The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-22 00:00:00

The jury returned a verdict of " Natural death."

THE LORD CHANCELLOR, with the advice and
assistance of the other Judges of the Court of Chan-
cery, has this week issued a general order for the
purpose of giving further effect to the act abolishing
the office of Master in Chancery, and making pro-
visions for " the more speedy and effectual despatch
of business in the said court." The order classifies
the business to be disposed of by the Master of the
Rolls, and the Vice Chancellors respectively, while
sitting at chambers.

COUNI ARTHUR PIDOVINI DE GUISE, formerly a
colonel in the French army, was summoned last
Saturday, at Marlborough-street, and fined 20s. and
costs, for setting his Newfoundland dog upon a stray
cat in the inclosure in Leicester-square.
THE OLD STORY OF LOVE, SEDUCTION, AND SUICIDE
was again told last week in the case of Caroline
Hobbs, a maid-servant, who poisoned herself with
oil of almonds at her lodgings in Augusta-street,
Regent's-park. The poor girl had been seduced by
her " young man," lost her situation in consequence
of becoming enceinte, and apparently deserted by
her lover, she put an end to her existence. Some
letters, mentioning the fellow in the most affectionate
terms, were read at the inquest. The coroner said
he bad rarely met with a more melancholy case, and
the jury returned a verdict of Death from swallow-
ing poison," but leaving the state of the deceased's
mind an open question.

A GANG OF SWINDLERS IN ST. JOHN'S WOOD,
a Mr. and Mrs. Bond, and one Fennel and his wife,
who acted as servants, were brought up on Wednes-
day, before Mr. Combe, at Southwark, charged with
obtaining nearly 1,0001. worth of goods from various
tradesmen, and absconding without payment. Their
system was very simple. Ther took a furnished house
for a week, No. 3, Wellington-place, St. John's
Wood. Mrs. Bond went the round of the shops,
ordered silks, satins, furniture, lamps, &c., &c., to be
sent by a certain day to the house for Mr. Bond's
inspection. When the goods came, Mr. Bond was
out. The tradesman, of course, seeing a handsomely-
furnished house, left the goods at Mrs. Bond's
request. When he called a day or two afterwards,
goods and customers were gone together. The
prisoners were remanded.
ANOTHER FRAUDLENT BREACH OF TRUST, on the
part of a manager who enjoyed the "fall confidence',
of his employers, has transpired this week. A Mr.
Stuart, the managing man for eighteen years of
Messrs. Bunnett and Corpe, engineers, at Deptford,
has absconded. Defalcations to the amount of
several thousand pounds have been discovered in his
accounts. He was in the habit of charging his em-
ployers a higher rate of wages than he paid the men,
and putting the difference into his own pocket.
THE INQUEST ON GEORGE CARTER, whose dead
body was found near Erith a few days ago, was re-
sumed on Tuesday by Mr. Carttar, at the Crown Inn,
but nothing further of a positive character was
elicited, and the inquiry was adjourned for a week.
It was stated that the police had obtained informa-
tion upon the subject which would probably lead to
the apprehension of the murderer.

MURDER, SUICIDE, AND ROBBERY, have been plen-
tiful this week. On the 14th, Charles Forrester,
formerly an acting home missionary in the neigh.
bourhood of Wokingham, Berks, cut the throat of
his only child, a boy 3f five years of age. No reason
is assigned for the art. Forrester had lately been
superseded in his place by the City Mission Society,
as intellectually unfit for the office. Since then he
had been in very low spirits. He is believed to be
insane. A verdict of "Wilful murder" was found
at the inquest, and the prisoner was fully committed
for trial.—Last Saturday night Henry Fenn, a carver
and gilder of tho Hackney- road, cut his own throat after
having drowned his wife in the canal close by.—
The same day the bo3y of a girl, missed for some
weeks in Worcester, was found in the Worcester
canal. The body exhibited severe bruises about the
head, and at the coroner's inquest strong evidence
was given which would lead to the belief that the
poor girl had been cruelly murdered. She was last
seen on the night of the 27th October. On that night
she had quarrelled with her lover. About 4 a.m. on
the 28th loni cries of" Murder" and for" Help " were
beard by a man living near the canal. The jury
returned an open verdict, yet expressing a belief that
the girl had been foully murdered.—On Tuesday,
a healthy American, a Mr. Jonathan Tneker, after
eating a hearty breakfast at his lodgings in Router-

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hithe, cut his throat with the carving knife .—With
respect to robberies and garotting, numerous cases
have been brought forward. As a sample of what
garotting really is we subjoin the statement of a :Mr.
Moore, given at the Lambeth Police Court, this
week. Mr. Moore had been garotted and robbed
within a few feet of his own door in Lambeth :

