The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-10 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

WORSIIIP-STREET.

George Hetherington, a respectably-dressed, middle-
aged person, was placed at the bar for final examination,
charged with hams fraudulently obtained numerous sums
of money from an elderly man named Samuel Perkins, by
' falsely assuming the character of an attorney.
The prisoner was apprehended upoa the charge as long
ago as the month of February last, when the case was par-
tially gone into before Mr. Rammill, who adjourned the
invesvgation in the absence of sufficient evidence, and con-
sented to accept the prisoner's own recognisances for his
future appearance. On the day appointed for the further
hearing of the cue, however, the prisoner was not forth-
coming,
and although • warrant was immediately issued
for his apprehension, he had ever since contrived to baffle
the vigilance of the police until he was at length traced
to a house in May's-buildings, St. Martin's-lane, by Ser-
geant Foy, of the N division, who again took him into
custody.
Mr. Venn appeared to conduct the prosecution, and Mr.
Smith, a barrister of the Middle Temple, was in attend-
ance, with some other gentlemen, who were alleged to have
suffered to a considerable extent from the artifices of the
prisoner, to watch the proceedings, and, if necessary, to
prefer other charges against him.
From the evioeace adduced in support of the first charge,
it appeared that in the month of January, 1851, the prow
cuter, Mr. Perkins, was arrested for debt, and whilst under
incarceration in the Queen's Bench prison, he was intro-
dated to the prisoner, who represented himself as an attor-
ney, and volunteered his services in that capacity to effect
his liberation. As a preliminary step for that object he
obtained half-a-crown from the prosecutor, for the alleged
purpose of searching the books to ascertain the exact parti-
culars of his detention, which he afterwards assured him he
had done, and that the only detainer against him was for 51.,
which might be easily disposed of by taking out a writ
of error, the expense of which would amount to
W. or 91. With the assistance of some of his
friends, the prosecutor contrived to raise the required sum,
which he handed to the prisoner, who again called upon
, him in a few days, and told him that he bad obtained the'
writ of error, but bad unfortunately discovered that it
would be of no avail whatever, as he had ascertained that
he was insolvent. The prisoner subsequently obtained
various other sums from the prosecutor, amounting in the
aggregate to nearly GOl., under the pretence of adopting
legal proceedings on his behalf, amongst which was the pro-
mention of an action against the official assignee of the In-
solvent Court. On that occasion between 61. and 71. wets
advanced to the prisoner for the purpose of retaining Sir
Frederick Theaiger and Mr. flarrison to conduct the case ;
but having afterwards ascertained that neither of those
gentlemen had been engaged in the matter, and that the
prisoner had grossly imposed upon him in other particulars,
the prosecutor at length gave him into custody.
Mr. John Thomas Ball, one of the clerks at the Incor-
porated Law Societies-offices, in Chancery-lane, proved
that he bad carefully re arched the register of practising at-
torneys for the last three years, and that the prisoner's
name was not inserted in the roll as as attorney or solicitor
within that period.
Mr. Richard Tarrant II irrison, the special 'pleader, de-
posed that he had never received any fees from the prisoner
in the matter of Perkins, or on any other occasion.

- .
Kr. Wm. George Bawer, clerk to Sir Frederick Thesiger,
also negativedi the payment by the prisoner of a fee of
three guineas to his employer in any cause or proceedings
whatever.

In answer to the charge the prisoner positively denied
having represented himself as an attorney, and said that he
had acted throughout merely as a law agent, in which capa-
city he had rendered ample and sufficient service for all the
money he bad received.
It having been intimated by Mr. Vann that he did not
consider it 'smeary at prment to proceed with snyglartber
charges gaunt UN prisoner, and that he would be furnished