The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-18 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUE§bAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 18, 1862.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

The November adjonrd quarter eretions of the peace
for the county of Middlesex morning at
the Session-house, Clerkenwell.green. before Mr. Bodkin,
resistant judge, and a bench of magistrates. The calendar
contains the names of 75 prisoners committed for trial, 62
being indicted for felony, and 13 for 'Mader:manor.
The Assistant-Judge briefly addressed the grand jury on
the nature of their duties. _ _

After some cases of no special interest bad been disposed of,
Skplten Edward Meaney, journalist, was placed at the
bar to receive the judgment of the court.
It will be remembered that this prisoner was tried at ,
these sessions on the 4th of October, on the charge of ob-
taming goods from three tradesmen living at Weetbourne.
grove, by means of a forged letter purporting to have been
issued from the office of Mr. Mayo, timid of the financial de-
partment of the International Exhibition. At the trial
the jury returned a verdict, in the first instance, to the
effect that the prisoner obtained the goods by false pre-
tences, by means of a forged letter purporting to have been
issued from the office of the International Exhibition, but
expressing a belief that he intended to pay for them. This
verdict Mr. Payne refused to receive, and subsequently the
jury returned a verdict of guilty. In consequence of the
observations of some of the learned counsel who were
present, and supported by Dr. Bateman, one of the
magistrates on the bench, who contended that the first ver-
dict amounted to one not guilty, and ought to have been
received, the sentence was deferred, and the question was
submitted to the Court of Criminal Appeal, and that court
on Saturday last confirmed the second verdict, which con-
vided the prisoner of the offences with which he was
charged.
On being placed at the bar, the prisoner presented a very
altered appearance from that he assumed at the time of the
trial. _ _

The cue gave rise to some dismission, but at length,
Mr. Payne said the prisoner had been convicted of ob-
taining goods by false pretences by means of two docu-
ments bearing the forged signature of the official financial
officer, and written on paper stolen from the Intern►tional
Exhibition, so that he had no right to have this paper in
his posse lion. By these forged documents it purpm ted
that in a few days he was entitled to 431. for advertise.
meats in a paper, but it appeared there was no such Asper
in existence, and no advertisements • had been inserted as
alleged in those forged documents. The subject bad been
referred to the Court of Criminal Appeal, who had con-
firmed the verdict of the jury, and therefore be should
proceed to pronounce sentence on it. The other matter
as regarded Mr. Morrieb he should not deal with, bat
it had been shown by these documents that he bad obtained
goods from tradesmen by fraudulent representa.ions, and
had they been other documents he might have bean tried
for forgery. This offence had been conducted with a great
deal of ingenuity, and must be visited with a severe sentence
as a warning to others, for he had stolen the paper on
which the forged documents were written.
The prisoner said the Exhibition paper was open to every
member of the press, who wrote their letters on it, and
they also took it away in their books.
Mr. Ptyne—Bia. you were not a member of the press.
The prisoner—Yes, of the Lancashire Free Press.
Mr. Payne—But there was at the time no Laneash:re
Free Press in existence. I have allowed you to go at great
length into circumstances which have really nothing to do
with this case ; but you offence is one of a very serious
character, and the sentence of the court is that you be im-
p:Boned and kept to hard labour for 18 months, to date
from the time of your conviction.
The prisoner was then removed.

Alfred Thompson wu then put to the her to receive judg-
ment. Hia case was also submitted to the Court of Criminal
Appeal arid the conviction affirmed. He got a surn of money
from a woman at the Great Northern Railway under pre-
tence of getting her a ticket to go to York, hut he gave her
a useless ticket and kept the money.
Mr. Payne sentenced him to be imprisoned for 12 months.

THE POLICE COURTS.
MANSION-HOUSE.

At the Mansion.bouse yesterday, two respectably-dressed
men, named James Crowther and Samuel Goodburo, were
placed at the bar, in the custody of detective officers Gayler
and Bl'Leod, before the Lord Mayor, upon a warrant,
charging them with conspiring together, and obtaining, by
means of false pretences, during the years 1259, '60,'61, and
the preneut year, various sums of money to a large amount
belonging to their employers, Messrs. Laing and Merridew,
a, Mincing-lane, colonial brokers.

Mr. Woutner appeared to conduct the prosecution ; and
Mr. Sleigh, barrister, instructed by Misers. Hillyer and Fen-
wick, appeared for the prisoner Crowther. The prisoner
Goodburn was undefended.

