The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-13 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 13, 1853

LAMBETH.

Joseph Rattertatein, wdtt—cle;c;;lTeid himself as a Hun-
garian refugee, was placed at the bar cm charges of tread
and forgery, when the following evidence was adduced
against him :
Mr. John Kidd said—l am secretary to Lord Dudley
Stuart, and know the prisoner vary well by eight. My Seat
introduction to him was in September last year, when he
wrote to Lord Dudley Stuart the letter I now put in. (The
letter, of which the following is a copy, was put in and read
by the chief clerk) :

"33, Liverpool•strest, King's-erase, Sept. 27, 1852.
"My Lord,—The great and universal name your lord•
ship is bearing far being a father and protector of those wbo
follow the banner of independence, let me be in hopes your
lordship will pardon the liberty that I address your honour.
The inclosed recommendation of the late governor of Hun.

aarr. X. Kass* ma pram w I Ili; art kw lom
sitessad. I have VW ben for aana awioram*, bat as
I am ant able to yak English ray lailaaveor has lam in
vat*. There uas alma expectation he me but to emigrate
to Australia; but as I am escaped from the fortress
of Ohnuts when I was imodentned for life,
I am without all means. I sea personally known
to K. Kossuth, who has hissed( anointed (this is
the word used) me from a sergeant-major to lieutenant in
the city Debrecien, as a reward for my bravery. Therefore,
my lord, I hope you will be pleased to grant me a contribu-
tion towards my intended voyage to Australia, and please
to sign your kind donation on the enclosure, as surely some
noblamiuded would follow your kind example ; and I will
never forget your bounty, and ever pray for your happiness
and exaltatiou.—My lord, your humble and obedient set-
Lord Dudley Contta Stu.a.rt

- -
Oa leading this (the above) letter Lord Dudley Stuart
directed me to write a reply and request the writer to call,
and I did so. The prisoner called, and, by desire of his
lordship, I paid him a sovereign, for which I took his re-
ceipt, and by his request entered the pound on a certificate
which be had forwarded to Lord Dudley Stuart, and which
he took away with him. The prisoner, I under-
stand, bad succeeded in obtaining 31. Irma Lady
Dafferin, and also wrote to Colonel slingerstein,
but the colonel being desirous of knowing some-
thing more about him before giving him relief. had
enclosed the papers he hid forwarded to him to Lord Dud-
ley Stewart, requesting to be made acquainted with the fact
as to whether be had or had not been assisted by his lord- I
ship. On examining the papers, I found that the pound
entered on the certificate, and which war in my hand-
writing, had been altered iota four, and therefore appeared
as a cortribution of four pounds instead of one. There
also appeared to have been an alteration made is the
amounts of the other subscriptions, and I therefore refused
to give the prisoner back the certificate, though he appeared
most anzions to get it, but sent it to M. Kossuth. That
gentleman, on seeing the particulars of the charge against
the prisoner in the public prints, seat it back to me, with a
I declaration that it was not his:desire or wish to impede the
ends of justice, while at the same time be did not wish to
press hard against a brave soldier, but check him in his
career. The witness here placed before the magistrate the
certificate or recommendation alluded to—of which the fol-
lowing i^ a copy, and all of which is in the handwriting of
M. Koseuth :

