The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

Naln nub Voila.

AN INGENIOUS FORGER, one Edward Horace Mon-
tefiore, was brought up on remand before the Lord
Mayor on Monday charged with having forged bills
to the amount of 5,3001. Mr. Horatio Joseph Mon •
tefiore, of the Stock Exchange, said he did not know
that there was any other Joseph Montefiore on the
Stock Exchange than himself, and he had no know-
ledge of the prisoner. " To the best of my knowledge,"
said he, " I never saw the prisoner before. He is
not to my knowledge a nephew of mine. He had no
authority to draw bills upon me." The fraud had
been devised by the prisoner upon a most ex-
tensive scale, and with a degree of ingenuity seldom
displayed even in cases success in which had been of
late frequently so profitable. On the fith of June,
1855, an application was made to the London and
Westminster Bank by a person who called himself
James Silvery for a letter of credit for 10/., payable at
the Cape of Good Hope Bank, Cape Town, to the
credit of Richard Rowe, and the letter was granted.
No application for payment, however, had been made
either at the Cape or in London, and the letter of
credit had no doubt been obtained by the prisoner,
or a confederate of his, for the purpose of enabling
them to obtain the signatures of the managers and
directors of the bank, with a view to imitate the sig-
natures to the documents which were subsequently
presented at the Cape of Good Hope. On the
7th of July the prisoner left for the Cape, and
arrived there on the 2-Ith of August in the ship
Lightning, and on the next day he called at the
Cape of Good Hope Bank and left there the follow-
ing letters for the directors:—
(Special.) London and Westminster Bank,
London, June R, 1855.
Gentlemen,—T am desired by the managing directors of
this bank to introduce to you the bearer, Mr. Edward H.
Montefiore, who purposes spending a year's leave of absence
from the East in travelling.

SATURDAY,

Mr. Montefiore has with him draughts of his own friends,
with the endorsement of this establishment, and it is par-
ticularly requested that you will grant him any assistance,
pecuniary or otherwise, that he may require.
I am, &c.,
J. W. WELDON, pro General Manager.
To the Directors of Cape of Good Hope Bank, Cape Town.
One of the directors of the Cape of Good Hope Bank
called at the hotel where the prisoner had taken up
his quarters, after the perusal of the above letter, but
nothing further then took place. However, by the
very next post the bank received the following
letter :

(Special.) London and Westminster Bank,
London, 9th June, 18b5.

Gentlemen,—Confirming my despatches per steamship
Fiery Cross, by order of the directors I have now to inform
you that a letter of credit, No. 998, dated the 6th inst., has
been mislaid by or stolen from the party (Richard Rowe,
Esq.) in whose favour it was drawn. You will therefore,
in case of presentation to you, withhold payment thereof
until the presenter thereof shall he fully identified.
I am also directed to inclose the duplicate of a special
letter given yesterday to Mr. Edward H. Montefiore, who
carries drar.ghts of his own friends on China to the sum of
5,300/. sterling—viz., 5,300/., endorsed by this bank; for
these, as well as for Mr. Montefiore personally, I have to
claim particular attention.
I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,
J. W. WELDON, pro General Manager.
To the Directors of the Cape of Good Hope Bank
Cape Town. No. 924.
- - - - - -

These letters show the ingenious mode in which tho
forgery bad been conducted, and display capacity for
depredation similar to that by which the present year
has been distinguished by the adventurers in fraud
and robbery. In consequence of the receipt of the
last letter, the directors of the Cape of Good
Hope Bank could entertain no idea of a fraud, and
in the usual way drew out of the bank up to the
sth of September several sums of money, amounting
in all to 8001., when, in consequence of communi•
cations from London, a discovery took place.
The prisoner at once left the Cape and sailed
for England, where he was apprehended on his ar-
rival before he had an opportunity of disposing of
himself to his own satisfaction. The prisoner was
remanded.

