The National Register. — London, England, 1811-06-02 00:00:00

~.. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. The Attorney-General, for the prosecution, said he did not wish to deal harshly by this defendant, and should not object to the trial being postponed until the Sittings after the next The Learned Judge acquiesced, and the trial accordingly stands over: OLD 114ILEY- The Sessions commenced on Thursday, before the LoRT) MAY OR. Baron GRAHAM, Mr. Justice GROSE, the RECORDRI4, Elizabeth llortcm, an interesting looking girl, only fourteen 'fears of age, was capitally Indicted for stealing in the dwelling honse of Richard Knightley, in the parish of Shoteditch,two silver table spoons, six silver tea spoons, a one-pound note, a guinea, and other monies, his property, on the 21. st instant. Tt 'appeared that the prisoner went into the house ot the pro secutor t purchase some trifling article of linen-drapery, and while there found means of purloining the articles in yttestinn ; suspicions having arisen in the mind of the wite of the prose catGr, she gave an alarm, and the prisoner was secured and searched, when the property specified in the indictment w.is found in her possession. This fact having been clearly proved, the Jury returned a verdict of Guilty—Death ; but recommended the unfortunate gfil to. mercy, on-account of her youth. Sarah Johnson, an aged woman, was next tried on an indict ment charging her with stealing two silver watches, three gold sals, a gold chain, and various articles of wearing apparel, in the louse of John Ciozee s at Spitalfields, on the 23d of April. The prisoner it appeared was a servant in the house of the 1,, - osecutor,. and in the absenee - nf her master and mistress the property in question, and conveyed it to a neighbour:ill . paAvnbrokers, where it was afterwards found, and the prisoner wrs identified as the person who had stolen them—Guilty— Death. - CHARGE or MtlßDEß.—Friday, John Colley, 45 years of age, a sailor, was put to the bar to take his trial on an indictment charging him with the wilful murder of Mary his wile. The prisoner. it appeared, had but recently retureed. from a voyage, but did not reside with his wife, who, it was suspected, cohabited with a man named Ferguson. Or. the evening of the ltPt h i!ist. Ole orienner went to her lodgings fin - Sand-court, \Vaii ping, where she was in company with Ferguson On entering the room he said, 44 This is my wedding day, and it shall be clAy of murder," and in au an instant he drew a knife from 11:s pocket and plunged it into the left side of the abdomen of his w;le. lie then rushed towards Ferguson and attempted to stab him, bet Ferguscn warded off the blows, and at length secured him in a chair until a- neighbour, named Josef, came to h's assistance. The deceased died in the course of the everin7. is consequence of the wound, and the prisoner was conducted to prison, whither he went without the slightest resistance. The case for the prosecution t:aving been closed, the prisoner was called on for his defence. He said he had always been an affectionate husband to his wife ; but she, in company with Per. gnson, with weeoin she cohaMted, had treated him with great unkindness. At an early period of his life he received a fracture on his head, in consequence of which he was occasionally de ranged, and he supposed he must have committed the dreadful act, with which he stood charged, under the influence of insa tetty. in support of this defence several persons were called, from whose testimony it appeared that the prisoner had ctrt his throat when on board the Ceylon Fast Indianian in 180(3 ; from which time down to the day on which he committed the offence for which he wa , indicted,'„his conduct was such as to bear the Most manifest walks of a disordered mind. Sir NATHAN' EL Gft as c having summed up the evidence, the Jury retired, and after au absence of an hour and a half, re turned with a verdict of—Not Guilty, SATURDAY, JUNt 1. TRIALS OF THE BANK CLERKS FOR FORGERY. The Old Bailey Court Was entirely taken up yesterday, until a late hour, in the separate trials of Thomas and Arntitage f for Lrging dividend warrants. • Thomas was fi rst put to the lrir on an indictment, charging him with having forged a receipt to a dividend warrant, and thereby defrauding the Bank of 2801. Mr, GARRow conducted the prosectrtbn, and it appeared in evidence that the prisoner was a clerk in the one and tcto pound slate office,but previous to this forgery he had assisted in the Imperial Annuity Office, and he there assLted in paying divi dends, and had accts, to the unfilled warrants,. books, &k. It appeared that a gent!enuni of the name of Fraser, formerly of Apollo-build lugs, Walworth, died in Nyvt tuber, ItiOG N and l.is dividends had not been *plied fur. ft Was primd 361 that the warrant by which the money was obtained was oaltogs ther a forgery of the prisoner's manufacture as well as the re ceipt, and Mr. l'atheham, who paid the money, proved tha the eight half-yearly dividends due, amounting to the suns stated in tLe indictment, were