The Express.
London, England, 1860-09-06 00:00:00

FRAUDS 111 THE WATCH TRADE.

At the Bow-street police-court, yeetertlay, Sarah
Ass Penton:, d Hattoci.garden, watch seller, 4:!!
peered beton Mr. Hoary, to answer the charge of haring,
ap-
ps tbe tith of Immo last, wilfully used 'certain counter-
feited and falsified declaration, in • business transaction
relating to the Customs, by which she was liable to a
penalty of 1001 By another summons the same defendant
was charged with forging the instrument in question, but
owing to • failure in the evidence tins count was &ban-
&nod by the peeeecutiue.

Mr. Beverley &Waded as solicitor for the crown ; and Mr.
Weyinri_a th appeared for the defendant.
Mr. Alen__
),Bme after pointing out the clauses of the
Cmitoms Act under which the present charge was instituted,
proceeded to explain that there had been no attempt to de
fraud the revenue iu this inatanev, because all watched,
leith..f English and foreign manufacture, were now imported
lot. this country wholly free of duty; but the Commissioners
of Inland Revenue had proceded in this matter with the view
of protecting the English trade, it being a common practice
situ certain dealer. to have English names engraved on
foreign watches, and then oiling the latter as of British
manufacture at a price greatly beyond the real value of the
article.

John Alexander, second clerk at Clerkenwell police.
court, proved that the form of declaration produced bore
the signature of Mr. H. P. Tyrwhitt, the inatrate, and
was signed w the oth of June last. It was Iwought by •
wliosigned the name of " Moses Tobias," of Sun-drank
Waltham Abbey, Ease:. Witness maid, "Do you declare
this to be kw r and he answered, " Yea." no Mr.
Tobiaa Dow present is not the person who broeghiand Wiped
th declaration.
Mr. John Wilson examined-1 am an agent, of 12, Harp-
Law, Towerstreet, City. About trie 17th of May
last • ease of watches was imported by the Albion,
from Boulogne, and I received the bill of lading from the
defendant, with her signature at the back, and had instruc-
tions from her to clear the came and send it home. I handed
the bill of lading to Mr. Beck, requesting him to do what
was neceseary in the matter. After the examination took
place I learnt that the goods had been detained, and conse-
quently I called on defendant the next day at a private house
in Hatton-radon, where her name yens on the door-
plAte, and where I believe she carries on the trade of a
dealer in watches. I told her that the watches were de-
tallied by the Customs, in consequence of some of them hav-
ing the name of Tobias upon them, which made it neces-
sary that the Mr. Tobias in question should make a decla-
ration before a magistrate that the watches were imported
by him, or at his requeet, and for his trade. I afterwarlL sent
her the requisite form of declaration to be signed and I
received a letter from her which I have since lost, but of
which I possess an accurate copy.
Mr. Weymouth objected to the copy being read, and it
was not produced.

George Thos. Mann, a Custom-houne agent, proved the
defenilsties signature at the back of the hill of lading, and
also to:, letter produced, and Mr. Beck deposed to .triog
Prepared the form of decimation for defendant, under the
instructioni of Mr. Wilma.

Mr. Michael Tobias examined—l live at Bunddreet.
Waltham Abbey, and am a watchmaker and jeweller. I
know the defendant, Miss Pickard, having first broom ac-
quainted with her about the Bth of March last on buinees,
and I gave her my card, the same av now produced by Mr.
Wilson. in case she wanted to refer to me. No part of the
declaration produced is in my handwriting. I never saw
it before. and Dever authorised it to be signed. There is
uo other Tobies in Waltham Abbey but myself. There is
a firm of that maw at Liverpool in the watch trade. About
five or six weeks ago she called on me, and I said, " Yost
have got OW into a pretty mese," and she replied, " I
am very sorry—ell I know% is that I gave your card to the
aunt, and what was done with it I cannot say." I said
"He ought to be transported for forging my name." She
made no reply to this observation. I did cot make the
watch produced. It is not my name upon it. 1 should say
it is of foreign manufacture.
W. Peyton, examioed-1 am an officer of Customs. I
examined a case of watches, by the Albion, on the 17th
May last. from Boulogne. It contained 42 gold watches,
104 silver watches, and :16 metal watches. Two of the
metal watvles are now produced. The name of "M. T.
Tobias" is upon them, with a description of the works in
English, and there is an erasure, I think of the word
• Liverpool,- underneath. 1 know them both to be foreign
watches.

Cross-et %mined—There was no duty on any w►tches par-
ing through the Customs at that tune. The duty had been
!seen off in March last.

Mr. Weymouth—ls at notanotoriona practice in the trade
to hsve the names of English makers engraved on foreign
watches! Is it sot done by first.rate houses!
Witness—Not by first-nite houses, and when it is known
the watches are detained. The watches produced are worth
about Mk each.

Mr. Bentley—And would sell, u English watches, for
3/. each at least.

This being the twee for the prosecution,
Ns. Weymouth urged that the evideuve hail failed to sub-
stantiate the charge against his client, who never knew
what was in the ogees, and could not possibly derive Any
profit or advantage front to alleged proceeding. As to the
fact that toere was .o Eu dish 11.1.31 U, upon a watch of
foreign manufacture, it really ar.iounted to nothing, it
being the evens -day practice of the trade. It was reason.
able to suppose that there had been something dose by an.
utter agency, unknown to hie client, and for which it was
Lint that she should be held responsible. The attempt to
prove the forgery of this abeged instrument bad failed, and
how radii they support the charge of uttering a document
allege.' to be counterfeit, in the absence of legal evidence
that it wan counterfeited` After referring to some legal
ptiuts tit the ear, the learned gentleman expriard a hope
that if his wormip maw any ground for conviction he would
mitigate the paean, to ose-fourth—u he had the power
to do.
Mr. Henry thought there was abundant meideuee to prove
that the defendant did knowingly and wilfully use a
falsified declaration—not to evade any customs duty,
certainly, but to import foreign watches and sell them In
England se of British manufacture. He saw no mitigating
eircamatances in the car, on the contrary he thought the
crown had acted very leniently iu the matter, for the offence
committed was an indictable one, and she might have been
proceeded against in a much more serious manner. I must
inftiet the full penalty of 1001. and come.
The amount of the One, with 31. costa, being immediately
paid. the defendant retired from the court.