The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-24 00:00:00

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THE PECULIAU ADVANTAGES OF THE ACCOMMODA-
TION BIM. SYSTEM were never clearly explained to
the public before the examination at the Bankruptcy
Court last Tuesday of Messrs. Sadgrove and Ragg,
upholsterers in Finsbury. These persons, about
three years since, joined partnership with a capital a
little below 2,0001. In three years their transactions
amounted to upwards of 200,0001. The point is, the
manner in which their original want of capital was so
far supplied as to enable them to maintain such
enormous transactions. It was by the creation of
accommodation bills. Ragg, the financier, is an
original genius. He wanted capital ; he created
bills, and such was his suavity of manner that he got
them discounted at ten per cent. But the bills
would have been nothing without an efficient staff of
acceptors. A " Mr. Smith," of the Isle of Wight,
undertook that position at the moderate charge of
Is. a bill, and signed them in bundles. A "poor
man " living in London, named Woodman, and who
figured as " Mr. Woodman, of Turkey," occasionally
accepted when so required. He had not exceeded
twenty. A. "Mr. Brown, of Stratford•terrace," and
the nephew of Mr. Sadgrove, were only too happy to
sign their names. Mr. Turner, " a gentleman's
servant," did the same for a small consideration.
Then came George Jones, aged eighteen, in the
employ of and receiving from the former wages

1039

to the amount of 6s. a week, who repre-
sented and signed for a " Mr. Gutteridge, of Nor-
wood, a gentleman of independent means, but afflicted
with paralysis ; " then Meyers, a boy of sixteen, in
the same employ, used to sign in the name of
Bradley; a black performed the same office for a
Mr. Guthrie ; and, lastly, Mrs. Anne Herons, wbo
worked for the firm at Bs. a week, represented Mr.
Herons on the backs of bills for 2,000/. These bills
were discounted by a Mr. More and a Mr. Stephens
at ten per cent. More does not seem likely to fatten
on the affair, as at the last moment he was " taken
in," for his name appears on the creditor list for
2,700/., a mistake he endeavoured to retrieve by
taking a preference assignment of security, an act of
sagacity only defeated by the shrewdness of the other
creditors. This case is an alarming instance of the
power of rascally employers to obtain the complicity
of those they employ in any scheme of villany they
may choose to adopt, and to pervert them from the
paths of honesty. Judgment is
,for the present de-
ferred.

THE INQUIRY into the causes of the recent collision
on the South Wales Railway with respect to the
death of Sarah Harmer, one of the passengers killed,
has resulted in a verdict of " Manslaughter" against
Charles White, the station.m aster at Stormy.
THE CASE OF " FONIILANQUE Y. BUCESTONE," in
which the popular manager of the Haymarket was
sued at the Westminster County Court by Mr. A.
Fonblanque,Jun., a banister residing at Manchester,
for damages and costs on account of the detention,
from April to October, of a manuscript farce, has
been decided in favour of Mr. Fonblanque, who was
awarded Is. damages for detention, the costs of the
journey to London, and the amount of costs in
action. _ _ .

No CLUE or information of the slightest impor-
tance has yet been gained relative to the supposed
murder at Waterloo•bridge.