MR. SURR EDWARD PACK BARBER, of the Samaritan
Institution, appeared at the Guildhall on Tuesday,
in discharges of his recognisance, to answer the
several charges preferred against him at the instance
of Mr. Potter, of 62, Farriugdon-street, one of the
guardians of the %Vest London Union, of unlawfully
obtaining under false pretences two barrels of porter,
one sack of flour, and one barrel of biscuits, with
intent to defraud Messrs. Hoare and Co., the brewers
of Lower East Smithfield ; Messrs. Manners and
Wells, brewers of Whitechapel ; Messrs. Ponsford
and Co., of the City Flour Mills; and Messrs. Hunt-
ley and Palmer, of Reading. After a very long
examination of the witnesses, in which the evidence
was rather conflicting as to the relief afforded by the
institution,
Sir R. W. CARMIN said : I consider there is a very strong
case to send for trial, and if you took my advice yon
would reserve your defence. I think the best thanks of
the public are due to Mr. Potter for the part he has taken
in this affair.

Mr. SLEIGH : This is a prosecution of great importance,
upon charges of a very grave character, and, having made
out a strong case, I will now ask you, sir, to hold this man
to bail to meet these charges. I think he should be called
upon to put in substantial bail.
Mr. HORSELEY : Mr. Barber's whole interests lie in
meeting these charges, and there is no fear but that he
will attend.

Sir H. W. CARDEN : If he enters into his own recogni.
sance in 501. it will sufficient.

The case was then adjourned.
CHRISTOPHER STANNARD—the cabman charged
with causing the death of a young woman, Sarah
Tidyman, on Sunday night, the 21st ult., through
being drunk and falling from his seat, thus permit-
ting his horse to run away and come into collision
with an omnibus, the pole of which was dashed
through the cab and crushed the deceased to death—
was on Monday committed for trial for manslaughter.

THE BULLION ROBBERY AND THE GREAT NOR-
THERN RAILWAY FRAUD CASES will be heard on the
13th instant at the Central Criminal Court. Arrange-
ments similar to those made in the Palmer case are
to be adopted with respect to these proceedings. By
this arrangement the numerous witnesses will have
the comfort of being accommodated in one of the
courts, and thus be exempted from the inconvenience
of being kept waiting in the different lobbies.
THOMAS MANSELL, convicted at the last Maidstone
Assizes of the murder of a comrade belonging to
the 49th Regiment, has been respited until the sth
of February, in order to afford time for the
decision of certain points of law raised by his
counsel, relating to the mode of swearing the jury
on his trial, the Attorney-General having intimated
his intention to grant his fiat for the suing out of a
writ of error.
JOHN PAUL, tho assistant clerk to the City of
London Union, and charged with Manini, the late

JANUARY 3, 1857.

collector, with committing frauds to the extent of
13,000/. upon the Union, was captured on Tuesday
night by Detective May, in the neighbourhood of
Hackney. The committee of investigation have pre-
sented their report on the frauds to the Board of
Guardians. The committee recommend the dis.
missal of Mr. Gibbs the auditor, Mr. Rowsell the
clerk, Mr. Hampton the ledger-keeper, and Mr.
Eldred the assistant clerk, for gross and culpable
neglect of their duties. The prisoner (Paul) was
taken before the Lord Mayor the next day, charged
with having on the 2nd of September stolen a
cheque for 3781. 15s. 81., and with having on the
19th of November forged a receipt on the part or
. _

Messrs. Payne and Smith, the bankers, for 2901.,
both of which sums, instead of applying to their
proper purposes, he had paid into his own private
account at the London Bank. Ev►dence was gone
into to substantiate these charges, and the prisoner
was remanded for a week.

AN OLD Womaas, one Maria Beckett, living with
her mart ied daughter at Wing Bucks, in a flt of in-
sanity last Tuesday, after threatening to murder the
whole of the family, snatched up a carving. knife, and
before any one could restrain her, seized her daugh•
ter's infant sleeping in the cradle close by, and with
of • :ash almost severed the head from the body.
A WomAii, one Mrs. Bradley, a farmer's wife, of
Liverpool, while in a fit of monomania after child
birth, poisoned her infant last week with a dose of
laudanum. When questioned as to her object for
committing so horrible a crime, she said that she
had herself committed the unpardonable sin, and as
she did not wish her sin to be visited on the child,
she had sent it to heaven whilst it was innocent.
She wanted to send her baby to heaven in its

purity.
THE BANK AT GODALNING was robbed on Tuesday
night between mideight and daybreak. The watch
dogs gave no alarm, and those placed to take care of
the bank were not disturbed, though considerable
force must have been used to break open the iron
safes containing the cash and securities. The our-
glars possessed themselves of 2901. in silver, a small
sum in Bank of England notes, and some valuable
securities. Fortunately the iron safe containing gold
and Bank of England notes to a very large amount,
upwards of 15,0001., resisted their efforts, and it is
supposed that, irom being disturbed, they desisted,
carrying off merely the ally. r and the notes.

