The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-13 00:00:00

land. Permits requiring this kind of isseistance, and not
wishing, perhaps, to put their own paper into circulation,
have written to these advertisers for bills, varying according
to circumstances, and for these were called on in the first
instance to pay • large bonus in ready nanny. The bill Do
received, and which, in ninety nine cases out of a hundred,
was made payable at • London banker's, the parties dis-
counted at a local banker's, or by private moneyed friends,
and some days baton they became due an intimation was
received from the advertisers, reminding the party of the fast,
and stating the necessity of forwardieg • remittance to take
it up. The dupes, supposing they were dealing with honest
men, often forwarded the amount to the advertising firm,
who at once put it into their pockets, and left the bill to its
fate. This was precisely the ease in the instance of Mr.
Johnson. That gentleman, however, finding that he had
got into such hand., made application to Mr. Robinson,
the superintendent of the P division of polies, and he
at once placed the cue in the hands of Sergeant
Quinnear, and Robert Melville, two of his moot in-
telligent and active officers, and the result has been the
apprehension of Routledge, the suspected captain of the gang,
and it is hoped the breaking up of the nefaions scheme.
The officers having ucertained that a registered letter, con-
taining Mr. Johnson's remittance, and addressed to Messrs.
George and William Bruce, Frances-street, Newington, had
been addressed to No. 21 in that street, called there, and
inquired for Captain lioutledge, but were told no such
person resided there. They forced their way into the parlour,
and there found the prisoner sitting at a desk, with various
letters, documents, and • bill book before him. Quinnear,
addressing hint, said he was an officer, and should take him
into custody on a charge of fraudulently obtaining fr. m Mr.
Johnson, of St. Helen'o, Lancashire, the sum of 213/. IGa.,
and he (the prisoner) replied he knew nothing about it.
' The prisoner, in reply to the question of the officers, ad-
mitt, d that the bill book before him was his, but that the
' whole of the documents did not belong to him. On exa-
mining the place the officers found a truckload of circulars
drawn up in • style well calculated to deceive the moat
wary, and also • number of letters from persons who had
been or were about to be offered " sasistanco." In fact, the
.

assortment presented • " great exhibition " of documents,
the most perfect that human ingenuity could devise tor
carrying on the gigantic system under which the prisoner
Mends charged. Amongst the articles so found were thirty
bills, amounting in the whole to 3,0171. Be., and about the
same number of bill stamp. in blank, with the exception of
the acceptances, which were in different names; 76 sove-
reigns, half notes to the amount of 741., a piece of black
broadcloth and duplicates for cloth to a vast amount, and
other articles.
Sergeant Quinnear said that, from a letter which he had
sec, ived from Mr. Johnson, he learned that about the 10th
of August last be received a bill of exchange from Messrs.
Gears* end William Bruce, of Franceeetteet, Newington,
for 2131 16t., for which be had to pay DX commiosion. The
bill, which purported to be drawn by Mr. William Balfour,
merchant of Glasgow, accepted by Mr. Henry Boult, mer-
chant, of King-street, London, endorsed by Mt. W. James
Selki;k,commission agent, Commercial road, Limehouse,
London, was dated the sth of August last for four months,
and became due on the Bth of December last, that day being
Sunday. Mr. Johnson remitted its amount in a registered
letter to take it up at the banking.bouse of Metiers. Glyn,
Hallifax, and Co. ; but this was not done, end the bill was
retuned to the country bankers who discounted it, with
19.. 6d. expenses. Sergeant Quinnear here produced the
bill bock found at the prisoner's, and pointed out an entry of
this very bill, with the name of Mr. Johnson before it.
The prisoner here denied that he had acknowledged to the
officers that the bill book was his. . . . .