The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-20 00:00:00

CHARGE OF FORGING AND UTTERING BILLS
OF EXCHANGE.

At the Mansion-house, on Saturday, Adolph
Goldstein. an elderly man of the Hebrew persuasion, de-
sinibed as being • commission agent, residing at Albert-
terrace, Tredegar-road, Bow, was brought up in custody,
and charged before the Lord Mayor with feloniously forging
and uttering, on the 17th February last, two bills of ex-
change for the payment respectively of 78!. 16e. and
78!. Its., one purporting to be drawn by Messrs. Leachkan
and Co., of St. Mary-axe and Paris ; one upon and pur-
porting to be accepted by William Parkor and Co., of 83,
Lower Thames-street; and the other by Henry Buedel
and Co., of No. 150, Leadenhall-street.
Mr. Mullens, solicitor to the London Bankers' Asso-
ciation, appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Montagu
Willi tins, the barrister, instructed by Messrs. Lewis, of
Ely.place, attended on the part of the prisoner.
Mr. Mullen', in opening the case, said that its circum-
stanoes were somewhat singular and peculiar. The bills
in question had been remitted to Messrs. Roberta and Co.
by the well-known bank of Stuckey and Co., at Sheptun
Mallet, in the county of Worcester, and were presented
for payment by the first-mentioned firm on the 15th May
instant, the day they arrived at maturity. Both bills
were dishonoured. They were each drawn in favour of
J. E. Woods and Co., and on inquiries being instituted it
was ascertained from the alleged drawers that their sig-
natures were forgeries, and the same reply was received
from the acceptors, Parker and Co. and Ruedel and Co.
The payee, Mr. J. E. Woods, was then applied so, and
from him it was ascertained that, having an occasion for
some bills, these and three others, amounting altogether
to about 5001., had been procured for sad supplied to
him by a Mr. John Robert Simpson, a gentleman well
known in the City, to whom the payees paid a commission
for his services, as would appear in evidence. This Mr.
Simpson, when applied to, stated that he had received the
bills in question tram the prisoner, whom, on the discovery
of the forgeries, he had given into custody.
After several witnesses bbd been examined,
Mr. Mullens intimated that this was as far as he was
Frepared at present to go with the evidence, and be there.
ore now asked for a remand.

Mr. M.Williarnsaaid that his case was that these bills bad
Krinnocently into the prisoner's hands, as he should,
It instructed, be able to show on a future occasion.

The Lord Mayor remarked that as far a it had already
gone the evidence threw a new light on oommercial trans-
actions in bills which was wholly unprecedented. Ths
subject demanded the fullest investigatami, and with that
view the prisoner must be remanded to Thursday nest.

ALARMING ACCIDENT ON THE BRISTOL AND
BIRMINGHAM RAILWAT.—DIFFORD, SATURDAY NICHT.—
An alarming accident happened on Saturday on the above
railway at the bridge which crosses the river Avon between
Defford and Bckington stations. A goods train left Wm..
meter about nine o'clock for Gloucester, and when within
about half a mile of this place the " journal " of a wheel of
one of the trucks broke, the consequence of which was
that the pair of wheels belonging to it were detached, and
the body of the truck dropped on the line. The accident
was unobserved by the driver, and the train was dragged
in this state about half a mile when it came to the bridge
over the river. This bridge is built entirely of iron, and
the broken truck dashed against and broke the iron plates
of the bridge flooring, and becoming jammed the train was
suddenly stopped, some of the trucks were piled on
others, and, running off the rails, broke the side parapet
rails, and fell into the river. Moat fortunately, however,
the engine, with the driver and stoker, had crossed the
bridge, and the engine keeping the mile they were unhurt.
At this juncture the up express train from Bristol was
nearly due, sad as it does not stop between Cheltenham
and Worcester., it was feared it would run into the debris
of the broken down train, but by the promptitude of the
officials the express was happily stopped in time to avert
what must undoubtedly have been a most fearful calamity.
There were only a few minutes to do this, but happily it
was accomplished. Theexpress then returned to Ashehurat,
and proceeded on its journey by • detour through
Tewkesbury and Malvern, running into the Midland line
again at Worcester, and occasioning a delay of two or three
hours. In the meantime boats were provided and the
trains as they arrived on each side of the river trans-
ferred their passengers across it, and thus the
traffic was carried on until the evening, when the line
was cleared, and the traffic over the bridge was re-
sumed, the night usual train being punctual to its time.
The cause of the accident, of course, was the breaking of
the " journal," which was literally cut through by
friction. This, of course, must have been a work of time,
and there appears to have been culpable neglect in per-
mitting such a truck to traveL e truck belonged to
the London and North-Western Company. This portion
of the Midland line lies hitherto been remarkably free from
accidents, and the trains upon it are run with commenda-
ble regularity.
SUPPOSED MURDER.-011 Friday morning the
dead body of Benjamin Black, a gamekeeper in the senior
of Sir Hanson Berney, at Barton Bendish, Norfolk, was
found near a gate leading into Barton Laws plantation.
The death of Black had evidently been caused by gunshot
wounds, although when he left his home no gun was in his
possession, while no gun was found near him at the spot
where his remains were discovered. Under these circum-
stances there seems too much reason to fear that the de.
ceased was wilfully murdered. On Saturdey the Norfolk
police were engaged in making minute inquiries into the
matter.

OILINTAL PALAOI. •—• FLYS SHILLING DAy.•••••
SAMMY, MAY 18.—AAmitoiotop on payment. 1,853;
ditto by moon tickets, 7,117; total Adios., 8,970.