The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-14 00:00:00

THE ALLEGED UTTERING OP FORGED BILLS

OF EXCHANGE.
-4-.._

After our report left the Mansion-house yester-
day,
Mr. John Grant was sworn, and in his examination
by Mr. Poland stated that he resided in John-street,
)ware-Are-ro-el, and that he was now employed by Messrs.
Linklater, the eminent solicitors. In February, 1882. he
became clerk to Mr. Thomas Edgley, who then earned on
the business of A woollen and silk merchant, at No. 1,
Sermon-lane, St. Paul's-churchyard, under the Sim of
Thomas Edgley and Company. He also carried on business
at 88, Oxford-street, under the firm of Grant and Com-
pany, in the mantle and shawl trade, and in Leeds under
the firm of E. H. Watts and Co., as drapers. The witness
knew Mr. Watts from 1562, when he (witness) joined
Paisley. Watts we, Edgley's copartner. 'Witness remained
in Edgier's service until September, 1864, when the Leeds
Banking Company stopped payment, on the 17th of that
month. On the 19th September he went into partnership
with Edgley and %Valls s the badness at No. 1, Sermon.
lane, under the firm of Edgley, Watts, and Grant. He
however left the concern io September, 1865. He remem-
bered that about March or April, 1863, Edgley went to
Servi and was absent about six week'. On his return he
plaop.l some bills on the desk in the counting-house, in the
usual way, for insertion in the bin-book. Those bills were
afterwards forwarded to the manager of the Leeds Bank-
ing Company. At the latter end of the same year Palgley
again went abroad, witness believed to Maydampeck.
Mr. Sleigh inquired at what period of time his learned
friend proposed to bring the accused into the matter.
Mr. Poland replied that he would appear in the proceed.
lags of the year 1884.
Mr. Sleigh objected to any evidence being given of trans-
actions in 1863, with which the accused could not have
anything to do.
Mr. Poland remarked that three occurrences were
necessary to prove, in order to show the opening of the
whole affair.

...
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105;

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On the resumption of the examination by Mr. Poland,
the witness stated that after the return of Edgley the
second time a number of bills were drawn in Sermon-lane
on foreign forms, procured under Edgley's directions, and
filled up by a clerk named Bertram, with the exception of
nine of those produced. All the bills were antedated from
12 to 20 days, and were drawn in the office in Sermon.
lane, many of them in favour of Watts and Company, and
the rest in favour of Toile and Company. The witness
believed that the signature "E. Devillers" to all these
bills was in the handwriting of Edgley, with the exception
of three or four of them, audit was written in imitation
of the prisoner's handwriting, with which witness was well
acquainted. The endorsements " Watts and Co." were
some of them in the hand writing of Edgley and some in
that of Watts. When the bills were thus drawn from
time to time they were sent to the manager of the Leeds
Banking Company for discount. He had seen the pri-
soner at the °Moe No. I,Sermon-lane, very seldom in 1864
when these bills were prepared, but he had seen letters ad.
dressed to him by Edgley, and letters had been received
directed to Edgley in the prisoner's handwriting. After
the stoppage of the Leeds Banking Company, and after he
(witness) had become a partner in the Sermon-lane concern,
the prisoner was brou4ht to assist in the office, and re-
mained there about six weeks. Willem never was in
Semis, and knew nothing of the Maydanspeck Forest
Company.
In his cross-examination by Mr. Sleigh the witness said
he had never filled up any of the bills, which had not on
them his handwriting in any way or shape. On being
pressed, however, he admitted that he hail written the signa-
ture E. Deviliers and Co. "to one of them, and one only,
but not a single endorsement had been written by him.
There were two other bills, not produced, to which he had
written the signature of the prisoner, and all these he
had written in imitation of the prisoner's handwriting.
He could not say what had become of the last of
those two bills to which he alluded. They were
not in the batch produced to him, the first of
which was dated the 27th February, 1864. He denied
that he had been active in this matter since the dissolution
of the partnership between Edgley, Watts, and himself,
which appeared in the Gazette for the math of November,
1865. At the time of the dissolution he was not indebted
to Edgley or Watts a single farthing ; on the contrary, he
considered they were indebted to him in relation to a ship
of which he was the registered owner. He repeated that
when the deed of dissolution was executed he did not owe
his eopartners anything.
Mr. Sleigh (producing the deed)—Then how came it that
in this instrument which you have executed it is set forth
that you stood indebted to them in the sum of 751. 84. lid.?
Witness—l did not understand your question to relate
to the partnership, and because I considered they owed
me money on account of the ship to which I have alluded.
Mr. Sleigh—Did you bring a shilling of capital into the
concern
Witness—No .

