The Express.
London, England, 1861-11-23 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

GUILDHALL

' For some considerable time peat great senoyance and in-
oonventeace have been esperieered by numerous firms of the
highest respectability in the City of Loadon, to consequence
of the malpractioes of • gang of swindlers, who, notwith-
standing the repeated cautions which have from time to
'time appeared, Ain °optione the nefarious system of adopt-
' big the style and title of (=inept commercial houses, and
twos the faith of such respectable names obtain unlimited
,quantities of goods, which their victims find, when too late,
have fallen into ditfereut hands, awl of nouns fill
paid for. A member of this notonous gang was
,yesterday
captured and brought before Alderman Allen and Alder- •
man Phillips, charged with obtaining • quantity of sta.
Mousey of Mr. Hancock, of Wood-street, under fake pre-
kioollll._

Mr. Beard attended to watch the proceedings for Stubbs's I
Trade Protection Offices ; and Mr. Angell appeared on he-
half of the Loodoa Merchants and Traders' Amociation, for
• similar purpose.
The prurouer is • middle-aged man, rather above the
middle height, and wearing a profusion of whiskers and
beard. He refused his name sad address at first, hut
afterwards gave his name as Gee. M'Oregor.
Mr. Dowling defended the prisoner.
Joseph Dee said-1 em in the employ of Mr. Frocie
Hancock, engraver and printer, 37, Wood-street, Cheapsida
On the 13th of the present month the prisoner came in
between 4 and sin the afternoon, and produced this card:
"Hugh Jones and Co., manufacturers, importers, and
warehreemen, 100 to 109, Wood-street, London, and
Chapelstreet, Luton." He said he wanted a card-plate
and a note-healing eograved, and asked me if we did the
engraving for Hugh Jones and Co.; I said we did, sod he
then said it must be done likely, and quite right, r he was
Hugh Jors's cousin, and that he had just come from over
the way, indicating Hugh Jones and Co.'s premises on the
other side of the street. He ordered five hundred
cards, of which the following is a copy :—" H. Jesse
and Ca, exporters and warehousemen, 1, Cripplegate
buildings, Wood-street, Cheepside, London. (EC.)"
He also ordered a ream of the note-headings printed on
letter paper, bearing on the left hand upper corner •
pictorial representation of some factory works, with the
words, " Manufactory, Copland." beneath it, and follow-
ing is the address, "and at 1, Cripplegate buildings, Wood-
street. London, , Ht—." I delivered the goods and
the account for them, amounting to 31. Bs. 6d., and he said
be had no change then, and requested me to call again.
When I took the order I believed the prisoner yes
authorised by Hugh Jones and Cu., and that *e were doing
the business for that firm.
Mr. Hugh Jones said—l carry on business at premises
extending from 100 to 109, Wood-street, Cheeped/. The
card of " Hugh Jones and Co." is mine, and was obtained
llthe prisoner at my warehouse. I know nothing about
card of " H. Jones sad C 0.," nor of the letter heading,
except that the pictorial representation of the factory, pur-
porting to be at Kingsland. is • faceiMile copy of the
" Island-bridge belonging to "Messrs. Scott, Spain,
and Rooney," manufacturers of Irish woollens, situated in
or near
Yeadrell, 65, who had charge of the prisoner, add—There
are • great number of boxes io the warehouse at 1, Cripple-
gate-buildings, which he has obtained in a similar way, and
the landlord ie here who let him the offices in the name of
Hugh Jones.
A clerk to Hugh Jones end Co. deposed that the prisoner
had called at the warehouse on two several occasions and
asked for it card of the firm, saying he wanted them for •
shipper, and they were handed to him.
Mr. H. W. Martin deposed that the prisoner had hired a
room of his (witness's) father, at 1, Cripplegarbuddiega,
under the name of Hugh Jona, giving as references Hui-
royd Brothers, of 62, Fenchurch-street, and Baker, of 2,
Pancraa-lane
Handrail said—l found in the prisoner's possession
4s. 20., Mr keys, six pawnbrokers' duplicates, • bill of ex-
changf
e
or 351. Lis. 81. drawn in the same of " li`Gregor,
lir ers," upon "Masts. J. T. Newman, and Co." 72,
M'atlingstreet, and made pejable at the London and West,-
mbuter Bank, a cheque, dated 1855, for 1251., drawn
in the DUD. of "John Shea," on the Royal British Bank,
and an invoice for goods supplied by Messrs. Bennett and
Thorne, of the Bordugh, to the amount of 71. 3a toed.
Baker, a City detective officer, said—l have berm looking
after the prisoner for the last two or three mouths, in con-
sequence of certain transactions while he was carrying on a
similar sort of burliness in the name of " M'Gregor Brothers,"
in Gutter-lane, where he still holds possession of the
wises, although he has ceased to occupy them since Sep-
tember last. If the prisoner be remanded there will be a
great many other cases against him.
After tome other evidence,
Alderman Allen said—l believe this investigation will be
attended with the most important results to the commercial
firms in the City of Londoo, and as I expect that which we
have beard is only a smell portion of a gigantic system of
fraud, I shall remand the prisoner, and I hope the officers
will use their utmost exertioos in breaking up the pug of
swindlers to which the prisoner evidently belongs.