The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-20 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING,

ASSIZE INTA'LLIGENOB.

HOME CIRCUIT.—Guu.DroaD, Aroma 19.
(Ware Kr. Baron Martin and • Special Jury.)
ItODPINA AND 0121118 V. WAITE.

The proceedings in this most extraordinary case were re.
sumed to-day at nine o'clock, and io the course of the day
were brought to an abrupt conclusion.
Serjeant Shoe, Mr. Lush, Q.C., and Mr. J. Browne again
appeared on bebalt of the plaintiffs ; and Mr. Bovill, Q.C.,
Mr. Hawkins, Q.O: (whose name was accidentally omitted
yesterday), and Mr. Garth for the defendant.

Daring the period Mr. Roupell was examined on Monday
evading his coolness atd self-possession were most remark-
able. Be answered the questions that were put to him
with the utmost readiness, and no one could have imagined
that be was confessing himself guilty of a serious felony, by
which be had rendered himself liable to penal servitude for
the ressinisr of his existence, and for which only a short
time hack his life would have been forfeited. Be was taken
to the amply police station after the court adjourned.
where be wassearched, and 701. in Bank of England notes
and about 301. in English, French, and Spanish gold coin
were taken from him. He did not exhibit any more emo.
tMn than he had shown during his examination, and ap-
peered to have quite made up his mind to endure the conse-
quence; of the course he bad adopted, whatever they might
be, with the greatest firmness.

_ -
When the wart had been formally opened. Mr. Round'
was again placed in the witness-box. to undergo further

In mower to questions put to him by Mr. 13ovill, he mid
—The value of my father's property at the time of his
death I should estimate thus :—Roupall-park, about
150,0001. ; and Roupell-street, about 50,C.101. In 1853
Roupell-park was not worth more than 40,C30/., but
150,0001. has been laid out upon it, and I consider it to be
worth now nearly 200,0001. I borrowed money on mortgage
for the purpces of improving this estate, and I say that ell
these deeds are also forgeries.
Mr. Swill—And your object is to get 200,0001. for your
brother!

—Mr. lioueU—On my oath, no.
Mr. Boj —lf you rooks out theme mortgage deeds to be
forgeries, will not the effect be that your brother will get
the property ?
Mr. Roapall—! know that he will be estitled to it.

Croes-exiMined—The Roupellstreet estate has Dot bean
improved mesh. It is now worth about 50,000/. The
Surbitoa Farpt estate is worth 15,0001., and the Great
Warley estate ta Ems: 00,0001. There was another pro-
perty called the Tlitindenley estate. At my father's death
it was worth 10.0001., but a portion of it has since been
enfranchised, and it is now worth 13,300/. I did not find
the money to enfranchise it. My mother found the money.
There was another estate at Havering-atte.Bower and
Stapleford Abbott', in Essex, that was worth 7,000€. Bogdan
this there were the lead work. in Gravel-lane that wereworth
about 1,600/., and some premises in Shoe-lane that were
worth 2,0001. In addition to there there were some pre-
mises in lant-street, Southwark, that were worth 3,5001.,
and a hop warehouse in the Borough worth 2,000/. The
Wandsworth-mad estate was worth 18,0001., and another
estate called South Ville, 4,5001. Besides this property,
my father bad shares in the Lambeth Water Works Com-
pany, and the Alliance Marine Inaturante Company. amount-
ing to 25,0001. The balances at the bankers were about
8,0001. I think that 1 received altogether about 135,0001.
upon the Roupell-perk estate. A large sum has also been
raised upon the Roupell-street estate. I allege, of Goatee,
that my brother is entitled to all this pro-
perty, by reason of my having forged my father's
will. I think that the whole amount obtained upon
the various estates was about 184,000/. The sum of
12,0001. was raised upon the Bioptm estate. The deed by
which this money was raised I also allege to he a forgery,
in order to enable my brother to get the
Mr. Bovill—Theo the effect of the AyMiLlieving the
story that you have told, if they should do so, will be to
put your brother into possession of 184,000/. and upwards.
Mr. Roupell—l consider he is entitled to it.
In answer to another question,
Mr. Roupell said that he considered that some portion of
the estates, by proceedings he had taken, were secured to
his brother, and were " safe from all antagonists."
Mr. Bovill—Safe from all antagonists I That is your ex-
pression, is it'.
Roupell—Yes.
Mr. Bevil—flow many conveyances did you execute
alt2er
r7thßoupell—l wish to conceal nothing. lam very sorry
for what I have done, and I desire to tall the truth.
Mr. Sevill—How many conveyances of y have
you executed to poor people in the • of Lambeth
aloes ?

