The Press. — London, England, 1856-11-22 00:00:00

4 NOVEMBER 22, 1856. Mr. awls: Were they large amounts that you received as the result of the forgeries?—No ; small amounts. Mr. LEWIS : Do you know a man of the name of Nash that was transported?—Yes. Mr. Lewis : Did you and he have anything to do with forged cheques?—That has nothing to do with the case. I have acknowledged my character. I have told you that I have been connected with several forgeries, but I do not think this person named Nash has anything to do with the case. _ _ . Agar was certainly intended by nature for a com mercial life. Among other little bits of family busi ness was occasionally some bill discounting : Mr. LEWIS: How long have you been acquainted with Mr. Saward ?—Siz years. Mr. LEWIS : Have you had with him many money trans actions?-1 hare had money transactions with him. They were bill transactions. I have discounted bills for him for parties to whom he introduced me. Mr. LEWIS: Were the bills so discounted fraudulently obtained?—No; they have been tradesmen's bills. Mr. I.Ewis : Were these tradesmen's bills taken in respect of goods that had been stolen ?—No. Mr. LEvns : During the last ten years how have you been living?—l decline answering the question. Fanny Kay was next examined, and corroborated the main points of Agar's evidence connected with the melting down of the gold, so far as she could judge from the nature of Pierca and Agar's occupations during the time they were at Shepherd's-bush. At the conclusion of her examination the court adjourned, and the prisoners were again remanded for a week. THE detective officer charged with the apprehension of James Saward, the " barrister" spoken of by Agar, at the Mansion-house on Monday last, as the person through whom he had disposed of about 600 ounces of gold, a portion of the proceeds of the robbery, at 31.25. ad. an ounce, has not yet succeeded in etfeet ing his capture, nor, although he is said to have been previously pretty well known to the police (out not criminally), does there appear to be at the present moment any clue as to his whereabouts. Saward was termed a barrister" by Agar, but there is no such name among the barristers in the " Law List." Tester, the fourth person imp'icated in the robbery, is at present in Switzerland or Italy, employed upon a railway, having obtained an appointment before quitting England. As there is no treaty of extradi tion existing between the Government of this country and that of Switzerland, some difficulty may arise in the way or his capture. A LAMENTABLE CASE of the starvation to death of a poor woman, and the narrow escape of her four young children from the same fate, occurred last week in Widmer place, Crawford-street, Marylebone. The poor woman, Elizabeth Mann, had discharged herself from the workhouse in September las., and, upon failing to obtain work, appears to have had an invincible objection to return to this rather no torious workhouse of Marylebone. The poor creature had pawned everything, even to her clothes, to feed her children, and for the last fortnight they had all five literally been slowly dying from starvation. On Thursday week they were accidentally discovered, and though every effort was made to save the mother's life, she died in a few hours. In addition to her pitiable state, she was suffering, according to medical evidence, from extensive disease of the brain. At the inquest on Monday, a lodger in the same house, Mrs. Mary Spillman, deposed that she had no knowledge of any one being upstairs until between four and five o'clock on Thursday afternoon, when she saw a little boy perfectly naked picking ap bread crumbs in the back yard and eating them : Her husband was at tea, and she toll him, and called the child in, and on seeing some bread on her table the poor little fellow craved for a bit, and her husband gave him some. They elicited that he had a mother and sisters up stairs, and she went up with him to the tirst floor back, on opening the door of which a dreadful scene presented itself. The deceased women and three girls were all lying hud dled together in a corner of the room in a state of perfect nakedness. She tried to rouse the woman, but she appeared quite insensible. The eldest girl was doubled up, with her head leaning on her feet, and the children appeared very bad. She told her husband, who went for Mr. Collet, the poor inspector, who came with blankets and clothes from rds own house, and Mr. Tubbs, the relieving officer, and Mr. Elkins, the district surgeon, came, and the family were removed to the workhouse. One of the younger children was then examined-- Susan, ten years of age, a pretty and intelligent little girl, who, in answer to the court, said : Her mother did not get tipsy. She had complained of pains in her head a long while. Herself ana her sisters and little brother hal cried to her mother for bread. but her mother had not spoken a word for a fortnight before they were iound. When foucd by the lady on Thursday, they had not had any food since the Monday before. Her eldest sister got that. Her mother would not go to the workhouse, because she said she had no clothes. Mr. Tubbs, the relieving officer, said she discharged herself and children on the 11th September last, in defiance of the earnest advice to the contrary of Mr. Potter and other guardians, and nothing whatever had been