The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-08 00:00:00

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CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

Francis William Sierras, 31, sawmaker, was charged
upon several indictments with unlawfully obtaining
several considerable Bums of money from Means. Leaf
and Co., warehousemen, Old Change, by means of forged
and altered invoice..

Mr. Montagu Williams was instructed to prosecute,
and Mr. Ribton appeared for the prisoner.
This case disclosed a very ingenious system of fraud on
the past of the prisoner. He was employed by the prose-
cutors to make springs for caps, and it was his duty when
he took work home to the warehouse to produce an invoice
and • receipt for the amount to which he was entitled,
and if the clerk to whom the document was presented
found that the goods had been ordered and tallied with
the amount charged, he put his initials to the instrument,
and the prisoner would then have to take it to the cashier,
who would at once pay him the amount. It appeared
that the prisoner, having obtained the signature of the
clerk to the genuine document, which was generally only
for the sum of • few shillings, altered the quantity of
goods and made it much larger, and then inserted figures
representing pounds before the shillings, end thus ob-
tained the amount from the cashier. In one instance the
prisoner appeared to have obtained by this means 171., in
another 161., and in fact he appeared to have been carry-
ing on a regular system of fraud, and in the course of •
period of three months he appeared to have defrauded the
prosecutors of nearly 2001.
Mr. Ribton, as the case was proceeding, interposed, and
said be felt that it would be utterly hopeless to attempt
to struggle against • conviction, and the prisoner would
therefore not give the court any further trouble, but
would plead guilty. All be could urge in his behalf was
that he appeared to have borne a good character down to
the period when these transactions took place.
The prisoner having formally pleaded guilty, the Re-
corder, having observed that he appeared to have been
carrying on a most extensive and impudent system of
fraud, by which ho had possessed himself of a very large
sum of money, sentenced him to be kept in penal servitude
for six years.
James Garrett Yaks, 40, a gentlemanly-looking man,
pleaded guilty to three indictments charging him with
embezzling several large sums of money belonging to his
employers. . . . . . .

H. Lewis, who was instructed to prosecute, said
that the prosecutors were Messrs. Keen and Co., who car-
ried on a very extensive business as mustard manufacturers
at Garlick-hill, and the prisoner had been in their
service as • country traveller for about six years, and
was paid • salary of 2001. a year, and was allowed
It. • day for expenses. It was his duty to travel about
the countryand obtain orders and receive accounts, and
to tranueit the sums so received to his employer' ; sad it
appeared that ho had transmitted much smaller amounts
than he actually received, and he sent false accounts to
the customers, in order to conceal the frauds that ho had
committed. The prisoner seemed to have met with •
serious accident • short time back, and while he was con-
fined to his bed he sent for one of his employers and
admitted his guilt, and the result of subsequent inquiries
showed that he had robbed the firm to the extent of
nearly 1,0001. He thought it right to inform the court
that the prosecutors had occasion to prosecute another
clerk who was in their service about a year ago, and who
had robbed them of about 7001., and upon that occasion
they recommended him to mercy, and he received • very
lenient sentence. The present occasion was the third upon
which they had been robbed by their servants, and, with-
out any desire to press harshly upon the prisoner, the
prosecutors felt it to be their duty to put the court in
possession of the facts he had stated.
The Recorder said it appeared to him that the pri-
soner's conduct was entirely without excuse. His salary
appeared to have been raised from 120/. to 200/. • year,
and he had an ample amount allowed him for expenses ;
and notwithstanding this he seemed to have robbed his
employers to a very large amount. Under these circum-
stances he had no alternative but to sentence him to be
kept in penal servitude for five years.
Samuel Wood, alias Pmfound, D, shoprnan, pleaded
guilty to six indictments charging him with obtaining goods
by false pretence&
Mr. Poland and Mr. Grain were instructed to prosecute.
The prisoner was formerly in the service of Messrs. Bur-
goyne Herblike, and Co., wholesale druggists, and it ap-
peared that after his discharge he employed a printer to
imitate the pnnted orders that were used by his late em-
ployers. and by the use of these forged orders he obtained
a quantity of goods from different tnulesmen with whom
Messrs. Burgoyne and Co. del business. It also appeared
that he had by a very ingenious fraud succeeded in obtain.
ing possession of a quantity of drugs from the St. Katha-
rine Dock.

The prisoner was sentenced to eighteen months' hard
labour.

William Courtney Brortton' an attorney, wsa called upon
to surrender and take his trial upon two charges of bigamy
and miademeonour._

The defendant, who had been admitted to bail, did not
appear to take his trial, and his recognisance/ and those of
his bail were ordered to be entreated.

Mr. Sleigh, who was instructed to prosecute, subse-
quently applied for a warrant for the apprehension of the
defendant, and the application was granted.
florid Williams, 26, was charged with being unlawfully
in the dwelling-house of Frederick Cayley Wonky, with
intent to commit felony.
. . . . . .

It appeared that a noise was heard during the night in
the prosecutor's 140111.0, and upon the police being called in
and making a search they found the prisoner concealed up
the kitchen chimney, and he was jammed so tightly that
it required three men to pull him down, and he then pre-
tended to be drunk. .

The prisoner was sentenced to eighteen months' hard
labour.

The Court rose eaxly, in consequence of there being no
more business ready to be pmceetled with.

SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEllll.—Visitors during
the week ending January 5. —On Monday, Tues-
day, and Saturday, free, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
9,161 ; on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (admis-
sion 6d..;, from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., 700; total, 9,861.
Average of corresponding week in former years, 8,142.
Total from the opening of the Museum, 6,491,0903.