The Express.
London, England, 1860-08-29 00:00:00

FORGERY ON Till WX or ENGLAND.

Mr. Frederick Augustus Davila, late principal
in the firm at Dario and Co., silk dekko, lralkwireck
Chrepside, wee yesterday brought Wore the Lord Mayor,
at the Maniceohowee, in melody of Spittal, an active
othoer attached to the City of London detective police,
upon a warrant whisk shamed him with feloniously fors-
WI, and uttering en semplasee to a bill of exchange for
47W. 6a. with Wend he aiirewl the governor and company
of the heck et llegkal
ILL isoshirkil. the solicitor to the Bank of England,
easiested the pssesestion ; Mr. Morgan, of the firm of
ihweireye, ask sad Morgan, of Newpto-etreet, ap-
posed for the prisoner.

Mr. Freshisid, in opening the cue, mid that as the pri-
mer bad only been apprehended on the previous evening
wpm a warrant that had been leaned by his lordship two
or three months ago, he was not quite prepared
with the whole of the evidence that would be
necemary to support the charge, but be believed he alsonld
be able to prove quite sufficient, if not to justify the court
io committing the prisoner for trial, at all events to remand
him for further examination. The prisoner WWI formerly
managing partner, if not an actual one, in the highly to
spectable firm of Washington, Davies, and Co., silk dealers,
in Milk-street, and in the year 1857 that firm opened an ac-
count with the Bank of England, and the usual trade trans-
actions with cheques and the discounting of bills were canted
on between the Bank and the firm. He was not prepared
to show that the prisoner was an actual partner, ao4
indeed, it was not material that he should do so, but at all
events the signature of the prisoner as the
=optative of the inn was the only one acknow.
by the Bank in the mune of the connexion between
them. The account with the firm of Washington, Davis,
and Co., was closed in December, 1859, and, so far as
was known, there had been no irregularity of
say kind in the transactions that led taken
place between them and the Bank. Vary soon
after this mama had been closed, the prisoner cams to the
Bank and stated that, the old firm of Washington and Da-
via had been broken up, and that Mr. Washington, whose
daughter he believed the primmer had married, had retired
allopther from business, and he proposed to apes • fresh
rionnt in the name of Frederick Davis. and Co., the fan
bate rented to consist of two partners, the prise a.
sad hie WISt. The new account commenced on the 29th
of Diseensber, 1859, sad it was carried on until July, 1860,
and during that period the prisoner was the only person
who ted the firm, and a great many bills were
co= la the ordinary coulee of business. It was not
ry to trouble the court with any details relating to
thanebiosr except with regard to the one that was now the
an4sA of inquiry, and which was dated the 4th of April,
MK drawn by the firm represented by the
frowardly accepted by the firm of John W reersmir and
dand'Co.,
highly respectable merchants of the City of Lou-
d', and was for the amount of 479 f. Oa. The
prisoner brought this bill to the discount de-
partment of the Bank on the 13th of April for discount,
and the amount was at once placed to his credit in the
usual way. This bill in due comae would become due on
the 7th of July, it being at three months date, but on the
sth of July the prisoner presented himself at the bill de-
partment and wished Mr. Rimy, the chief manager of the
discount business, to let him have the bill, and offered to
give him the amount. Mr. Elsey at once told him that awes
an irreguir proceeding, and he (Mr. Freshfield) must ob-
serve that the practice of allowing bills to be taken up in
this manner, instead of letting them gro through the regular
course of presentation to the parties whose acceptances
they purported to bear, wee • very dangerous one in the
City of London, and greatly tended to assist in the com-
mission of forgarias. The in this case, had gone
to the drawing offios, and by mains of one of his own
cheques had obtained bank notes sad cash to the exact
amount of the bill, and if he had obtained possession
of it, the forgery would in all probability never
have been discovered, but upon Mr. Easy refusing to deliver
it up, the bill was presented in due course, and it was di-
honoured upon the ground that it was a forgery. On the
following Monday, the 9th of Jul-, a warrant was granted
by his lordship for the apprehension of the prisoner which
wunasibtaced in the Lands of Spittal, the officer, who hid been
to execute it until the previous evening. He was
sorry to my that there were other cases that might require
iavestigatioci, but at present he only proposed to go into the
charge against the prisoner of hence feloniously uttered
the acceptance of Mews. Wreford and Co., knowing it to be
forged.
Johu Spinal, the detective officer, was then examined—
He said that on the 9th July a warrant for the apprehension
of the prisoner was placed in his bands, and he inquired at his
weal places of business, but was unable to discover any
trace of him until yesterday. He then went about aix
o'clock in the evening to No. 16, Park-crescent, Stockwell,
accompanied by Brett and another detective officer,
and inquired for the prisoner by the name al
Davies, and he was told that he was not there.
He searched the hours and found the prisoner in •
back bed-room on the second door, and he addressed him as
" Mr. Davis." The prisoner said that was not his name,
and he told him that he believed it was, and that his (wit-
nags's) name was Spittal, and that he was an officer, and he
should arrest him on a charge of having uttered • forged
bill of exchange. He again said that his name, was not
Davis, and mentioned some other name, like Richards or
Robinson. Witness then brought the prisoner downstairs,
and asked the landlady whether his name was not Davis,
and she made no reply, and he then told the prisoner that
whether be admitted his name to be Davis ornot, he should
take him into custody, and the prisoner then admitted that
his name was Davis. He asked the prisoner where his
pass book and cheque-book were, ad he went to a house at
Lewisham where they were delivered to him, and he now
produced them. (la the cheque-book there was the coun-
terpart of • cheque for 479 e es., the amount of the forged
bill, drawn on the all April.)
Mr. Morgan, the prisoner's solicitor, to the witness—ls it
your eustoni to put such questions as these to • person you
take into custody upon any charge?
Spinal—That depends upon circumstances. Ido all I
consider neon nary to detect persons who have committed
a crime.