Mr. Itoupell—l moot sav exactly. I think I have
executed about ten conveyances.
Bovill—And you allege that the whole of them are
fwr"

Mr. soupell—Yee.
Mr. Bull—To enable your brother to get the property'
Yr. Reopen—Yee.
Mr. Bolin—And what should you say u the total amount
of property you expect to receive—nearly 300,0001.'
Yr Itoupell--Quite 300,000 L

Oros-eximinat±o. o—The. improvements I effected were by
the money I obtained from my father by improper means.
Mr. &cal—By stealing?
Mr. Roupell—Yes. I obtained 10,000/. from my father
in one trausaction-5.000/. in cash sod 5,0001. which he
wrote off for a supposed claim he bad upon the Unity
Company.
Mr. Bovill—Then you allege that you stole 5,0001., and
obtained another 5,000/. by fraud?
Mr. Roupell—Yea.
Mr. Bovill—Row much money did you obtain by fraudu-
lent wane during your father's lifetime!
Mr. Roupell—About 70,000/.

Mr. Boyill—Did your' mother concur in these pro-
ceed
Mritupell—Yee. I told her my father had at my re-
quest made a will by which he bequeathed her all his pro-
perty ; that he had previously, in 1850, made another
in which he described me as "my eon, called William
Roupell," and that he intended to revoke that will,
and that my father had given me instructions
how to dispose of the property, and he trusted to
her and myself to carry out his wishes. This was partly
true arid partly false. It was true that my father intended
to have revoked the will of 1850, and make an entirely fresh
will, but he failed when he went in August to Doctor' Com-
mons, on seeing the senior praiser, and merely added a
codicil A few da ye before his death. he said that he must
throw aside all delicacy and " do it," and be then took me
into hie private room upstairs, opened his bureau, took out
his will, opened that part where the codicil had been added,
and told me to write another codicil to his dictation. I com-
menced the reading of the codicil, and he told me that, as be
apprehended there would be great trouble in the manage-
ment of his scattered property, he had resolved to secure
to my mother, brothers, and sisters, a fixed allowance in
lieu of the property bequeathed to them by his will, and
that as I had proved myself in the conduct of a suit in
which we had been engaged, and in other modes, as
a capable man of business, or something to that effect,
be thought it would be better to convey the whole of the
property to me. He then directed me to give by codicil to
the members of the family the metal of the Brixton estate
and the Boupell-park estate, which he believed to be
3,2501. per annum, but allowing for deductions he thought
there would be about 3,0001. a year to divide amongst the
family. He then commenced describing how he wanted the
money to be divided among the members, and I stopped him
by saying that be was too weak to trouble himself with the
at that late hour of the night, that I was unprovided
with witureas, and I thought it would be better not to
disturb his existing will. My reason for breaking off the
matter was that he had selected the Roupell-perk estate,
of which I was wrongfully in poessrwo as security for the
family, and that such a codioil would lied to the swims
of the fraud I had committed.

Mr. Bovill—What part of the story you told your maim
war false!

Mr. Roupell—That part in which I represented that
my father wented her to hare the whole of the pro-
PertY•
Mr. Bovill—Then you did the this will of 1850 before
MFfiAb'ea.f"4l..

Mr. itoupell—l did, but I had no opportunity to read
it. I knew the main features of the will from Mr. Bing, my
' father's proctor. He did not tell me, the son, the contents
of my father's will, but be is an old garrulous 1060, and I
got the information from him in the coulee of conversation.
At the time I bad this conversation with my father I in-
tended to have destroyed the will the moment I could get
it into my possession.
Mr. Bonll—Without knowing it. contents!
Mr. RoupeU—Yes, but I knew I was in wrongful poseur
sloe of several of the estates and I was satisded. I was my
father's favourite moo for the last three years of his life, and
after I bad committed these great frauds. My brother John
quarrelled with my father. and he had positively forbidden
him the house. He want to the Caps of Good Hope. I
furnished him with the money to get there. He bad no
visible means of subsistence when he was in England. I
never accused my brother John of stealing 15001., and giving
it to a woman. I became my father's favourite son in oones-
quesoe my good cooduct, as it appeared to him, and as I
wished to mike it appear. He was very fond of me, and said
be thought I should be a great man.
Mr. Bovill—And he would give you the means of
being so ?
Mr. Boupell—No ; I did not expect that he would leave
me a large fortune at his death, but 1 expected that be
would make ample provision for me. I thought he would
leave me the Rottpell-park estate, and this induced me, to
scene extent, to obtain possession of it by improper means.
Mr. 8041-11, Mar h, 1862, were not all your available
insane exhausted
Mr. Reopen—Yee ; unless I resorted to questionalde
means to obtain money.
Mr. Bovill— Questionable ! You mean unquestionable.
Mr. Reopen—l bad been defrauded and robbed of ay
maw, amid in Hatch, 1862, I could not go on any here%
Mr. Beet/--Without committing fresh forgeries?
Hr. Beapall—Yea. After I weal abroad became
awakened is the enormity of the dal had committed.
Mr. Bevies—lf all these deeds are eisforced are not the
whole of your family practically ruined
11r. Reepell--Tbere would have still bees • balance of