The National Register. — London, England, 1819-04-26 00:00:00

1E! LI 'V INTELLIGENCE. GUILDHALL, Moroar, Arm to. Before Lord Chkf Jorlice A OPOTT, nod Special .lories. CoNSPIHACY. 171 E KING V. WiLLIAN FIRTH, JOHN TATE, THOMAS HODOES, JOHN bROWN, WILLIAM NM:lM's OD, W.I.LIAII IiROOR, JOSEPH AELOR, JAMES LAW, DAVID VIGUEII, AND OTHERS. r This was an indictment against the clefesulants, eleven in num bet, iae conspiracy. Several appeared in Coe. t. One had died, and one suffered pulgnient to go by dee . ault. Those who appeared % pleaded Not Guilty. The indictment charged them with a mist cluneerotia and font conspiracy. It elleged. that all the persons indicted esinspired to defratid the bona fide cies'itors of John Smith. a Yorkshire Nlanufecturer, be tunceiting together •to procure a fraudulent Countiseion of Bankruptcy, and to cause the aid John Smith to be &dared a bankrupt.—lt further alleged that the siefendanu fabricated diver; fraudulent promissory mime and hills of parcels of a date pr!or to the imiiine of the Commission melte wiiieJt they were admitted to prove claims on the estate of the Ireaknipt. ire pursualee of thit conspiracy. 'lodges. one of the defendants, made a false afiFelavit of debt, became a petition • sag creditor, awl several fictitious eltl.rs were attempted to be pro,ed by the other dmiendiutts. A second count charged them with re conspiracy :J er the Commission of Bankruptcy issued to meke•frandulent promissory notes and bill: of parcels. The mein witness to snove the charge was, JohnSinith, the bankrupt. Ile stated, that having sold goods tea person named Jaeoh, ate) had accepted bills fur him, and Jacob being unabre to pay these bills, he found it neves:wry to come to town to sell the gentle, in the hope of raising money to take up the bilk while Jamb had &she:toured. It happened that the goods gut into the hands of agiereow who was the holder of the bass. and he found himself in the greatest difficulty. lie that went to a private lodging, and then to the Cuselimaker's Arms in Falcomeptare, where lie fell iatto company wine William Firth, who was the time that told hint of the iefainuu.t contrivance, in which the defendants were itveLcateJ• Firth introduced Min to others, who tool: part in it. lie communicated his situation to Firth, who told him all he could do wai to become a bankrupts • and he would so arrange it as to enable him to keep the property *stn himself. Ile %mild Malebo/es. he exit'., to Ming it ail about.— Firth prevailed:on him to sell his ears, and take a logging at a publie•letwee, ahem they lived together. Hie difficulties kept mereasing, and he consented to the invitee' of Firth. who said he had been a bankrupt three times. He mentioned Juhn Shaw as the peram who woald be eke petitioning creditor for BY. In fact.. that pertain was introduced to him as petitioning creditor tie the Cooper's Acme, but Shaw said it would not du ter hint to appear again hr. that cline:ter ; he would get a man to be peas tie.airee creditor for int. A few days after they went to a gentle. •tiernan in the ,City Road. Firth said Smith was about to be . made a bankrupt, and asked the perm if he would accept a bill for hint in order to be made a petitioning creditor. The person, much to his credit, refusal The next morning City went to the Cowper • Aims, where :hey found 'lodges, James Taylor, Law. sad others. They stated that the person in the City Road would not accent the bill, and they could not get a petitioning creditor's ddlL Law then said he would do it for three guineas. A stsatip Wu then prockeeed, a bill- drawn, and accepted by Law. The bed e.:441 written by Firth, Smith signed it, and Law accepted.—lt vas given to Shaw, who gave it to Hodge* with instructions to -take tt to a notary. Smith then gave Law duce guineas in gold. He gave Shaw .10/. after be told him the docket was struck.— Teary fleet carried Lint in a coach to get his protection from the Ceremitssioners, and afterwards met at a house in St. George'.