At the Clerkenwell Police Court Edward Henry Tyler Robinson, 39, of Dollis Hill Avenue, Cricklewood, pleaded "Guilty" to a charge of fraudulently converting to his own use between July, 1935, and May, 1937, four manuscripts, valued at £63, ihe property of Arnold Walter Lawrence, and also two manuscripts, 114 photographs, and three envelopes, valued at £9.
Mr. Edwin Clayton, solicitor, for the Director of Public Prosecutins, in opening the case, said that in July, 1935, Robinson was desirous of writing a biography of the late Colonel T. E, Lawrence, who was known as "Lawrence of Arabia," For that purpose. he went to see. Mr. Arnold Walter Lawrence. a brother of the late Colonel Lawrence, who lent him a number of manuscripts, books, and photographs of his brother.
He told him that he was to return them when he had finished with them Some time later Mr. Lawrence received some pages from a catalogue of the Anderson Galleries, New York, which showed that certain manuscripts, books, and photographs were being sold there, He spoke to Robinson. At first the defendant said he could not understand it, but eventually said he had sold them to a dealer, Eventually the police got in touch with a Mr. Schwartz who, he understood, was an American dealing in rare books and manuscripts, who would have been able to give evidence that the books and manuscripts were sold to him for Robinson by £150. They were not sold all at one time.
Story of Blackmail Detective-sergeant Mahon, of New Scotland Yard, said that 'Robinson was a married' man with one child. In May, 1929, he was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court to three years penal servitude for forging and uttering books and receipts and obtaining money by means of them. Including eases taken into consideration, he admitted 73 offences involving £863 In 1931 he obtained employment as a shorthand-typist and more recently as a journalist, and he had been steadily improving his position, He had been in bad health and since his arrest had undergone an operation.
Mr. W. A. L, Raeburn (defending).—Is it a fact that this man served with Lawrence of Arabia during the War?
understand so.
The witness said he also understood that Robinson was rather badly wounded. He agreed that Robinson had published a book about Lawrence of Arabia and that another was about to be published.
Mr, Raeburn.—The book about to be published is the official biography?—I do-hot know that.
Started Afresh
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.