The Lord Mayor said he thought the officer had done no
more than his duty required. His object was to detect
gnat.
Mr. John Fridgley, the principal clerk in the drawing.
ages of the of England, deposed that the firm al
Washington, Davis., and Co. had an amount with that
establishment, which was closed in the beginning of Decem-
ber, 1859. All the cheques of that firm were drawn in the
handwriting of the prisoner. A new summit was opened
on the 21211th of December, 1850, in the name of Frederick
Davis. and Co., and on the 13th of April, in the present
year, the bill that was now the aubjret of inquiry was
to the credit of that firm. On the sth of July, two
ye before this bill would have become due, a cheque was
prompted fur the exact amount of the bill, and it was paid
banknotes and cub.
Mr. J. G. Elsey deposed that he was the principal cleat
in the discount department of the Bunk of England, and he
knew the prisoner as representing the firm of Davies and
Co., and the Bank discounted bills for him at the coin.
meaemneat of the present year, and among them was the
bill for 4791. Gs., which was discounted on the 13th of
April, and the proceeds placed to his credit. This bill in
doe mune would have become due on the 7th of July, but
ea the sth of that month the prisoner came to him cod
wished to retire the bill and pay the amount. Witness told
him that it would be a very irregular transaction to take up
a bill upon so highly respectable a firm as John Wreford
sad Co., London merchants, before it was due, and declined
to let him have it. The prisoner did not produce any bank
abut merely mid that he was prepared to take up

Mr. John Wreford deposed that he carried on business as
• merchant in Akiermanbury, under the firm of Wreford
and Co. Their firm had had smell transactions in busi-
ness with the arm of Washington and Cu., but mostly for
Gish. He knew nothing whatever of the prisoner, and was
nut aware that be was the murmurer of the business of
Wasbiogton and Co. The witness was then shown the bill,
and he said that the acceptance was a forgery and he knew
nothing about such a bill, and never authort;ed any one to
accept at in the name of the firm. It was presented at their
bankers. the London and Count; flank, and was at once dis-
covered to be • forgery.
Freshfield then said this was all the evidence he was
able to prd•ce at present, as several clerks whose evidence
would be necessary to prove the formal details were having
their holiday, and he therefore asked his lordship to remand
the prisoner, in order to afford an opportunity to complete
the MO.

Mr. Morgan said he bad no objection to this course being
hikes, but he caked his lordship to make an order that •
gold watch, and snore articles of jewellery that had Leen
taken from the prisoner, and which, ho mid, had nothing
tole with the charge, might be restored to him. He said
he believed Mr. Freshfleld would not feel himself called
upon to oppose the application.
Freshfeld said that so far as the Beak of England
was concerned he bad no objection that any personal pro-
perty belonging to the prisoner should be given up to him ;
but he felt called upon to suite that in all probability a fiat
in bankruptcy would be issued against the prisoner, and Lis
credinwe might set up some claim.
The Lord Mayor said he should make no order with ro-
wel to the pmperty at present.
The prisoner was then remanded.

MR. TaBLUR'S 0•111.—We are happy to say that
a subscription list Is bag est on foot to relieve our con-
temporary from his pnessist distressing position. The prin.
ciple oa which this siikacriptiou is based is the following :
that the amount of bill of costs for which Kr. Tarrant is
incarcerated is excessive, sod that he has already suffered
as much as the court sad jury intended he should ; that the
proper amount he ought to be made to pay should be the
same as that in the case of " The Queen v. Tarrant," when
the verdict was in his favour, the subscribers paying the
difference. A fracas his occurred with Mr. Tarrant, in
consequence of 0 desire to remove him to another cell. He
refused. acid inflicted sundry blows on the guard attacking
him.— Lottd9n and Mina Trktropk.
Erra's lioacroraruto Cocoa. Its delicious
votes, grateful smoothness, and Invigorating power have pro
anJ its general ad..ptioa as a breakfast beverage. lip.
lib.. and Ilb. paiketa, Mta id perils., by the principal grocers.
Inhetle.l Ippe. Mae aeopsink Chemist. London:
verlimmeni.