A Cuatous CASE OF ALLEGED ABDUCTION came
before a jury in the Bath County Cuurt yesterday
week. The plaintiff in the a tion was the Rev.
Morris Yescombe, a clergyman, residing at Ore, n-
park Buildings, Bath ; and the defendants were Mr.
John Webb Roche, a gentleman of fortune, living in
Queen square in the same city, and Mrs. Eliza A.
Madox, his mother-in-law, who resided with him.
The damages were laid at 501., arising, as stated in
the particulars of demand, from the defendants
having unlawfully enticed away a young lady named
Louisa Koch, a governess, who was at the time in
the employment of the plaintiff, and after so enticing
her away harbouring and employing her at their
house. The circumstances of the case were simply
these :—Mr. Roche had paid Miss Koch marked
attention while in Mr. Yescombe's house. Mr. Yes.
combo remonstrated with him. Mr. Roche promised
to do so no more, but in three or four days aas
found by Mr. Yescombe in the schoolroom with Miss
Koch. Mr. Yescombe turned him out of the house;
and after two or three similar occurrences Miss Koch
finally took up her residence in Mr. Roche's house,
and hence the action for loss of services. Mr. W. S.
Landor, who was subpoenaed as a witness, put in a
very characteristic declaration, saying that be could
not endure a crowded room, and praying to be ex-
cused giving evidence. He declared also that he
could neither substantiate nor rebut charges against
Mr. Roche, and that be had a firm belief in the
integrity and veracity of Mr. Yescombe. The hearing
of the case was resumed on the 31st at Bath, when
further evidence was given in support of the plaintiff.
Mr. T. W. Saunders then addressed the jury for the
defendants, and called Mr. Roche, who made a ge-
neral denial of the statements of the witnesses for
the plaintiff. The defendant became much excited
towards the close of his examination, and charac•
terised several of the statements made by the plaintiff
and his witnesses as " infernal lie.L" When cross•
examined he gave a direct negative to all questions
put to him. The further hearing of the case was
adjourned till Friday.
MARTHA BACON, a respectable married woman, was
on Tuesday brought before Mr. Elliott, at Lambeth
Police-court, charged with murdering her two
children, the one about fifteen months, and the
other about three and a half years of age, by cutting
their throats from ear to ear, and also with inflicting
some wounds on her own throat, with the intention
of committing suicide. The prisoner, in a vacant
manner, said that she did not do it. " A man got in
at the window at eight o'cl, ck the previous night,
murdered the children, and cut her throat as well."
The evidence of a neighbour who first made the
discovery, and of the police constable who took Mrs.

THE PRESS.

Bacon in charge, having been heard, Mr. Elliott re-
inanded the prisoner till a future day. The poor
woman was e iidently insane.
A DEPLORAJLE CASE OF DESTITUTION was exposed
this week betora Mr. Baker, the coroner, while holding

an inquest on the body of a child, three months old,
one William Pack, who died from want. The evidence

proved that the parents of the deceased and three
other children lived in a hovel not fit for human

habitation, at No. 6, Virginia-row, the children being
naked and without food. The father, who is a
harness-maker, has through illness not been able to
pursue his occupation, and the only sustenance of
the family was derived from the mother's scanty
earnings as a charwoman. Verdict, " Death from
destitution."

