The Express.
London, England, 1866-11-07 00:00:00

THE POLICE COUBTE.

MANSION-HOUSE.
A respectable-looking young man, named Edward
Strange, who was stated to be only 21 years old,
brought before Alderman Lust, who presided in the
absence of the Lord Mayor, in.custody of Smith, a City
detective officer, charged with forging two cheques, one
for 3W. tis. 7d., and the other for 331.4.. lid., with intent
to defraud the London and County Bank.
Mr. Mullen', the solicitor to the Bankers' Association,
conducted the prosecution. • •
The prisoner, it appeared, was occasionally employed by
Mr. Moore, the secretary to the Guildhall Tavern Com-
pany, at the offices of the company, in Guildhall-yard, and
he was there on the ith of June. Mr. Moore went out
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon leaving • the prisoner in
the office, and at this time it appeared that the cheques in
question, which had been drawn for the purpose' of the
company, were left in • cheque-book, signed by
one of the directors and the manager • hut in order to
make them complete the arrangemeit with the bank
required that they should also have been signed by the
secretary. When Mr. Moore returned the prisoner had
left the office, but no suspicion was entertained of any-
thing wrong having occurred until the following morning,
when it was discovered that the two cheques had been
torn out of the cheque book and bad disappeared, and
upon inquiry being made at the bankers it was discovered
that they had both been changed for gold on the previous
afternoon. The prisoner absconded, and nothing was
heard of him until last Monday evening, when he went to
the head office of the City police, in the Old Jewry, and
gave himself up on the charge of having forged the signa-
ture of Mr. Moore, the secretary to the company, to the
cheques in question.
Smith, the officer, stated that in consequence of infor-
mation he received, be went to the police office in the Old
Jewry on Monday evening, about half-past 7 o'clock, and
found the prisoner there, and it was said, in his presence,
that he had just given himself up on a charge of forgery.
As they were going to the police station in Bow-lane the
prisoner told him that he had been duped out of half the
money that he had obtained from the bankers ; and he also
said that he had been miserable ever since he had com-
mitted the act. He naked the prisoner if he had been in
London lately, and he said he had not, and he had only
been there once since he had committed the forgery, and
he thought his friends would have settled it for him. The
prisoner subsequently said that betting had been the cause
of all his trouble.
Alderman Lusk, at the eon:Union of the evidence, in-
quired of the prisoner whether he wished to say anything
in answer to the charge.
He replied that all that the witnesses had stated was
true, and he had nothing further to say.
lie was then fully committed for trial to the Central
Criminal Court.
A ruffianly looking black man, who said that his name
was Jamartice, was charged with the following outrage:
On Monday evening, about seven o'clock, the prisoner
went into the refreshment establishment of Mr. Thorn-
!, hill, in Ilishopsgate-street, and made some gestures as
though he was begging for food. He was told to go away,
upon which he shook his filthy clothes over some articles of
refreshment that were near him, and then deliberately
spat in the face of one of the young women who were serving
in the shop. He then endeavoured to run away, but was pur-
sued and given into custody, and he was recognised by the
police as a man constantly about begging in different parts
of the City. The young woman who was assaulted by the
prisoner in the way stated was so terrified at his conduct
that she went into hysterics, and the whole establishment
was thrown into confusion. •
The prisoner, who pretended not to uaderstaz4 Eng-
lish, in answer te the charge merely muttered something
about wanting tb go to his own country.
Alderman Lusk sentenced him to twenty-one days' hard
labour.