The National Register. — London, England, 1816-01-14 00:00:00

JAN. 1 Mr. Glover, Inspector of Bank-notes, corroborated Foy's testi mony, and proved the notes to be all forged from one copper-plate, the signatures were iu the same hand-writing, and the paper all similar. 0. Nightingale keeps a chandler's shop, in Wall's-row, Bethnal, green : the prisoner took a room at his house, three weeks before she was taken into custody. She brought a box, saying, that she was a widow, and dealt in shawls and handkerchiefs as a pedlar, and that she was seldom in London. Witness shewed Foy the pri soner's room, and saw hiw take the bundle of notes from it. The prisoner in her defence said, she had found the notes as she was going to Mr. Nightingale's, and did not know them to be forged. The Jury without hesitation found her—Guilty. Thomas Green indicted for the wilful murder of Elizabeth Martin, by throwing her out of the window (as stated in the Police Reports a short time back) was put to the bar and arraigned for that offence, but from the evHerceiit appeared that the woman had thrown herself out, the prisoner was accordingly acquitted. FORGERY. Ant/sr:my Mackinrott, whose case has excited so much interest, was ycksterday morning put to the bar, to take his trial on an indictment containing sixteen counts, charting him in various ways with forg ing and uttering, knowing it to be forged, a Bill of Exchange, signed George C. Forbes, on John Dougan, Esq. for 8001. together with the indorsement and the acceptance of the said Bill, with in tent to defraud Arthur Clarence and others. Mr. Gurney having stated the circumstances of the case, pro ceeded to call witnesses to support the indictment. Arthur Clarence, a navy agent, deposed, that he knew the pri sonser froth the year 1806, when he saw him in the West Indies; called on him about the beginning of July it the last year, and after some conversation, told him he was a navy agent, and had good connectiota, but wanted capital. The prisoner said a frit ml bad promised to assist him with some money, and if be did, he, the , prisoner, would embark 5001. in the purchase of prizes with wit ness. On the 2qd of July the prisoner brought witness two bills, which he said his friend, Captain Holliday had sent him. Witness seeing they were accepted by the prisoner, 'said it would look sin gular tor him to negotiate them. The prisoner said he had received them from Captain Holiday, to whom he rendered services in the West Indies, and that Mr. Forbes, who was the drawer, would ship some colonial produce to co-ser the amounts. He referred to Man ning and Auderton, and Smith, Payne, and Smith, as vouchers for the goodness of the bills, which were endorsed with the name of " John Mogan." On inquiry, witness was told Mr. Dougan was always correct, and that there - was no doubt the bills would be paid. Witness then went to Portsmouth to a Mr. Huish, a navy agent, to get the bills discounted, and having left them with him, he returned to town. On the 3d of August, and other times, he received from Mr. Huish the full value of the bills, which were discounted by Messrs. Godwin and Co. of Portsmouth. Of this the prisoner got 8301. The bills were due on the 22d of September. Previous to that time the prisoner said Mr. Forbes had not made the shipments he expected, but that Mr. Holliday would take them up. The bilis were not paid, although presented at Messrs. Anderton's and Man ning's, and Smith, Payne, and Smith's, by the prisoner's direction, who said they would be paid for the honour of Mr. Dougan. Wit ness called on - Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smith, and -from their conversation he thought they believed the Signature of John Dougan was a forgery. The Bills were then put into the hands of Mr. Briggs, the Solicitor, with directions to proceed against all parties by civil process. Witness afterwards received information that the bids were forgeries, and took means to have the prisoner apprehended. Witness complained of ill treatment, and said, if the bilis were forgeries,he had taken thent as they were from Cap. tain Holtiday. Witness ; in his cross examination, said he knew the prisioner had lived with Mr. Dougan ia.the West Indies, and believed him to have large concerns in mercantile speculations. The prisoner gave him the bills without any restraint whatever, and seemed in no hurry tbr the money. The prisoner did not attempt Logo away. He knew that he had gone to Plymouth on some idle mission, to stibpeena Bonaparte. Mr. H. Huish, of - Portsmouth, got the bills alluded to by the last witness, discounted by Tvlessrs. Godwin and Co. his Bankers, at Portsmouth ; be sent the amount to Mr. Clareece. Andrew Barnett, Clerk to - Messrs. Godwin and - Co. at Southsea, received the bills from the last witness, and passed them to his a ccount. Mr. Briggs is a Solicitor. The bills produced; on the 26th of Sep wiser last applied- W the parties for payment. The 'gaselier and tGIST CR. Q"7 Mr. Clarence called on witness, and