- fields, where he saw Block, Sherwood, and Vigurs. The con eerention turned on laying At plat to prove debts under the corn miteion. They agreed to make promissory item and bills of • parcel.: Forty shillings was -the rernueeration for proviwg a bill of exchange. or a bill of parcels. They went to Guildhall three days afer. T:.ose who leveed at the first meeting were paid 11. •s2:l they were to meeive another 11. when Smith received Ills cer tintare. They contrived to make the petitioning creditor's debt liVil.)110t to reit!. 13s. 6d. by banding a bill, and ;et in notes, flrough dirfertait hands, at a table, until &Melee money cause back again duple his own hands. After this juggle, and several of teem Woe. -made assignees, Brown went down with Smith to Yorkslie•e , a) sea the goods, which he sold by auction to Smith's san, who hail no money, but paid for the goods by giving a bill. 'lbis was the substance of the transaction as it appeared on the statement of Smith, who admitted that he had perjured himself before the Commissioners, and also that he had defrauded his creditors. Fort anately for Justice, die evidence given by Smith was cenfirmetl by other witnesses, and the charge brought home to the defendant% _ _ Mr. Joseph Lockwood, s merchant, who attended as the agent of Mr. Robinson, one of the boo': Ale creditors dining the pro ceedings under the Commission, on the 9th of December last. at Guildhall, was struck by the suspicious appearance at the persons who attended to prove debts, and die intimacy bctwei them aid the bankrupt. After the meeting he ',muted die names aril addresses of several of die defendants, and upon enquiry found they were all persons living in die mast obscure and indigent way. • Some of them hail given fuse directicms, and were brut,' with the greatest difficulty. Tatteirsal. one of them, who de rc.ribed himself to be a flour-factor in I.smbeth \1 elk. proved to a person selling cheap bread. Smith's attorney. finding the rice to be fraudulent. very properly abandoned him ; and finally tie dere:Amos were all pmio.cuted. The t;J•ief Justice observed, it was impossible that the JttrY, on the general subject of the eliarge. amid entertain a doubt. The Jury, without liestunien, to tad all the defendants Guilty. .The trial Listed the whole of the illy. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 FRAUDUL ENT CONSPIRACY. NTICG V. MET En, 1.1.VY, I. F. Wl3 LLVOI. WOOLS'. AND OT HERS. The defendants were indicted for conspiracy to defraud divers persons of goods to a great amount. by i.suing fniudolent This prosecution was °pates! by Mr. Gurney as a ease of eon 4ia...tt:de importune,: to the community at large, inasmuch as it • disclose one of the most extensive plar.s to swindle the tpuLlic ever known. The goods obhatied by the parties amounted a. value to Ino.ooo/. The learned Cintn.el entered into a long el. Ail of the circumstances. :vleyer, Kinnear, and the wrila were of the Jewish perstuLacm, were the principal directors i; the conspiracy; a person named Keys, and Henry Weiler. ▪ German Jew. were agents. It appeared that Levy, a yOW•G tfolas, brother vi one of the defenittutta, had been placed in bust nests "hit a person of the name of Reese, as dealers in Manches. ter goods. A thousand pounds was advanced. as it was under stood, by tisefather of young Levy, to carry on trade, and the partners enures: into close articles regulating their stock. Keys then proceeded to sUancliester artJ Scotland. where he large purchases o f goods. width were paid for with the acceptances of e y ri . on on e 0000gio t , the crettit of Meyer was doubted. and Nerve brought a person from nc'ne.t.r to see him on the tub jeer. Meyer at the interview appeared very indiehart that his credit shout.' he Cioubted, and peered tot Ait the bills against L: aon rec ♦ ,g discount. To l. oi•hree bills were cnnaquently presented, and 1 tid rat; •': p: ,- *Ttittrie. that his rrtritt aro main re•cored, art.. Ke.• porch:.: es at TIIF. NATIONAL REGISTER. Glasgow and other places upon the same acceptances. Meyer arid the defendants, in order to get a sale for the goods in the foreign market, had formed a cutmectien with Weiler, a German, who came to Loudon in is 16, with no more than ten francs in his I oche:. He was introduced to Levy by Jacob Meyer. at Levy's house in Preset-street. lie had been recommended by a friend at Paris uamed Maas, and Meyer said he would make Linn a great man. Weiler was then furnished with decent linen and clothe., and set up by.the defendants for a foreign merchant. Ile was asked whether he could procure letters of recommen dation front a house at Paris. lie knew a person named Mari, a clerk in the house of Perigord. and he contrived to gut a letter of