The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-15 00:00:00

STRAHAN, PAUL, AND BATES.

AT the Court of Bankruptcy, on Monday, the
question was argued before Mr. Commissioner Evans
whether, in the case of Strahan, Paul, and Bates, a
division of assets could be made ofi their estates, the
firm having, in addition to their banking business,
traded as navy agents, under the firm of Halford and
Co. Mr. Commissioner Evans, after carefully review-
ing the arguments brought before him, viewed the
case as similar to that of an individual trader, and
gave judgment in favour of a joint account, under
which all creditors must come.

On Tuesday the bankrupts were brought up before
Mr. Commissioner Evans, to undergo their final
examination. An elaborate report upon the ac-
counts of the firm, as investigated by Mr. Turquand,
the accountant, was read by Mr. Lawrence. Mr.
Turquand, in his investigations, appeared to attribute
the cause of the failure of the bank to a debt of
Lord Mostyn amounting to 89,973/. 13s. 9d., and the
speculations in Italian railroads, by which 209,3821.
3s. sd. were lost :

The unfortunate connection (continues Mr. Turquand)
with Messrs. J. H. and E. T. Gandell, commencing in
1852, and resulting at the date of the bankruptcy in a debt
to the bank of 2iii1,3821. 38. bd., with liabilities in addition
to their account to the extent of 103,8701., coupled with the
heavy withdrawal of capital in respect to Lord Mostyn's
debt and the Mostyn Colliery, may be fairly looked upon
as the cause which brought about the disastrous failure of
the bank.

[These Italian railroad schemes, and the drainage
of Lake Capestang, in the south of France, although
costing vast sums, appear to have been looked upon
by the bankrupts as a certain source of ultimate
wealth, and in consequence enormous sums were e:..-
pended upon the realisation of the project.]
The time arrived when the resources of the bank were
no longer able to meet this constant drain upon it. Ac-
ceptances were then given, and other heavy periodical
liabilities incurred, for the purpose of providing the requi

DECEMBER 15, 1855.

site funds. These last acts appear to have led to the
most distressing feature of this case.
Almost the whole of the property of the bank has been
pledged, and Mr. Strahan's private estate was resorted to
for the same purpose. The large sums so raised had dis•
appeared, and there was no alteniative but the payment of
the acceptances and other liabilities as they became due,
or bankruptcy. In the vain hope that the anticipated
funds would yet be forthcoming in time to avert the im•
pending ruin, recourse was had to those means of raising
funds the consequences of which are now being visited on
the bankrupts.
In conclusion, it appeared that the present defi-
ciency of the bank amounted to 524,022/. 18s. 5d., of
which upwards of 483,000/. were involved in Lord
Mostyn's debt and the Italian railroads. The assets
are estimated at 127,6701. 16s. 7d., and a dividend of
two shillings in the pound was declared. An adjourn.
ment was finally ordered to the 11th of March, and
the bankrupts were removed back to prison.

THE TRIAL OF ROBERT HANDCOCK FOR THE
MURDER OF HIS WIFE took place before Baron
Parke, at Exeter, on Saturday last. The murder was
committed in August, under peculiar circumstances.
The prisoner bad a delusion that his wife had been
unfaithful to him, and for some months had not only
personally threatened to murder her, but had re-
peatedly told his neighbours of his intention. He
ultimately put his threat into execution, killing his
wife while in bed by striking her on the bead with a
hammer and cutting her throat. The fact of the
murder having been proved, the evidence of several
medical men was heard in testimony of the insanity
of the prisoner. Baron Parke carefully pointed
out to the jury the exact bearing of the law with
regard to insanity, which does not extenuate a man
suffering merely from a delusion, if he were clearly
aware of the nature of the act be was about to com-
mit. The jury retired for a short time, and on their
return gave a verdict of Acquittal, on the ground of
insanity. The prisoner was ordered to be detained
during the Queen's pleasure.
AR ABOMINABLE CASE OF ILL-TREATMENT OF AWIFE
was brought before Mr. Hammill, at Worship-street,
on Monday last. Henry Hancock, an artificial
flower-maker, was charged by his wife with the fol-
lowing ill-usage :
My husband is incessantly and most cruelly ill-using me,
and starves me. At halfpast twelve at night on Saturday
week he returned home perfectly drunk. I had been
waiting for him all that time until then in the dark, as I
had no food, no candle, no coals, nor money to buy either
with. I complained to him of his cruelty, and told him he
had only sent one pound of bread home to keep myself and
the two children the whole day. He swore at me.
said I could not starve while I had bread, and laid
hold of both my arms, and twisted them back. He
then struck me violently in the left side, and dragged
me about the room in such a manner that I have had
a pain in my aide ever since from it. I am very
ill indeed from ill-usage and starvation, and my two
children are also ill from want. After beating me in
the way described, I screamed out for the police, upon
which he said he was ready for me, ran out of the house,
and I have never seen him since till now. lie has often
beaten me in this way before; he did so a few days after
my confinement with my first child, and repeatedly since.
I have been married five years to him. He has a good busi-
ness if he likes to attend to it, but he comes home every
night muddled with drink. Three weeks ago I took out a
summons against him, but would not prosecute, as he pro-
mised to treat me better, although he had then struck me
violently in the face and kicked me for merely going after
him to a bagatelle-table, where he was wasting his money,
and he then got a low woman to abuse me. He has twice
separated from me, and one night I was obliged to stop
away from him, as I dare not sleep with him sometimes
from his pinching and kicking me.
Other evidence proved that the prisoner could and
did earn N. a week, which be spent in low debauchery,
while he starved his wife and children. Mr. Hammill
sentenced the prisoner to six months' hard labour,
and at the expiration of that time to find bail for
another six months' good behaviour.
A GENTLEMAN, MR. MARTIN, OF WHITECHAPEL,
accompanied by seven wretched children, appeared
before Mr. Hammill on Tuesday at Worship-street,
to request his interference on behalf of the poor
little creatures brought into court. Mr. Martin then
briefly stated that he had found these children, be-
numbed with cold and utterly destitute, huddled
together on Saturday night outside the Whitechapel
Workhouse. On applying to the workhouse authori-
ties for admission for the children, the official curtly
told him that the children "wouldn't lodge there,"
and slammed the door in his face. Mr. Martin, at
his own cost, then got them shelter and food in a
lodging-house for a day or two, and had now brought
them before the magistrate for his disposal. In
answer to the questions of Mr. Hammill, Mr. Martin
stated that there was no relationship between the
children—that some were orphans, and the rest
had been deserted by their parents. After some
further conver-ation the children were sent direct
in charge of an officer to the board of guardians.
THE CAPTAINS OF THE Two TRANSPORTS, SalOCiR
and Equator, were charged by Government before
t be inagibtrates of Portsmouth on Tuesday last with