The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-16 00:00:00

THE POLICE COUBTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.
The Lord Mayor has received several letters confirmatory
of the statements made relative to the attempts of a gang
of swindlers in America to impose upon humans persons in
this country by means of supplicatory appeals directed to
persons dead, and likely to fall into the heads of their exe-
cutors or relatives, and to excite sympathy.
The following note, iodating an exact copy of the trans-
atlantic communication from a " Penitent Sinner," ad-
dressed from the Gaol Hospital, New Yotk, which com-
munication requested the charity money to be directed to
a medical man, no doubt one of the gang, was amongst
those to which hie lordship's attention was called :-
-

•
" sigin Chambers , Ireentonger-lane,
London, Jan., 1865.
"My Lord,—To corroborate the nab of the letter which
appeared in the papers of the 4th Inst., under the head of
Mansion-house, I inclose one of the second long letters
from America he refers to, and which you will find, word
for word, the same es he received.
" The letter is addressed to my late partner, whose death
appeared in the Times last October, and although I was not
Swirl of his knowing anyone in America, still as I had
only Warned from abroad a few months, I thought it very
probable he might have, and believed the letter to be
genuine, and the writer of it some repentant acquaintance
of hie whom his generosity was reclaiming.
" I am sorry to add that I sent a 61. Bank of England
note to the address mentioned, informing the writer of the
death of his benefactor, and also gave him some very good
advice, for which I expect to get heartily laughed at by the
wretch who can employ such means of fleecing the nuns-
pecting.—l remain your faithful humble servant,
" W. A. A 042.
" To his Lordship the Lord Mayor et London,
Mansion-house."
GUILDHALL. - -

John Berry was charged with uttering forged Bank of ;
England notes. 1
Mr. John Skinner said—l am a t ebecoonist, carrying on
business at 93, Holborn-hill. On the 6th instant the pri-
soner purchased at my shop some cigar and tobacco, and
offered me a 61. nom in payment. Not liking its appear-
lace, I went into a neighbour's shop as if to obtain change,
but in reality to ascertain if it was genuine. I became
satisfied that it our a forgery, and then returned to raT own
shop with a constable, and in the presence of the prisoner
I told him that the note was a bad one ; upon hearing
which the prisoner immediately ran out of the shop.
Edward Repack, 229 City police, said—l followed the
prisoner into Bartlett's-buildiage, where a person tried to
atop him. Defendant had a life preserver in his hand, and
aimed a blow at the person's head, with the intention of
knocking him down ; but he did not succeed, and I then
took him into custody.
It may be as well to mention here, to show the deter-
mined character of the prisoner, that on arriving at the
police station be was shown into a cell by an offieer, when
he very adroitly drew beck, and thrusting the officer in
the cell, closed the door, turned the key ia the lock, and
having made his escape out of the police statics, hurried
sense Smithfield. His motions had, however, been ob-
' served by the female searcher, who gave chase end even-
, tinily collared him. A desperate straggle ensued, bet the
• female searcher held on. until at length, finding her
• strength failing her, she seised his bat and let him go,
; knowing that a man running without a covering to his
• head, and a hue and cry behind him, would soon be
stopped. And such proved to be the ewe, end the prisoner