recommendation to the house ef Millets and Stride in London,— When he strewed the letter to the defer:dents in Levy's counting • hause. Abchurch-lane, Woolf said it wes as good as 10,000/. in their pockets. They gave him a gold watch and a dismond pM, to improve his appearance, and sent Imo to Minets and Co. with the letter. Ile was to tell them he was a foreign merchant come to this country to do business. The defendants gave him leria to deposit in the hands of Minos and Stride, in order that lie might draw upon them as occasion might require. Ile was then introduced to Kers, who was described to be a re4sectable broker fur Meyers travellin to Scotland. He was to take Keys to Miners and Co. and let hint hate Mint on his credit. Keys went to Glasgow and drew bills upon him at short dates, which he paid. The goods sent to him went to the warehouse of Meyer, and were finally shipped off' fur Oetend MIMS, the friend of W eiler at Paris, that contrived to open a correspondence between Weiler and a smieosed banker at Paris, named Lcfevre. Goode were consigned to him. and Weiler drew five bills on Lefevre for 3001. each. One of the bills remitted to England was put into tine hands of Mr. Sharp, a bill.broker. who Rased it to a Mr. Merman.— Weiler was to have had half the goods sent to Lefcvre. It was soon after discovered that Lefevre sirs not known at Paris, and the holders of the hill; in London attaches, Weiler's money in the hands of his harier. Eldertnan received a letter from Paris, ahcwing that l.efevre's bills were wort . ' nothing.—The whole transaction was then exploded. Meyer abeconded, and with the bills against hint to a large amount, and Weiler obtained a passport to follow his exeruple. lie hesitated at first, and wen threatened with the vengeance of the defendants, if he did not quit the country. He received eOO Napoleons from Maas to enable him to get oh: He then went to Dover, paswil over to Calais, and proceeded to Brussels, where lie was round by Mr. Sharp, who had been in pursuit of him. Sharp said he had shi i med goods time Ostend, and he should o there. lie went to Ostend, and in the Hotel d'Hambourg found Woolf, Levy. Man and Isaacs, playing at cards. They were startled at the sight of him. Woolf said, •• for God's %eke, why do you conic here." Isaac: said, go out of the roam, or you are a dead man !" They all took up their portmanteaus and immediately left the hotel. The goods sent to Lefe• vie we.a put into Sharp's possession, and Weiler was set at liberty. A Mr. Martclli Caine two or three days after, and brought him to England, Ile was merle a bankrupt, and one of the Levies and Mr. Dias, a tailor, were made his assigrues. Levy allowed him in that situation SL a week ; and he was told, if he would do as the defendants wanted hint, he should have 30001. when the affair was over. The above appeared to be the main facts proved in support of the conspiracy. At eleven o'clock at night the trial was Postponed till the next day, when several documents produced in support of the prose. cution were nail, and particularly the !otter of recommendation from the house of Perigord, at Paris, to SVeiler. Scarlett, for Woolf, the Common Serjeant for Levy and Levoi, and Mr. Denman for John Kinnear, urged all the topics favourable to the defendants, and endeavoured to point out incon sistency in the evidence called in support of the prosecution, but declined calling wirnes , rii. The Chief Justice summed up an immense mass of c‘ idenee, with great precision and strict impartiality, commenting on the foatutes of the case, _ The Jury retired fr'n the box. and on their returu, about seven in the evening, pmeoureed— Jolt') Kinnear Guilty—Louis Levy Guilty—Montague I.evoi co Not ,iitrt•-•Nlirr,eley Woolf CoMy. lite Sittings ended in cuildh 11, and Mr. hunt's prosecution will stand over to next Term, as the Chief Justice continues' his Sittings in Serjeants Inn hall. OLD BAILEY SESSIONS. FRIDAY. APRIL RS. BANK TROSECUTiCiiii: This morning the tells's% ing prisoners were arraigned at the Bar:—Elizabeth Bush, Win. Rogers, George Wilson, Elisabeth Rhodes, Julia George, Daniel Daily. '1 homes Cot nwall, Wiliiant Cluck, and John Noer, charged on two counts; the one with having had in their possession sun dry notes to a large amount, purporting to be of the Go vernor and Company of the Bank of England, they well kno*ing