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Mr. Sleigh—And did you not refuse to sign the diesolu.
Mon deed unless you received a douoeur of 501.
Witness—No, 301.
Mr. Sleigh—Then you asked 501., and they gave you 301.
to get rid of you.
On his re-examination by Mr. Poland the witness ex-
plained that he imitated the signature of the prisoner to
the three bills mentioned under these circumstances. One
day Watts came to him, and stated that certain previous
bills were becoming due and there were no assets to meet
them, and on this, and in Watts's presenoe, he put the
prisoner's signature to them. This we. while Edgley was
*bread ; but on his return he told Miley what he had
donk, when Edgley said, " It will be all right ; keep your
own counsel, and say nothing."
Mr. Poland intimated that he did not propose to go
further at this hearing, when
Mr. Sleigh applied to have the prisoner admitted to
bail ; but . .

Tiel:Ord Mayor refused the application, and remanded
the prisoner for further examination on Wednesday (to-
morrow) morning.
It was bruited that Greenland, the ex-manager of the
Leeds Banking C.mipany, will be brought up under habeas
corpus to be examined ass witness

THE CHANCERY VAOATION.—TO-11101TOW, at the
closing of the Chancery offices, the Whitsuntide recess
will commence and terminate on the 25th inst. The cham-
bers will be reopened on Monday, the 27th inst. Vice-
Chancellor Stuart's chambers will be opened on certain
days during the recess.
CAN A Ilex GIVE EVIDENCE OF HIE OWN MUR-
HER?—nia singular feat Mr. Hamilton Hume has some-
what oddly called upon the Rev. Mr. Cooke, late of
Jamaica, to do ; still more oddly, the rev. gentleman has
accepted the challenge. Amon the many errors in Mr.
Humes" Memoir of Mr. Eyre," was an assertion that Mr.
Cooke had been murdered by the negroes. This error we
pointed out in our review of his volume ea en example of
Mr. Hume 's general want of acquaintance with the facts
of his case ; whereupon he brings against es a ridiculous
charge of being an ' organ of the Jamaica Committee,"
and cells upon the rm man whose uounination he had
reported to say a word for his historical accuracy. The
Rev. Mr. Cooke, who has seemingly never read Mr. Hume,
and is entirely unacquainted with his statement, answers
the appeal with an assurance that his son was killed by
the nuters—a fact about which there wee no dispute.—
Athourem.

THE GOVERNMENT POSTAL TELEGRAPH Si MEM HEMS.
—The BirstingAant Post says that the Post-effice authori-
ties are busily engaged in maturing their postal telegraph
scheme. It will be incorporated in a bill which is to be
submitted to parliament as soon as the English Reform
Bill has left the Commons. The scheme involves • large
outlay in extending routes and multiplying lines ; and
unless its authors can show that it can be worked at the
commencement without lou, the financial difficulty is
likely to be fatal at the outset. They originally contem-
plated a compulsory purcLase by the government of the
plant and interest of all the existing telegraph companies,
but the Treasury and the Board of Trade have taken some
objections to this course, and the bill will now be of a
permissive character' giving the companies the option of
sale on terms to be agreed upon with the government.
When the government has acquired the telegraph lines,
they will become a department of the Post-office. New
wires will be laid down, and existing wires rearranged
and redistributed on postal principles, combining despatch
with a low uniform rate of charge, and prepayment by
stamps. It is proposed to begin with • shilling rate for
any distance, which will frank a message of twenty
words, without including the names and addresses
of either the sender or receiver. The message
will be delivered free by special messengers
within the radius of • mile, so that a considerable
demand will be created for the services of lads and young
men. Railway companies, it is assumed, will be glad to
sell the use of their surplus wires to the government, and
to permit additional wires to be laid down along their
lines. In exclringe for payments under this bead they must
be prepared to give up their commercial operations, and re-
strict their telegrams to railwayuse and the safeand efficient
working of their respective lines. It is proposed that the new
telegraph system shall include every post-town in the United
Kingdom, and every other town having a population of 2000.
In London each of the ten postal districts is to have its
own central telegraph office, and each receiving house in
those districts will be a subordinate office. It will then
be as easy and as c eivenient to send a telegram as to post
a letter. In Birmingham the principal sorting offices and
receiving hones, in each important district will be offices
for the receipt and transmission of telegrams. Pillar
boxes will be used for the deposit of messages. More fre-
quent collections will be established, and as *non as the
weave deposited in the pillar box reaches the bead office
of the district the telegram will be transmitted to its des-
tination. Until the time when every post-office has be-
come a telegraphic office proper it will be a "deposit
office," at which • mesaage can be received and paid for,
and from which it may be despatched either by special
messenger or by post to the nearest telegraph office.

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