A LITERARY IMPOSTOR, one John Daniell, who is
da ly applying to noblemen and of►ers, and has
obta►ned a.saistance from the Duke of Wellington
and General Williams, to enable him to conclude a
work on " The Defenders of Kars," was exposed by
Mr. Alderman Wire, at tba Mansion house, on Tues-

day. The rascal applied to Alderman Wire some
time since as Daniell, and on Monday made another
application in the name of Walsh. Alderman Wire
at once detected him, and was about to bring him to
the Mansion-house, when the scamp took to hie heels
and escaped.
A FAMILY FRACAS was investigated by Mr. Hammill,
at Worship-street Police-court, on 'l'uesday. Dr.
James Winn, the physician of Finsbury-square, with
one of his eyes very much con used, and Thompson
Tinley, one of his servants, were charged with an
assault upon Mr. Mark B njamin Benham, a gen-
tleman residing with his lamily in the same house.
The complainant, whose head was bandaged and

bloody, stated :
I reside at 13, Finsbury-square, in the same house with
the defendant. I last night, about four hours before this
assault occured, had a few words with Mr. Winn, and about
a quarter past 12 o'clock was retiring to rest with my
family. On entering my bedroom, on the second floor,
having my coat over my arm, my hat in one hand, and a
candlestick in the other, Dr. Winn rushed upon me from
behind and struck me, repeated the blow, and I dropped
the candle. He struck me then several times and called
for his servant, Tinley. He at. that time had my head bent
down, and Tinley came and struck me several times with
some weapon. I exclaimed, " Oh, my God. Julia my wife),
they are murdering me ; they have got a life preserver." I
bled about a quart, I should think. My son, daughter,
and others came, and I was taken to my surgeon's, where
my wounds were dressed, and I then went to the station-
house, where the detendants then were, and charged them.
Mr. Ilesimitd. : Can you at all account for this attack ?
Complainant: Not at all, unless it was ci.nsequent
upon the dispute between us respecting the disputed
possession of the house.
Mr. HAMMILL: I cannot deal with a case of that kind.
Complainant: No, of course not. After the previous
dispute things remained quiet until twelve o'clock. As I
passel his room I may have said that the Doctor was a
swindler, but I don't remember it, and I was never in-
toxicated in my life.
Mr. HAmmitt : But why did you call him a swindler?
Complainant: Because he has been concerned in a
couple of bubble companies. When I got into my mom
he followed me, and struck me twice. I did defend my-
self, but I did not knock him down. When the candle
fell there was still a glimmering light from the gas. When
Tinley came up I had not got the Doctor down on the
ground with my hand on his throat. In answer to the
Doctor's call for him, I heard Tinley say, " I'm coming,
anti I'll give him a pill." There was a stand-up fight be-
tween us before Tinley came, if a few blows struck by each
of us constitutes such.
The assault having been corroborated by the testi-
mony of Mrs. Benham and her son, Mr. Hammitt
decided upon sending the case to the sessions, but,
in consideration of Dr. Winn being in extensive
practice, admitted him to bail, accepting his own
recognisances in 5001. and two sureties of 2501. each.
The servant Tinley was locked up.
MR. FREDERICK PRENDERGAST, a barrister-at-law,
was charged before Mr. Jardine on Tuesday iith
being drunk and disorderly and assaulting a cabman
named Farrow, and &policeman of the F division. At
about eleven o'clock on the previous night it appeared
that the defendant hired Farrow's cab, and kept him
driving about till three o'clock in the morning, getting
out to drink at almost every public-house. At that
time, on pulling up in Fleet-street, the driver found th at
the defendant had broken one of the cab windows. He
demanded payment of his fare, which was 75., and of
the value of the glass, 25., whereupon the defendant
laid hold of him by the throat and nearly throttled
him. He called out for help, and constable Dowsett,
130 F, came to his assistance. The prisoner then
attacked the constable in the same way, first at-
tempting to strangle him, and then striking him in
the face. The prisoner was drunk, and his language
and manner, as described by the constable, were
" those of a madman." The defendant said lie had
taken too much wine, and he was sorry for it, but the
statements made against him were very much
exaggerated. Mr. Jardine said that the conduct of
the prisoner was the more disgraceful on account of
his position in society, and his regret appeared to be