them to he forged ; and on the other count, with putting the said notes away, with intent to defraud the said Governor and Company of the Bank of England, and other lies -sons. Thee prisoners having pleaded Guilty to the first charge, which subjects them to transportation for 14 years, and Not Guilty to the latter ; and the Batik of Eisgland havingdeclined to proses-me ou the latter charge, the prisoners were conducted front the Bar to undergo their sentence of transportation —TIM. Bradbury, Jobn Murphy, Jos. Bu sorb, Geo. Pt ice,Jas. Clarke, andW' illiam and Susannah Cavesmi, were elm arraigned, charged with having bad in their possession sundry notes, to various amounts, they knowing them to be forged, with an intent to defraud the Goers vor and Company of the Bank of Englatid,aml other pet !MIN these prisoners having pleaded Nut Guilty, were taken away to nndergo their trials. James Clarke, Susanna Taverner, and William 'river Der, pleaded not guilty to the uttetice of having forged notes in their possession. The nine prisoners who had pleaded gnilty to the minor offence were then pot to the bur, and, the capital indict ments were read against each. I%lr. Iteenolds then, on the part of the Bank, stated, that it was not the intention of the proseentors to produce any evidence on the capital charge against the prisoners. The cases of the individnals now at the bar had midergone painful ciinsideratiou by the ge ntl e m e n w h o i ns tit ute d these proarentions, and they bad been induced to ask the Court to allow them to w ithdra w the capital chat ge against the prisons rs now at the bar. After the explanation given from the bench, it could not be doubted but that the pri. soueu■ were well acquainted with the slips they bad taken, and with the roitseqneures of it ; lie conceived also that there was as little doubt, that the prisoners were actuated in taking this teem by a consciousness of their own guilt, and a fear of a now received; soothe these circus:matinees, no e sideeice world be 'Wired. Mr. lositir; Park, in dirreting ►he, ?wry to negnit thr prisoners, observed, that he Inhi tw 4.o.tht the Bank had APRIL 'la. - acted wisely in tha step it had taken, and certainly irWas a mast mei( iful and lenient ~ow, the ' , simmers were then all acquitted of the capiial charge. MANSLAUGHTER. Genres Giddons and Thome.. Townsend were indicted for having on the 911 i of Mar eh last, at Hadley, feloi . ((( o.ly driven a chaise over the body of John Matthews, an infant, by which he received disci se mortal wounds, of which lie died on the spot. The titst witness called was a constable at liadlevoslio apprehended the prisoners. He met Giddons, who in fo:stied him of the accident. W. Cox was next cailr.i. - On the 9th Mardi, between two and Mute o'clock iu the day, lie was tilling a drill cart on the road side, near Hadley. He saw Mice chaises coming loom Barnet ; two of them were diis-iii bat J, hat ihr one whir li did ►he accident was coming at a very moderate pace. 'lice two first chaises, as soon as the ac cident happened, mended their paces ; but the chaise is whi r l, li ce p i isomer Giildons was, immediately slopped. 'file prisoner Gidilons went for a surgeon to Hadley, and Alo. Booth and his son canoe directly. The child was token up by a mate of the name of Evans, and carried to lice house to which the child belonged. It Will the priv sum-r Girldons who drove the chaise which did the acci dent. The child ass abo u t three or foot years old IVliest he first yaw the chaise it was coming uluog the middle of the road. but as the other two chaises passed it, the horse was tiightened„ and glanced, off to the side of the rued, pri►oner Gioldmis was driving at a very proper pace. Mkt tnew Cox wan also prevent at the time the accident happened. It was occasioned by the horse glancing off. It appeared to him to he an accident, not occasioned by holy carelessness of the poisoners. Ihe two oilier chaises west driven, one by the poisoner Town-end, acid the other bya man of the name of Wild. William Eddrige, also new the accident, and corrobov rated the former atalenient. The two chaise awlii.h missed Giddous appeared to bias to he running a lace. They were driving very fast. Jahn Evans said, that when he picked up the child, its head was Completely smashed, its jaw was nearly off and the bruises on its body were in iiiiiii