The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-23 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURT&

M ANSI ON-HOUSE.

John Pernewan, rseman, described
as being 37 years of age, and by profession • sur-
geon, was brought up before the Lord Mayor, in the custody
of Detective-sergeant Spittle of the City police, under
warrants granted by the Lord Mayor, charging the prisoner
with feloniously forging and uttering en the City of London
certain transfers of shares In the Halkobsagle Mining
Company, with intent to defraud. In the second warrant
the prisoner was charged with feloniously forging snd at
in the City of London • certain endorsement to a bankers
cheque for the payment of 1181.10 s. with intent to defraud.
Mr. Wootner, senior, appeared to prosecute, and Mr. G.
H. Lewis, instructed by Mr. Roscorlm of Penzance, on
behalf of the prisoner. The charge mentioned in the first
warrant was proceeded with, when
Mr. Wontner In opening the ease, stated that it was one
of very considerable importance, and related to the forgeries
of the transfer of shares in mines situate In the county of
Cornwall. The primmer, Mr. John Pernewan, was •
surgeon, residing and practising in the town of Redrutb,
in that county, and was besides a gentleman who was eon-
nected in • considerable way with various mining com-
panies, and amongst others with the Hallenbeagle Mining
Company, of which be was • director, the mine being
situate near to Kedruth. It would appear that when
transfers of shares in the company were made, such trans-
fers were forwarded to Mr. E. King, the secretary of that
and other companies, and whose Mikes were in Austin-
friars, for registration. The course was this :—the person
selling the shares bad to execute transfer in
favour of the purchaser, who at foot of the trans-
fer had to sign his acceptance of it, and the document
thus executed was forwarded, as already mentioned, to
the secretary in London for registration in the name of the
marehease On the 27th November last Mr. King, the
secretary, received a letter dated from Tamar.ternice, Stoke.
neer Plymouth, signed II Anatol, endorsing the trans-
fer of 100 share. in the beagle mine from Henry
Weatherhead to Henry Ansted, and requesting registration
on the books of the company in the writer's name. If any
suspicion had arisen as to the genuine character of the
transfer, such suspicion would have been lulled by the hot
that the transfer was accompanied by • bank post bill for
the payment of 11/. 17s. fid., the amount of calls due by
Mr. Weatherhead on the 100 shares he had transferred to
Ansted. The transfer was registered as requested without
any question being raised or any considerable ex-
amiustion of the document. Shortly afterwards, how-
ever, a communication was received by the
secretary from Mr. Weatherbeed enclosing his cheque
for the calls due by him on those identical shares which had
been transferred to Ansted, and this communication was
followed by another, which professed to come from Austad,
to tranfer these selfume shares from him to a Mr. Hut-
chins, and soother apparently regularly executed transfer
was received, enclosing the formal transfer as before. On
this the suspicions of Mr. King were raised, and he referred
to the previous transfers he had received, and upon examin-
ing them and compering them with • legitimate transfer
from a person named Cleft to the prisoner, whom he knew as
a director and sometimes as chairman at the general meet-
ings of the shareholders, and with whose handwriting
he wee well acquainted, Mr. King was at • lass
to know whence it was that the forged transfers
bad emanated. On further examination of the trans-
fers in question Mr. King discovered that they presented
further a suspicious appearance, inasmuch ea from the
bottom of the printed forms, which could be purchased
anywhere, the printer's name had been cut off in a jagged
way, both the fraudulent transfers presenting the same
appearance. The printers name had evidently been cut off
at the same time, and with the same knife. These facts,
coupled with the conviction that the fraudulent transfers
were in the handwriting of the primmer, lad to the employ.
moot of Sergeant John Spittle, • detective officer, and he
went down to the West of England to make inquiries into
the matter. The officer first directed his Militaries to the
house, Tamar-terrace, at Stoke, near Plymouth, whence
the letter and transfers from Ansted purported
to be dated, and from the landlady of the
house he ascertained that a person who give
the name of Ansted had engaged from her two furnished
rooms on the 25th November last ; and, after engaging the
rooms, the supposed Ansted went away and never ret
but he left directions that any latter that came add=
to him should be forwarded to him at the Post-office, St.
Agnes, Cornwall. The officer subsequently took the land-
lady to the residence, at Redruth, of the prisoner, who she
at once recognised as the person who took her apartments
in the name of Ansted. The attention of the officer was
then directed to trace the origin of the bank post bill for 111.
17s. &IL, sad he discovered that it in part consisted of a 51.
note, which had been in the prisoner's possession the day the
look post bill had been issued, and which had been paid
to him by • Mr. Pike. On this the officer retuned to
London to report the results be had ascertained, and to
obtain further directions before finally acting in the matter.
At this point Mr. Thomas, • stock and share broker, would
appear on the scene, upon whom it seems it had been at-
tempted to impose those very shares which appeared in
Ansted's name. Mr. Thomas received a letter which pur-
ported to be written :tom She lodging in Tamar-lerraes,
stoke, requesting him to sell these shares, but the envelope
showed that the letter containing the transfer had been
at Redruth, where the prisoner resided. Further
=utiles were then set on foot, in the course of which other
similar tramactions with respect to other names, which
would form the subject matter of another investigation,
were discovered.

Some evidence was then adduced, and the prisoner waa
remanded, bail being refused.

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