11

that of a man who was sorry he was going to be
punished rather than sorry he had done wrong. For

the a'sault on the constable he must be committed

for 14 days, and he must pay the cabman 9s. or be
further imprisoned for one month. The defendant
earnestly entreated bis worship to give him the
option of a fine, as he bad important business to
attend to in Ireland. Mr. Jardine.—" I have nothing
to do with that." The prisoner was then removed,
but in the course of the day he addressed a letter to
his worship begging to be fined, and stating that his
" temporal futurity" was at stake. Mr. Jardine ulti-
mit-ly substituted a fine of 51., which the defendant

jojful! y paid.
ANOTHER DEATH FROM ACCIDENTAL POISONING by a
druggist's assistatt is reported this week. A Mr.
M arcooly, mast er tai' or, carrying on business at Bruns-
wick-place, Brom! ton, died last Saturday morning,
alter taking what he thought was a dose of " castor
oil." The circumstances of the case were as follt-ws :
Mr. Marcooly ordered an ounce of castor oil to be.
bought from Mr. Budd, a chemist close at hand. The
servant took a small phial into Mr. Budd's and asked
for an ounce of castor oil ; the assistant then filled it.
This was about nine a.m. on Saturday. The servant
returned; Mr. Marcooly took the dose imnie.liately,
and in a very short time fell dead upon the floor. A
post mortem examination resulted in the discovery of
nearly two drachms of prussic acid in the stomach.
Prior to proceeding with the evidence the jury in-
spected the shop of Mr. Budd, in order to ascertain
whe:e the castor oil and oil of bitter almonds write
respectively kept, as it was alleged the latter had
been substituted for the former. Mr. Budd showed
that they were kept widely apart, anti that the
poisons generally were kept in a closet, and not upon
the ordinary shelves. It also appeared from the
books amid invoices that all decrease in the stock of
oil of bitter almonds, except for two drachms, was
satisfactorily accounted for. The servant boy sent
for the castor oil said, that when he asked for an ounce
of castor oil, the assistant took the bottle out of his
(witness's) sight to the place where the prescrip-
tions are made up :
Witness saw him take with him a white bottle from the
left•hand of the shop and a red bottle from one of the
shelves facing the door.
By the Coroner.—Did not see him pour anything into
the phial that he (witness) took. The assistant did not
ask whom it was fur. Witness had fetched castor oil from
that shop belare, and was quite sure that he did nut ask
for anything to 6e mixed with the castor oil. There was
another customer, a little boy, waiting, but the assistant
served witness first.
Mr. Budd produced his book, showing what had
been sold on Saturday morning, and the following
entries appeared :—Castor oil, 3d.; prescription,
Is. 6d. Upon a copy of the latter prescription being
produced, the Coroner observed that there was
hydrocyanic acid in the prescription. The boy
Tanson, on being re examined, said that at tie time
he was there he saw the assistant open the closet
door where the poisons were kept, but did not see
whether be took anything out. The bottle contain-
ing the prussic acid was produced, when Mr. Budd
said, lie always filled it himself, but could not, tell
when he last filled it, nor could he account for• how
the deficiency of two drachms had been caused.
The above two drachms were the quantity supposed
to have been taken by deceased. The inquiry was
then adjourned.
Joins HANNAH, the strolling player, was hanged at
York on Saturday, for the murder, on the 11th Sep-
tember last, of Jane Banham, a girl with whom he
bad cohabited.
REDANIES, the murderer of the two girls at Dover,
was hanged at Maidstone on Thursday.

A ROYAL SHAKEDOWN.—AS the Prince of Wales
and his tutor were travelling lately, incog., in the
West of England, the landlord of a certain hotel,
having reason to expect a visit from his Royal High-
ness, prepared his best rooms in his best style, and
then waited day by day in feverish anxiety. One
afternoon a gentleman and a youth arrived at the
hotel, and asked if rooms could be had for the
night? All the servants were in a bustle imme-
diately, for the landlord was sure he discerned the
young Prince and his tutor in the newly•arrived
travellers. So the best rooms were speedily given to
the guests, and every possible comfort was added to
make them happy, while the landlord, with a certain
knowing look of bland satisfaction, behaved to his
royal visitor with the utmost deference, and yet
without any open acknowledgment of his rank, as he
knew it was desired to keep this concealed. Later
in the evening, and when almost every room in the
house had been filled, there arrived three more
travellers, two gentlemen and a boy. When they
asked for bedrooms the landlord said, " Very sorry,
gentlemen, we have only room for two of your party,
but perhaps we can manage to make up a bed for
the young gentleman on the sofa." This was done,
and in the morning it was found that the youth who
had slept on the " shakedown " was the heir of the
crown of England, while the boy who occupied the
bed meant for the Prince was only Master --;
travelling with his father.

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