Mr. Moore, who seemed to be suffering severely from the
serious injuries inflicted on him, and particularly from the
violent squeezing of his throat, said—This morning between
the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock, while passing along Temple-
street, on my way home, I heard some footsteps behind me,
and finding by the sound that they were closely approaching
me, I, when a minute's walk from my own door,
turned round, and saw four men close behind me.
One of the men put one of his arms round my neck, while
he grasped me by the throat with the hand of the other,
and drew me back towards him. One of the others
struck me a violent blow on the chest, and a second
gave me an equally violent blow on the stomach. I felt
certain I should have been suffocated ; but by a great
effort T made such a struggle that I fell to the ground, and
on doing so I cried out " Murder" as well as I could.

ONE- OF THE MEMBERS OF THE REFORM CLus,
Captain Robert Finney, was, on Saturday la't,
charged before Mr. Henry, at Bow-street, with
creating a shameful disturbance outside the club on
the previous Thursday evening, by insisting upon
introducing a " coalheaver " to the members of that
respectable club. The steward of the club objected,
but the gallant captain insisted upon his right to
bring in any friend of his, and at length, on the re-
sistance of the porters, created so great a disturbance
that the police were sent for, and Captain Finney
given in charge. " Cagily," who had so far enjoyed
the joke considerably, upon being called upon by hie
friend "to rescue him," thought discretion the better
part of valour, and fled. The magistrate, believing Cap-
tain Finney to be disordered in his mind, adjourned
the case, that steps might be taken to place the de-
fendant under restraint.

ANOTHER FRAUD ON THE GREAT NORTHERN
RAILWAY was exposed on Thursday morning at the
Clerkenwell Police Court, when Mr. William Snell,
the chief clerk in the accountant's office of the com-
pany, was placed at the bar, before Mr. Tyrwhitt,
charged with embezzling the sum of nearly 1,0001.,
the monies of the company. Mr. Leach appeared
for the prosecution. From the evidence it appeared
that the prisoner had been chief clerk in the account-
ant's office, and in that situation all the cliequ(s
drawn by the directors were placed in the hands of
Mr. Reynolds, the accountant, and by him givtn
into the custody of the prisoner. One cheque for
500/., drawn in favour of the Provident Fund, and
dated 11th of July, was appropriated by him to his
own purposes. On Wednesday, when asked to make
up his accounts, he said be was a defaulter to the
extent of 1,0001., and that "he was very sorry." Mr.
Reynolds told him he must consider himself in cus-
tody. The facts having been shortly gone into, the
prisoner was remanded for a few days.
SECRECY IN AN AGENT cannot be exacted by the
employer when the communications have an immo-
ral or dishonest tendency. Such is the law as laid
down by the Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday last in the
case of " Gartside v. Outram"—a case which, in these
days of Redpaths and Robsons, is guile a refreshing
example of commercial morality. The following are
the circumstances :—Messrs. Gartside, Ward, and
Bowes are wool-brokers at Liverpool ; the defendant
Outram, was originally an apprentice to them, after,
wards their sales clerk for three years, up to July'
1655 ; and he then left their service. They now
accuse him of gross misconduct. While he was in
their employment he bad access to their correspon-
dence, book.:, and private accounts. With this infor-
mation he went to other persons, and made state-
ments injurious to the firm; and they now moved
for an injunction to restrain him from communi-
cating the papers of which be had obtained copies.
Ontram, on his part, put in exceptions. He declared
that the firm carried on a business fraudulent towards
their customers. He said that when wool was sent
to Messra. Gartside, Ward, and Bowes to be sold
under the market price, they were in the habit of
taking it themselves, and of sending fictitious " sold"
notes, which made it appear that they parted with
the wool at the under price, and that they then sold
it in the market at the real price, or higher, if pos-
sible, pocketing the difference. A particular cm*
was instanced by Outram, who stated, that through
information, and by award of an arbitrator, furnished
by him, a person had recovered 1,5001. Outram also
filed cross interrogatories catechising the plaintiffs,
in order to extract from them evidence substantiating
his own answer. The plaintiffs resisted. The
Vice-Chancellor Page Wood said, if the injunction
were allowed, Outram would be prevented from
making those disclosures public. Now, here lay a
question between his duty to the public and his duty
to his employers. Citing authorities, Sir William
Page Wood adopted the rule, that if a man is
employed as an attorney in an unlawful or wicked
act, his duty to the public obliges him to disclose it.
No confidential relation could by law exist in rela-
tion to a fraudulent transaction. His Honour then
allowed the exceptions of Outram to stand.

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