;117. bearer, Mr. Joseph Itattenstein, from Hungary, late
first limstenaat of the Hungarian army (36th Battalion)
having bravely served his country in the battle field, dur-
ing the war of Humeri= independence, has of late suc-
ceeded to escape from the fortress of Olmeros, where he
was confined, and is now a destitutsdnile, bearing on his
body wounds yet unhealed, which he got in defence of his
country's rights. It is not alma he wishes to get but work,
may it be ever so hard. I recommend the unfortunate brave
to the patronage of pkilanthropic mea.
"li.•Koestrrn, late Gov. of Hungary.
" London, 23rd of Sept., 1862."
Mr. Norton—ls it your opinion that the prisoner is the
person described in the recommendation, or that he has
imposed on M. Kossuth ?
Mr. Kidd—l think he is the person there described, ea
the Hungarian refugees speak of him as a particularly brave
man, and an extraordinary daring soldier.
Kr. George William Renamed, steward to the Duke of
Cambridge, deposed, that on the 28th of June last, the
Dike, his muter, received a letter signed Joseph Backer,
ties purport of which was that the writer had been a rough
Mae in a Hussar regiment in the service of the Prince of
Meese Cassel, but that owing to a fall from his horse he
meld ant continue in, but had been discharged from the
servies. The prisoner subsequently called, and having re-
rted himself as Joseph Backer, he (witness) by dirtie-
oaf the Duke of Cambridge, his master, gave him a
sovereign.
Mr. William Ewing, clerk to Colonel Aspinwall, the
American Consul is London, said *baton the 27th of May
last, the prisoner brought a letter to the consulate office,
addressed to Colonel Aspinwall, and enclosing the certificate
put in by the last witness, and signed by M. Koseuth. By
direction of Colonel Aspinwall witness gave the prisoner
ten shinier, and also returned him the documents he had
enclosed. On the 20th July, a letter, of which the follow-
ing is a copy, was again received by Col. Aspinwall :
"tBir,—l have to return you many thanks for the kind-
ness jot have already shown unto me.
dons for me. May I your hied-
Marwr God protect
yea fee what yea have
am ease men,wkisk will be the last time. cannot stay
ben any longer, far starvation is my fate now, and will he
worse if I remain. A captain of a ship has offered me a
free to Constentinople, but I have to procure the
pro (or the voyage to this prosperous destination. I
it present wish to go into the Turkish army tVight against
the Itamisas, which entered in the year 1849 an my coun-
try, and fingitt against us. If year noble generosity
should ansele me is my distress, and assist me in my
voyage to a bettee hems and futurity, the remembrance of
you would aseammemy me throughout my life. I beg you
not to forget year and ay present misery. Having never
known I. my infer days the dark side of this life, but
having hen nattered la the lap of plenty, I feel the keener
my present low state. As my departure is flied for the
next month, I must do my best to procure the necessaries
foe my voyage. If your generosity should assist me in
oversewing difficulties, I shall be off, but if you
should net gnat my prayer, I lam this favourable oppor-
tunity to maps from distress. This I lay before you
as a gentlemen, and i beg to call your decision, which God
grant may he favourable, and 1 have the honoar to be,
your meet obedient servant,
"J. Itierransratis, Officer Hungarian Army."
The prisoner called a few days after the receipt of this
letter, and saw Colonel Aspinwall, and that gentleman
told him that he must have a stronger recommendation
than his own assertion before he could relieve him further.
Joseph Becker, a foreigner, said he had been formerly
a sergeant in a hussar regiment serving under the Prince
of Hesse Cassel, and the discharge produced, and upon
which the prisoner had obtained a pound from the Duke of
Cambridge, was his. He knew the prisoner since Christ-
mas last, when he same to live at his house, and the certiii•
cats, as well as a pocket book, he had stolen from his
drawers. He had frequently asked for the restoration of
hie certificate of service, and was told by the prisoner that
he had forwarded it to the Duke of. Cambridge, Lord
Dudley Stuart, Baron Rothschild, Miss Coutts, and others.
Some short time ago the prisoner gave him a pawnbroker's
ticket which purported to be that for a watch pledged for
2s. to sell, and he disposed of it to a friend of his for 65.,
which amount he handed to the priaoser. His friend.
went to redeem the watch, and found that the duplicate
had been altered.
Edward Craddock, assistant to a pawnbroker, deposed
that the dupdeate produced related to a suit of clothes
pawned on the 27th April last for 21., but had been altered
into one for a silver watch for U. 2..
The priseser declared that the duplicate was altered by
the wane-8 Becker. This was denied by several witnesses.
Hereford, the mendicity officer, recognised the prisoner
as the companion and 11.* Kiate of persons who obtained
money by fain* representations, and said he had been in-
formed, and thought he could iubstantiate the fact, that he
had suffered 12 months imprisonment for practices similar
to those with which he is now ch.aged.
The prisoner denied that such was the case.
John C. Wood, E 21, the constable who apprehended the
prisoner, and who has been must active in the case, in
formed the magistrate that he was at present in consmani-
cation with some noblemen end gentleinen whom the pre.
weer had ethyl, defrauded or endeavoured to du so, sad
had received a number, of documems on the subject, and he
therefore requested a further remand.
His request was complied with, and the prisoner was re-
seeded to a future day.