erable. The child was totally unable to stand, and died three quarters of au hour after the accident. Tale pri►uuers laid themselves upon the metey of the COllll. lly the witnesses called for the defence, it was prayed that both the pri.oners had families, mid liole imimpL.lch - able chai ado:. for humanity ; they had beau employ rd (hirers mony years. Mr. Baron Wood was about to sum up the et ititllCP, when the Jury declired themselves satisfied. The 1)1i:4/tars were acquitted. Mr. Baron Wood recommended the prisoners to he mure caretid hot to run races another time. Edward Felton was capitally indicted fur stealing, on the 4th of Match last. in the dwelling-home of Alatiltew Wood, Esq. N. P. South Audley-street, a hack-note fob the payment of 20/. the property of . John Sayers Kay. The prosecutor was the at of Alr. Alderman N nod, and by his evidence proved, flint lie had lin box, in his ape, talent, a 301. a 10/. a 51. 11!. nuteb, and a nuns her of goers riga. and half-sovereigns. The prisoner was "shoemaker, and on the 13th of February laid, had done some work tor Say, who paid him its part by • one pound note. On the 23d of Febrnany substrins at, he, paid him again, at his apartment, Os. 64. fur some ether wo►k, and it one not till the 4th of Mars It that he discovered the loss of Isis 30/. note. 't his note sir had received bout a lady, with whom he had before lived, together with live Misers of a like sum, whirl, he paid away, at Fenimore, in Corn wall. I:pois the discovery of hi♦ loss, he applied to the pi ifioner, d es iring to know whether he bad nut given hint a2O instead of a 11. note, but the prisoner dirtied it. It was subsequently ascertained, however. that the pi Isom r, Jo company with a 11111111 named Hill, bail changed a 30/. note in payment fur •none waialcuating, ate. at a draper's shop in Vigss-lane. The prosecutor anti wards traced a 204 note, which had passed thrasigh the bands of this person into the !Sank of England, and upo• which was written the mime of his late mistress. The donbts which now •rase were these, namely, wise. ther the zOl. note so traced to the Bank, was She identical one b Wen fount the prosecutor, (an objection was taken by Mr. Rutland, fur thy prisoner, to sliew that it was nut), or one of the five others paid away by the prosecutor at Penzance, none of which were known by their number : And secondly, if the Jory believed it to be the actual note, whether it was nut given by the pititecutur in nit , - tale to the prisoner, who, however wicked be 'Melts have been to conceal it, upon the discovery, still had not felo niously stolen it. In addition to these doubt., the it:i smer received font I respectable witnesses as almost unimpeachable character. Mr. Justice Palk charged the Jury, who having deli berated for Omni a quarter of an hour, pronounced the prisoner Nut Guilty. MOST I.XIRAOR DINA RY CASE. Joseph goistoloos. a )(wag man, stood indicted for f.•in niou.ly breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Hein y Brown, in the day lime, on the 2lth of December, 1816, person tieing therein, and stealing thereoul a Ban S.-note for the paymeut of 2110 h. and other ninnies, his propecty. Mr. Alley tinted the circumstances of Ills ease to the Jury w it h his Waal ability. Mr. Heory•Hrosso stated, that he had been a Master in the Navy, and lived, on the 21tii of liece.i her last, in ha•t• street, Stepney. On that day, heinig 61111(1 , y, he and his wife went to church, h.i*ing properly serurrd the .100... Oil their return he found the hack door open, and the front door upon the single lock. he haying doubly locked it. Ill► pro perty was streivoil about the room, nod a 2001. note, 421. in maul notes, rod a great quantity of weancg 'living had been stolen ; pr. setutor had sita'e sr.•o the it 01. note. Cm..-examined by Mr Arabia.-11r had the number of the YO 1. note, but not of the rest, rind hr knew it by the number, the date, and the WM. lle did not sec the note from the 27th of I/et-ember until the Itlth (di last, and he had never seen the prison. r about his to ratite.. Mr. tiro. I))ti*, a clerk in the Bank, stated, that on the 16th of klatch, about four o'clock, the prisoner presented a Bank-note for 2001. De esamintil it, in order to a,rt-rtata it it air. outstaniling. 11 h. iog a t welmtaionth gone, it " Int% Nary t 6 114/610C it. Da turned se the book and food