paid on the 9th of August, 1810. Of the twenty-four notes paid for the forged warrant, twenty were traced to the prisoner, he having paid three to a Mr. Ro. gers, and another of 101. he obtained change for at Mr. Davis's, a cheesemonger, by the servant where he lodged. The several notes traced were indorsed with different names of the prison er's hand writing. Judce..G KO3 c observed to the Jury, that a case more complete was norer made out, and he would not recapitulate the evidence. unie:-s they requested it. The Jury examined the documents, and found the prisoner Guilty—Death—(29 y e ars of age.? Richard Armitage was next put to the Bar, on an indictment charging him with having feloniously forged and disposed of forged dividend warrants, and thereby defrauding the Bank of I;m:slam.' of '24301. 1 here were several other counts in the in. diciment. Mr. GA RROW stated this to be a case of great public impor tance, and as he should he very particular in his detail of fact., be trusted the Jury would pay that sort of attention which a case of snch magnitude required. There had been some alarm • with the Proprietors of Stock, and it was necessary fur the Bank and the country, that this case should be paid particular attenttat to. k was next to impo , sibility fur persons unconnected with the Bank to have carried on these forgeries, without a confede racy within, as these dividend warrants were useless without a Oct It's sanction, and this case was of the last importance, inas much as the prisoner had sacrificed his interest and betrayed hid trust. That the prisoner, together with Roberts, stud a man of the name of Hudson, had frequently met to commit a forgery. of magnitude upon the Bank, and after serious consultation the plan was hit upon. The prisoner agreed to furnish his two out confederates with blank dividend warrants, six in number, which Rolie...ts filled with the Bank ink,in order that the appar• ance might be quite correct. Roberts did the filling up part and the forgery of the tianies, &c. with considerable skill, and Hud son outlet took to get the money by the following ftratagem Having seen an advertisement of e cleik wanting a situation, Hudson, who had turned stockbroker, l eogaged him, and this youth was seat to aillll the dividends, -whilst Roberts was in attendance to look atter the money. • The prisoner knew who was coming fur the money, and he was present at getting the I business done, but when ascribing payment to the Bank, he forgot who paid it. A Mr. Mills had lately come into the Bank, and the prisoner was superintendaet, so that the money was ob tained as the dividend of one who had no stuck. Mr. Mills was a novice in the office, but he had Armitage on his right hand. The sum obtained was 2,400 L in large notes, which Roberta got exchanged, and after givieg Hudson 5001. the remainder was to be shared betwixt • the prisoner and Roberts, who al tered the number of the notes, by making the 0 into a 9, and the I into a 4. The female associates of Roberts, K. Wide', assisted in circulating the notes, but on her paramour being takenobe was alarmed for her own safety, and she made confession. Folkard informed Armitage of the fema:ai (Willis's) confession, and the prisoner, who was a clerk at a pond salary, of unimpeachable character, and of good con- . . nesions, fled, whilst every wall in London was bedaubed wi t h his name, and a reward of 3001. published in every newspaper for his apprehension. This, said the Learned Counsel, was not the conduct an innocent man vould pursue. The principal evimess in the case was Roberts the accomplice, who came before the Jury laden with guilt, and he would wish to redeem himself by charging the prisoner. Mr. Garrow cautioned the Airy in an ekw i eent harangue, to watch narrowly every syllable he uttered, and not to give credit to a single word he tittered which was not confirthed by others.--. Mr. Garrow added that he, however, bad a strong conform ation which 'west be credited. Armitage had informed Roberts that Mill the clerk had two notes of WOOL each in his pos session for payment of dividends on a certain day, but they Dad not been required and he had re:urnmd them, but they woulal probably be re-issutd to hi= the following day. This fact was the case, as proved by entries, and some one in the Bank must have ma. it known to Roberts. The fact could only have come from Mr.lVlilla or the teller who furnished him with the notes, and this the Jury could net believe. Then it must have come from the prisoner or some clerk in the office who had access to Mill's port-folio, The day after this busi ness the Messenger from Hudson called for payment of the forged dividend warrants, and Mr. Mias not hay ing a suilicient stun Armitage lent him two hundred pounds to - pay with, and buolied it to him. This fact would not stand upon oho t's test Man: y. but it would be proved by the Wima. peachable testimony of Mills, and documents, wherein the pre= tuner booked the sum to Mills in his own hand-wwiting. *Hie . female corripaci;:n of Roberts would also prove different meat- - ■ ~=• ~J