The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-19 00:00:00

the case some letters written by the prosecutor were put in,
in one of which, addressed to Mr. Todd, he observed upon
the absurdity of his sending 201. to London, and then autho-
rising the prisoner to go up from Bath to receive it and bring
him back a portion of the amount.
Mr. Todd, the gentleman whose name was alleged to
have been forged, and who, it appeared, had acted
in the examination before the Lord Mayor as the
attorney for the prisoner, was called to prove the
fact of the forgery, and also that he had never given
authority to the prisoner, or any other person, to sign his
name to such an instrument. In answer to questions put
by the prisoner, however, he stated that the prosecutor
admitted in his presence, and that of Mr. Hughes, a super-
intendent of the Bath police, that the signature@ to the
letter end the receipt for 5/. were his genuine signaturee.
He at the name time said that he did not mention this fact
while the prisoner was under examination, but he accounted
for this by stating that he considered the Lord Mayor bad
rade up his mind to send the case for trial, and that he
would not take upon himself to decide whether or not •
forgery had been committed.
The prisoner, when called upon for his defence, persisted
in asserting that he had the authority of the prosecutor to
receive the money and to sign the name of Mr. Todd for
that purpose, and he declared that be gave 5/. of the
amount to the prosecutor and expended a portion of the re-
mainder in subpoenaing witnesses for the purposea of the
trial, which was expected shortly to come on.
John Ford, the son of the prisoner, was called as a wit-
ness on his behalf ; and he swore positively that the pro-
secutor signed the receipt for 5/. in his presence on the 16th
of August.
The learned Judge haring summed up,
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict
of Not Guilty.
Edward ArLaren, 18, • respectable-looking young man,
pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a post letter contain-
ing two half *oven:lgoe, the property of the Postmaster--
General. _ _

Mr. S sigh, who appeared for the prisoner, said that this
was a most distressing case, the unhappy young man at the
bar being the son of a person who had been employed for
twenty-six years by the Post-office, and in whom the great-
en confidence was planed by the superior officers of that
establishment. He had been brought up and educated most
carefully, and his friends and everyone who knew him were
unable in any way to account for his having committed such
an offence. A great number of witnesses were in attendance
who would speak to the prisoner's character, and he had
evinced his contrition by pleading guilty of his own accord,
and be said he trusted that coder all the circumstances his
lordship would feel himself justified in refraining from pain-
, Mg a sentence of penal servitude upon the prisoner.
Mr. Metcalfe, who appeared for the prosecution, said
that what his learned friend had stated with regard to the
prisoner was substantially correct, and be would only add
that be had been employed for some months as au awl.
liary letter carrier, and that in cousequemoe of complaints
of loos of letters containing valuable property, a test letter,
as it was termed, was made up, in WhiCil were placed two
half sovereigns, and one of these half sovereigns was
very shortly afterwards found in the possession of the
prisoner.
Several highly respectable witnesses were then examined,
who gave the prisoner an excellent character for morality
and general good conduct.
Mr. Justice Keatiog said he would read the depositions
and consider what sentence ought to be pronounced upon
the prisoner.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Raeo(der.)

Charles Merhange, 24, clerk, • Guinan, pleaded puny to
several i•dictar•te, charging hint with stealing • huge
quantity of opera-glares, the property of LeopoldWlel, hie
muter.

H. Lewis, who appeared for the prosecution, said
that the prisoner bad given information which had enabled
the prosecutor to obtaus posemsion of a considerable portion
of the property that had been stolen, and ea
this account, and also hanog regard to the youth
of the prisoner, he was instructed by the prosecutor
strongly to recommend him to the merciful consideration
of the court. The learned counsel also applied that a
large quantity of opera.glaases that were in the possession
of Sergeant Tanner, of the detective police, and which, so
doubt, had been stolen from the prosecutor, should be
restored to him. . _

Some Objectina was made to this being done by one of
the persons who had purchased the property from the pri-
soner, but eventually the court made an order that the
whole of the property should be given up.
Mr. Lewin then asked the court to direct that the ex-
pense that had been incurred in seeding Tanner, the officer,
to apprehend the prisoner at Malta, might be allowed.
The Recorder granted the application.
Georgic il'Gregor, 34, draper. pleaded guilty to several
indictments charging him with obtaining goods by means of
false pretences.
Mr. fleet, who had been instructed to defend the prisoner,
stated to the court that the prisoner was a native of Dur-
ham, and had held • respectable position there, but had
toms to London in September last, and had fallen in with
bad associates, who bad picked up "this young man from*the
country," and bad initiated him into the art of obtaining
goods by false pretence. The learned counsel handed up to
the court • letter from ► gentleman who was willing to
procure for the prisoner and his family a passage to
Australia.

Mr. Metcalfe, who appeared for the prosecution, called
Charles Baker, one of the City detectives, who deposed
that he had been on the look out for the prisoner for some
time, and that he had been connected with a gang of persons
who had systematically defrauded the public by obtaining
goods upon false references to each other. The officer said
he had a bane! full of goods for which he could not find
owner'. He hail, however, leareed that the prisoner and
his companions had given Orders for extensive supplies of
pork pies and geese for their Christina, festivities.
The Recorder sentenced the prisoner to nine months' im-
prisonment with hard labour.