Mr. Wootner, in his opening statement, said the case in
which be appeared to prosecute on behalf of Messrs. Laing
and Merridew was one of considerable importance. The
prosecutors were very extensive colonial brokers, and the
prisoners, both of whom were in their service, had defrauded
them of a very large amount of money, by a very ingenious
mode ; and be was quite sure the case would receive his lord-
ship's undivided attention, as it was rather complicated, and
one in which the prosecutors felt bouod to prosecute, as if
such offences as that he should go into were allowed to go
unpunished there would so longer exist any safety in the
commercial world, and the confidence which should exist
between master and servant would be entirely destroyed.
The prisooerCrowther, itappeared, entered t.he service of the
prosecutors in 1852, when the firm wits Wog and Campbell,
and at the time of his discharge he was employed in the
capacity of market clerk, at a salary of 5001. a year. Megan.
Larog dealt in a great many different articles of produce,
and the irisoner had his duties allotted to him, and
unbounded confidence was placed io him. It was his duty
to attend to the department under which bad come dry.
salting goods, and he had the buying and selling of those
good; and the firm gave him every discretion in the mat-
ter, and left it entirely to him, looking upon him to perform
his duty without inspection. The other prisoner was book-
keeper, end had been in the prosecutors' service for upwards
of 30 years, and was at the time be left them in receipt of a
salary of ROC a year. His duties were undoubtedly con-
fidential. He kept all the books from time to tune, and
likewise retained in his hands all the warrants relating to
goods which were purchased, and he had no right to part
with those warrant. until the goods had been paid for.
In 1853 the prisoner Crowther introduced to Mr. Laing a
person named Barber, a saltpetre manufacturer, re-
siding in Bermondsey. The prisoner described him es a
MD of limited mean. but of high principle, and who
wished to place the whole of his transactions in the hands
of Messrs. Laing. Mr. Laing commuted to open an account
with Mr. Barber, to buy and sell all hisgoods ; bat before be
did sobs impressed it on the prisoner that Barber was nut to
have a greater credit than 5C31. They accordingly com-
menced business with Mr. Barber, bought all his raw
saltpetre, and sent it to him to be refined, after which they
sold it for him, to reimbdree themselves with the profit
of the raw material and pay Mr. Barber the difference. If
that bad been faithfully maintained there would have been
no risk to Mr. Wog, and the benefit would have been
mutuaL The transactions were carried on with Mr. Barbet
from that time until Marsh in the present year, when they
were terminated in the following manner :—Mr. Merridew,
Mr. Laing's partner, happened to bear that lir. Barber was
purchasing saltpetre through another house, which was coo-
wary to bia contract with Mr. Laing, and informed Mr. Laing
of the fact, when that gentleman immediately ordered the
accouot to be closed. The next day Mr. Laing was in his
office when the prisoner Crowther entered, and informed
him that Mr. Goodburn bad gone away ill. Mr. Laing said
he was sorry to hear it, and Crowther then said he was sorry
to inform him that Mr. Barber's account was oonside-ably
overdrawn. Goodburn was sought for, but could not be
found. The next day, however, he made his appearance at
the counting-house, and Mr. Laing asked him to make
oat Mr. Barber's account, and see how it stood. He did
so, and it turned out that Berber was indebted to the
firm to the amount of upwards of 7,0001. He was asked
how it was he bad allowed Mr. Barber to run in debt to
that extent, and he said he had done so in the hope that
the profits of his business would liquidate the debt. He
bed allowed it to Increase from time to time, until at
last he had been afraid to say anything about it. That being
the ease, Crowther was called into the office and told it was
impassible for him to stay, he must quit the service, which
he did. At that time, however, Messrs. Laing sad Merridew
were not aware of the manner in which this account of
Mr. Barber's bad been allowed to iLIMISOIL The matter was
ioveritigated, and it was found that Crowther had bought
and paid for raw material, and Barbee was debited for that
Amount, and instead of the refined material coming back
into the hands of the firm, it was found that Crowther
bad sold it himself through various other brokers, and thus

diverted the money which was the 'produce of those isles
from reaebiug the hands of Menem Laing and Merridow.
Berber was applied to, to hand over any books which
he might have relative to his transactions with the prisoner,
which he did, and it was discovered that on
all the refined saltpetre which Crowther had sold
for Barber, be had charged the latter fifteen per
cent., which was more than Mr. Barber got by
refiniug it, and the consequence was, with this large ba•
lance against him at Mean. Laing and Merridew's, Barber
had become hopelessly insolvent. Besides these trosac-
tire, it appeared that Crowther had purchased a large
quantity of worthless tartar on his own account, and eold
it to the firm, and had entered it at 60e. per cwt., it being
not worth half that. Re discharged them of that amount
by entering it as sold to Mr. Barber. who on refining it
found that it was worthier, and that he had lost about
1,2001. by the transaction. This latter transaction was
directly contrary to the stipulations made with Mr. Crow-
ther at the time Mr. Laing engaged him. He had been for-
merly engaged in some chemical works, and when Mr. Laing
engaged him, the stipulation was that he should entirely
abstain from doing any business on his own account, and
devote himself entirely to the interests of the firm.
The prisoner passed the warrants over to Barber,
who was insolvent, end thus the firm had lost
the whole amount, and Barber had lost 1,200/. by the in-
feriority of the article. The manner in which Crowther
had been enabled to allow so large a balance to accumulate
was this:—The warrants were planed, as was thought, in
the safe keeping of the prisoner Goodburn, who, contrary
to his duty, had, from time to time, allowed Crowther and
I Barber to withdraw the warrants without receiving the
money for them, and thus enabled them to defraud the
firm to that amount. Goodburn had for the last five years
been keeping the firm in ignorance of the gradually in-
creasing balance against Barber, and he should be in a po-
sition to prove that be was as much at Barber's place as
Crowther was. Besides which Goodburn bad actually falsi-
fied the account, for when Mr. Campbell retired from the
firm in 1832, Goodburn was asked if &lithe accounts, and that
in particular, were good, and he said yea ; and in conse-
quence of that Mr. Laing paid Mr. Campbell his share of
the business, includinghis share of the Barber amount. Mr.
Woutner said the case he bad at present opened assumed
the form of conspiracy, but it would be a question here-
after whether the prisoners would not have to account for
the graver offence of larceny. He was not in a condition to
complete the case on that occasion, and he should merely
call Mr. Laiog, and then ask for • remand.
Mr. Seaton Laiog was then examined at considerable
length ; after which
Mr. Sleigh said he did not intend to go into a lengthy
cross-examination then, as it was a very grave charge, and
one which required some consideration as to the course to
be pursued ; but inasmuch as it was shown that his client
was carrying on business in Fenchurchatreet, he would ask
his lordship to admit him to substantial bail. There were
plenty of gentlemen who were willing to oome forward.
The prisoners were remanded, but admitted to bail, them-
selves in 2,0001. each, and each in two sureties of 1,0001.