The Express.
London, England, 1862-03-04 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

thosias Cot, 23, clerk, phaded guilty to ea indictment
which charged his with =beading sad stealing the several
Bums of 151. 104, and 171. 13s. 3d., the property of his
muter, Mr. 'Adams, a solicitor.
In answer to questions put to the for by the
!tee wder, be stated that the prisoner been is hie re,
vice for eight years. and is July last be detected him in
baviog embezzled the stun of 491. He forgave him upon
that oosasiori, but maimed him at the same time that
if be repeated the came he should certainly prose-
cute him.
The Memorise easteneed Mr winner to be kept in penal
servitude for three yearn

NEW COURT.
(Before Thomas Chambers, Esq., Q. 0., Common Salient.,
Henry Roberts Seward, 41.1, pewtmer, pleaded guilty to
several indictments for embmillog several sums of money,
the property of William Gillard and others, the trustees of
the Southwark Bind ,of Hope Friendly Society, et which
the prisoner was eseretarr.
Mr. Gifted sad Mr. F. H. Lewis prosecuted; sad Mr.
Lik appeared fee the primer.
Mr. Giffani, upon, the part of the prosecution. reran-
menace' the prisoner to mercy, and said that drink had been
the cause of his defalcations, which spread over some time.
The Common Serjeant sentemed the prisoner to fifteen
menthe imprisonment. Martin Aces, 27, ,
Wet isilicted for forging and uttering an order for the de-
livery of goods.
Mr. Sleigh and Mr. F. H. Lewis prosecuted, and Mr.
Palmer defended.
It will be remosherei that the themmanced prisoners
weft scansitted by the magistrates of Bewatreet upon
several charges of obtaining large quantities of almost
even description of goods from numerous persons in diffe-
rent patio( the metropolis by fraudulent and fake pre-
tences, and`by the sid of forged orders. Only one iodide
malls, however, wee proceeded with. and Oat was lased
upon a forged order fora quantity of tape and other expen-
sive lams and copper works, with intent to defraud
Means. Feeble; the well-known oopperainiths end founders,
of Shoe.lane.
The evidence given in this case wes but brief. It appeared
that on the sth of August last the prosecutors received an
order in writing, purporting to come from Messrs. Hughes
and Co., described se of Broad-streMbuildings, gene.
rsl merchants, for the goods in question, amount-
ing in value to the sum of 21. 10s. One of
the firm, young Mr. Pontifex' took the goods
to Broad•treet-buildings, where be found offices, and
saw one of the prisoners there, who in answer to the
demand for the paymeut of the account, replied that
Mr. Hughee was not at hocue, and desired that the goods
might be left. This was done, and the goods had never
been paid for ; but subsequently a second order came, which
the prosecutors did not execute. Inquiries were set on
foot, when it was diacovered that the firm of Hughes and
Co. was fictitious, and that this formed only • part of a
series of similar frauds, and the prosecutors heard no more
of the matter until the prisoners were in custody on other
charges of the same nature and obsracter. Both the pri-
soners were clearly identified as acting in concert in this
mutter, and the orders which had issued were proved to be
in the handwriting of one of them. It was further shown
that they were actively engaged in and connected with
a variety of spurious firms; amongst others, they were known
as Anderson and Co., Stanley and Co., Messrs. Hodgkin,
ship agent., and Downes and Co. The mode of
conducting their proceedings was to give referee** to one
of their own fictitious firms, and when the goods were sw-
elled the purchasing firm was found to have evaporated.
In the course of the trial it was incidentally mentioned that
by these means goods had been obtained from Messrs. Par-
kins and (lotto, whelped* stationery sad also other fires,
to the exteut altogether of upwards of 7,0001.
The Common der sent having summed up the evidence
with great care and minutenem the jury, after a abort
consultation, returned a verdict of Guilty against both
prisoners.
Mr. F. H. Lewis then informed the court that there
were a great number of other indictments against the pri-
soners, which he, on the part of the prosecution, did not
think it necessary to go into. The prisoners had been
acting together, and in conjunction with others not in em-
tody, for about two yam, and they had during that
period obtained property to the amount of several thousand
pounds.
A detective ?facer, in reel;

to tome questions put by ttus

...mive officer, ia
court, stated that whilst the two prisoners bad premises in
Bush-lane, he, from information he had received, put himself
upon the watch, and maw a great many vans and carts non-
tinually come up with goods which had been ordered by the
firm the prisoners pretended to be. Amongst the goods
they bad so ordered were an immense quantity of bottles
and a cask of German sausages. which be (witness) directed
the carmen to take back to their respective employers.
Mr. F. H. Lewis handed up a rough diary which had been
taken upon the prisoners, which would show the court the
nature and extent of their daily transactions.
The prisoner Sheen made an appeal to the merciful consi-
deration of the court. He stated that he was a member of
the medical profession, and in that capacity had served in
her Majesty's navy during the late Russian war, and bad
since carried on practice is London until his house was taken
down for the formation of • new street ; and he had in nos-
sequence been thrown penniless upon the world. He as-
eerted that he was wholly ignorant of business affairs, and
that he stood before the court as the dope of others, who
had so far escaped with impunity. His character was now
gone arid his prospects ruiped, and he trusted the court
would, under such circumstances, miss upon him as lenient
Itence as possible.