The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-09 00:00:00

frIE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

collecting euhscnptionn, he nasal he haul plenty of time
on him hands and knew the parties connected with the
regatta. Witness had not seen the prisoner Ashton
before, to the best of his knowledge, but the prisoner
Godfrey, who stuttered very much, be had seen previ-
ously more than once. That was in 1859. Witness
hail kept a list of the regattas to which he bad sub-
scribed, and he thought he had subscribed to 15 or 16
this year. (A laugh.) On one occasion, in 1860, he
had written his name upon a parchment subscription
lint as subscribing a guinea, but he could not now swear
whether or not it was to Godfrey he paid the money.
Police-constable Holman, said, being on duty near
Lord Geon.ie Hamilton's residence on the Bth of
March, ha was called there and took the prisoner
Ashton into custody, Lord George charging him with
obtaining a guinea from him by a false pretence. On
the way to the station Ashton said, "There in a man
down here who gave me thin piece of parchment,"point-
ing presently afterwards to the prisoner Godfrey, who
was waiting at the corner of a street in the neighbours
hood. On reaching Godfrey the prisoner Ashton re.
proached him with having got him into a
Godfrey replied it was 'all right." Witness appre-
h inded Godfrey also. At the police-station, on beicg
formally chaiged with conspiracy, the prisoner Ashton
said Godfrey gave him the parchment, and Godfrey in
turn said another man gave them to him, but he did
not known him by name. Witnws said he had since
made minute inquiries of every pertain at Tottenham
likely to know, and had not been able to learn that
there ever was a Tottenham regatta or rowing match.
At the police-station he found in. 4d. on Godfrey, and
a guinea and 2.0. on Ashton. liking asked his address
Godfrey said he had no fixed residence, awl lived any-
where. Ashton gave an address in Eliiott's court, Old
Bailey, which proved to be true. He occupied a single
room there.

The -editor of the Tottenham and Edmonton
Herald fur the Net seven yeara, and one Joseph Noakes,
ferryman at Tottenham during the bust eighteen years
were called, and said they had never heard of a regatta
or rowing match at Tottenham, or of one being in cons
templet hin in the present year,
Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., who was called, said
he never sutscribed to a Tottenham regatta or rowing
match, nor did he ever hear of one. He knew the
prisoner Godfrey by sight very well. Years ago he
came to him on various occasions for subscriptions.
Being DOW shown a piece 01 parchment witness said he
saw amnething on it professing to be his signature, but
it was certainly not in his handwriting.
Mr. Mills, M.P. for West Kent, was also called, and
deposed that he never subscribed to a Tottenham row.
ing match or regatta for mi. The name to the list
for 1869 purporting to be his, he thought was in his
handwriting, but that list now appeared to hays a
different heading, and it was imp ssible for him now
to say to what he subscribed in 1869. He knew the
prisoner Godfrey from a peculiar impediment in his
speech, amlfrim his coming to him on several occasions,
and always with a enbscription list.
Lord Enfield, M P., said hie name was attached to
to the subscription list of last year, but it was not his
signature. (A laugh.) He did not authorize anybody
to sign it, nor did he pay anybody a guinea for such a
purpose. He had never heard of such a regetta.
Mr. W. H. Smith, M.P., said his name was sla-
ps...sled to the list for this year as a subseriber for a
guinea. but it was not in his handwriting, nor did he
authorize any one to place it there. Neither did he
pat anybody a guinea for such a sairisse.
Mr. J. G. Talbot, nr. for West Kent, said he hid
never sub-cribed to a "lottenhain rowing match or
regatta. His name was on the list now produced for
ISO, and was written by him, hut he knew he did not
on that occasion sill scribe to a fottenham regatta. In
1868, when he was a candidate for West Kent, he had
many documents of that kind presented to him, and
such of them as did not relate to West Kent were put
aside. (A laugh.)

_
Tim prisoner Ashton, in his defence, said the prisoner
Godfrey asked him to call upon Lord George with the
subscriptron list, and he went accordingly, believing
"it was all correct," and that Godfrey was one of the
comnibtee,

Godfrey, on his part, said he had the papers from a
man named Charles Browning, who asked him if he
know any one who would collect subscriptions, and he
employed Ashton. Browning promised to requite him,
butte had not seen him place.

The jury returned a verdict of Guilty against both
ptoners. . _ _

Evidence was then given that Godfrey had bee a
going about for years victinci.ing the pubic by re.
ceiving suloscriptious for regattas which never •,c-
-curred.

The Recorder sentenced both prisoners to 12 mouths'
I ard labour.