went on, he had been unable to obtain any work in his profession. She formed the opinion that he was a gentleman who had fallen on evil times, and offered to lend him 5s., which he accepted and promised to refund.

When he had left she became uneasy, reconsidered the story, and told her father. A complaint was afterwards made to the police.

Dr. Menzies proved the prisoner’s visit to his surgery. He said he had been promised work in September by Dr. Dufty, of Maltby. Witness had assisted him two or three months ago. Prisoner received 5s.

Detective-sergeant Shaw said when he saw prisoner at a lodging-house Rotherham he was reading the racing news in a sporting paper, and had in his possession three sporting papers and some slips relating to racehorses. He said drinking and betting had been his downfall.

Prisoner explained that was decently educated and brought up school and college. At the time when he should have been able to go in for his degree his father’s failure prevented him continuing his studies.

He had to take such work was available for him as an unqualified medical man, and this work he had carried on for a matter of 40 years.