beard of them till last Thursday. The Coroner thought it was useless to protract this painful inquiry after the medical evidence, unless THE PRESS. the jury thought it desirable to have the evidence of the elder children when they got better. From the state of this poor woman's brain, it was clear that for some time past she most have been wholly inca pable of doing anything for herself or children, and hence, no doubt, the frightful state of destitution in which they all became plunged. The privations of the poor children must have been dreadful, and the surprising part was that the eldest girl had not had sense enough to apply for relief. That had not been done, therefore there was no blame attributable to any one. The jury returned a verdict of " Natural death." THE LORD CHANCELLOR, with the advice and assistance of the other Judges of the Court of Chan cery, has this week issued a general order for the purpose of giving further effect to the act abolishing the office of Master in Chancery, and making pro visions for " the more speedy and effectual despatch of business in the said court." The order classifies the business to be disposed of by the Master of the Rolls, and the Vice Chancellors respectively, while sitting at chambers. COUNI ARTHUR PIDOVINI DE GUISE, formerly a colonel in the French army, was summoned last Saturday, at Marlborough-street, and fined 20s. and costs, for setting his Newfoundland dog upon a stray cat in the inclosure in Leicester-square. THE OLD STORY OF LOVE, SEDUCTION, AND SUICIDE was again told last week in the case of Caroline Hobbs, a maid-servant, who poisoned herself with oil of almonds at her lodgings in Augusta-street, Regent's-park. The poor girl had been seduced by her " young man," lost her situation in consequence of becoming enceinte, and apparently deserted by her lover, she put an end to her existence. Some letters, mentioning the fellow in the most affectionate terms, were read at the inquest. The coroner said he bad rarely met with a more melancholy case, and the jury returned a verdict of Death from swallow ing poison," but leaving the state of the deceased's mind an open question. A GANG OF SWINDLERS IN ST. JOHN'S WOOD, a Mr. and Mrs. Bond, and one Fennel and his wife, who acted as servants, were brought up on Wednes day, before Mr. Combe, at Southwark, charged with obtaining nearly 1,0001. worth of goods from various tradesmen, and absconding without payment. Their system was very simple. Ther took a furnished house for a week, No. 3, Wellington-place, St. John's Wood. Mrs. Bond went the round of the shops, ordered silks, satins, furniture, lamps, &c., &c., to be sent by a certain day to the house for Mr. Bond's inspection. When the goods came, Mr. Bond was out. The tradesman, of course, seeing a handsomely furnished house, left the goods at Mrs. Bond's request. When he called a day or two afterwards, goods and customers were gone together. The prisoners were remanded. ANOTHER FRAUDLENT BREACH OF TRUST, on the part of a manager who enjoyed the "fall confidence', of his employers, has transpired this week. A Mr. Stuart, the managing man for eighteen years of Messrs. Bunnett and Corpe, engineers, at Deptford, has absconded. Defalcations to the amount of several thousand pounds have been discovered in his accounts. He was in the habit of charging his em ployers a higher rate of wages than he paid the men, and putting the difference into his own pocket. THE INQUEST ON GEORGE CARTER, whose dead body was found near Erith a few days ago, was re sumed on Tuesday by Mr. Carttar, at the Crown Inn, but nothing further of a positive character was elicited, and the inquiry was adjourned for a week. It was stated that the police had obtained informa tion upon the subject which would probably lead to the apprehension of the murderer. MURDER, SUICIDE, AND ROBBERY, have been plen tiful this week. On the 14th, Charles Forrester, formerly an acting home missionary in the neigh. bourhood of Wokingham, Berks, cut the throat of his only child, a boy 3f five years of age. No reason is assigned for the art. Forrester had lately been superseded in his place by the City Mission Society, as intellectually unfit for the office. Since then he had been in very low spirits. He is believed to be insane. A verdict of "Wilful murder" was found at the inquest, and the prisoner was fully committed for trial.—Last Saturday night Henry Fenn, a carver and gilder of tho Hackney- road, cut his own throat after having drowned his wife in the canal close by.— The same day the bo3y of a girl, missed for some weeks in Worcester, was found in the Worcester canal. The body exhibited severe bruises about the head, and at the coroner's inquest strong evidence was given which would lead to the belief that the poor girl had been cruelly murdered. She was last seen on the night of the 27th October. On that night she had quarrelled with her lover. About 4 a.m. on the 28th loni cries of" Murder" and for" Help " were beard by a man living near the canal. The jury returned an open verdict, yet expressing a belief that the girl had been foully murdered.—On Tuesday, a healthy American, a Mr. Jonathan Tneker, after eating a hearty breakfast at his lodgings in Router- 1115 hithe, cut his throat with the carving knife .