the former told him to present the bills to Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smith. He said they had been presented and refused. The prisoner said there must bq some mistake, and desired they might be again presented. This was done, but they were again refused payment. Witness then told the prisoner he should arrest him. The prisoner called fre. quently afterwards to make excuses, and in accounting for the sin cular circumstance of his directing that applicatto* should be made to Mr. Dougan for payment, who was only the indorser ; when he was the acceptor, he said Mr. Dougan was to have sent Sim consionments to meet the bill, but had failed. He added, that Mr. Dungan and he were engaged together in a sloop of war, for his share in which he had given 81001. • On the 4tli of October the prisoner paid to witness Tool. as part payment of the Lill, and said he would bring the rest in the morning it' he would not issue the writ Witness promised he would not till the next day. The prisoner did not keep his appointment, and sv.if ar rested. He went to prison, and justified bail the next Term, after being in custody a month. Witness aiterwards agreed to pone the trial upon the solemn pledge of the prisoner to pay the bills on a given day. The prisoner said, he was sure Mr. Dougan would direct Smith, Payne, and Smith, to pay the bills the moment he arrived. Witness heard that Mr. Dougan had arrived, and in. formed the prisoner of that fact, when the prisoner said he pe: 2 - sumed lie would go to his country residence, at Teignmouth. Ther prisoner said , Mr. Geo. C. Forbes was the Attorney-General at Tortola. _ _ - - - Mr. Dougan being duly released, was now called and e xam i ne d . He tleinY ed that he was a Navy Agent: in 1803 he adverti se d f or a person to accompany him as an interpreter to the West Indies. The prisoner applied in consequence. lie stated that he had been in business at Liverpool, and was an Austrian by bi.alt. H e en . gaged the prisoner to accompany him to Tortola, at a salary of 3031. per annum. He remained in his service till 1805. Witness then returned to England; he returned to Tortola in 1806, and still found the prisoner there. In 18N, lie heard the prisoner was in distress, and furnished him with the means to conic to thin country. After 181`2, he neither heard or saw any thin:: of him. He then saw him in a Lock-np-house. %iVtiless was not at Nevis after 1812, nor had any such transactions with Mr. Forbes, as the bibs iu question referred to. The signature of " Geo. C. Forbes!' lie was sure was not that Gentleman's writing, neither was the en dorsement, " John nougat'," his hand-writing, nor like it. He never agreed to make any consignments to the prisoner, or concern ed with him in trade in any way. The prisoner wrote him a letter on his arrival in England, on the 25th of November last. (Timis letter was then read ; in it, the prisoner after adverting to his onsn concerns, asked Mr. Dougan to lend him 10,0091. for six months). Witness had once reason to reprove the prisoner for imitating Lis hand-writing. On his cross-examination, wltne-s said that he kad heard in PIO, the prisoner's distresses were such as to induce him to make an at tempt on his own life; when he saw him between 1809 and 181)'in England. he had reason to think he was insane. Mr. Fry, Mr. Perring, and Mr. Curtis, jun. also proved that the indorsements on the bills produced, were not the hand-writing of John nougan. John Limbrick, Hatton Garden Police Officer, found several papers on the prisoner's person, and at his house. These were produced. Among these were two bills, dated Tortola, and in dorsed J. nougan, and the draft. of a letter, on which were the words " Tortola, Sixty, and John Dougan." All these were proved to be forgeries, and the hand-writing of the prisoner. James Stalinist', an engras er, had the plate from which the forged bills were an impression. A blank produced, and fouhd on the prisoner's table, was another impression from that plate. These impressions were to be bought in Moorfields. The bill was then produced and read, and the ease for the prose cution was closed. Tho prisoner then addressed the Court and Jury in his defence. On the part of the prisoner, Dr. Coombe was called. He proved, that about five years since the prisoner was raving mad. lie really thought his mad ness continued up to the present time. Mr. Loch, a merchant's clerk, proved, that the prisoner was in a deranged state for the last six years. Mrs. Sarah Sheffer, in whose house the prisoner lodged, also proved his madness ; as did Mr. Burder, the Sheritl's Officer, in. whose care he had been eleven mouths. Several other witnesses were convinced of his insanity, among whom were two female ser vants, who probed that the prisoner had frequently walked about the house in a state °fluidity, that he . was heard frequently to vv. cifcratc the most dreadful oaths and Imprreations.--That ou one occas i on h e seized the Cet, threw it into thb fire ) called for some