—With respect to robberies and garotting, numerous cases have been brought forward. As a sample of what garotting really is we subjoin the statement of a :Mr. Moore, given at the Lambeth Police Court, this week. Mr. Moore had been garotted and robbed within a few feet of his own door in Lambeth : Mr. Moore, who seemed to be suffering severely from the serious injuries inflicted on him, and particularly from the violent squeezing of his throat, said—This morning between the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock, while passing along Temple street, on my way home, I heard some footsteps behind me, and finding by the sound that they were closely approaching me, I, when a minute's walk from my own door, turned round, and saw four men close behind me. One of the men put one of his arms round my neck, while he grasped me by the throat with the hand of the other, and drew me back towards him. One of the others struck me a violent blow on the chest, and a second gave me an equally violent blow on the stomach. I felt certain I should have been suffocated ; but by a great effort T made such a struggle that I fell to the ground, and on doing so I cried out " Murder" as well as I could. ONE - OF THE MEMBERS OF THE REFORM CLus, Captain Robert Finney, was, on Saturday la't, charged before Mr. Henry, at Bow-street, with creating a shameful disturbance outside the club on the previous Thursday evening, by insisting upon introducing a " coalheaver " to the members of that respectable club. The steward of the club objected, but the gallant captain insisted upon his right to bring in any friend of his, and at length, on the re sistance of the porters, created so great a disturbance that the police were sent for, and Captain Finney given in charge. " Cagily," who had so far enjoyed the joke considerably, upon being called upon by hie friend "to rescue him," thought discretion the better part of valour, and fled. The magistrate, believing Cap tain Finney to be disordered in his mind, adjourned the case, that steps might be taken to place the de fendant under restraint. ANOTHER FRAUD ON THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY was exposed on Thursday morning at the Clerkenwell Police Court, when Mr. William Snell, the chief clerk in the accountant's office of the com pany, was placed at the bar, before Mr. Tyrwhitt, charged with embezzling the sum of nearly 1,0001., the monies of the company. Mr. Leach appeared for the prosecution. From the evidence it appeared that the prisoner had been chief clerk in the account ant's office, and in that situation all the cliequ(s drawn by the directors were placed in the hands of Mr. Reynolds, the accountant, and by him givtn into the custody of the prisoner. One cheque for 500/., drawn in favour of the Provident Fund, and dated 11th of July, was appropriated by him to his own purposes. On Wednesday, when asked to make up his accounts, he said be was a defaulter to the extent of 1,0001., and that "he was very sorry." Mr. Reynolds told him he must consider himself in cus tody. The facts having been shortly gone into, the prisoner was remanded for a few days. SECRECY IN AN AGENT cannot be exacted by the employer when the communications have an immo ral or dishonest tendency. Such is the law as laid down by the Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday last in the case of " Gartside v. Outram"—a case which, in these days of Redpaths and Robsons, is guile a refreshing example of commercial morality. The following are the circumstances :—Messrs. Gartside, Ward, and Bowes are wool-brokers at Liverpool ; the defendant Outram, was originally an apprentice to them, after, wards their sales clerk for three years, up to July' 1655 ; and he then left their service. They now accuse him of gross misconduct. While he was in their employment he bad access to their correspon dence, book.:, and private accounts. With this infor mation he went to other persons, and made state ments injurious to the firm; and they now moved for an injunction to restrain him from communi cating the papers of which be had obtained copies. Ontram, on his part, put in exceptions. He declared that the firm carried on a business fraudulent towards their customers. He said that when wool was sent to Messra. Gartside, Ward, and Bowes to be sold under the market price, they were in the habit of taking it themselves, and of sending fictitious " sold" notes, which made it appear that they parted with the wool at the under price, and that they then sold it in the market at the real price, or higher, if pos sible, pocketing the difference. A particular cm* was instanced by Outram, who stated, that through information, and by award of an arbitrator, furnished by him, a person had recovered 1,5001. Outram also filed cross interrogatories catechising the plaintiffs, in order to extract from them evidence substantiating his own answer. The plaintiffs resisted. The Vice-Chancellor Page Wood said, if the injunction were allowed, Outram would be prevented from making those disclosures public. Now, here lay a question between his duty to the public and his duty to his employers. Citing authorities, Sir William Page Wood adopted the rule, that if a man is employed as an attorney in an unlawful or wicked act, his duty to the public obliges him to disclose it. No confidential relation could by law exist in rela tion to a fraudulent transaction. His Honour then allowed the exceptions of Outram to stand.