The Express.
London, England, 1868-01-13 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.
lion
in
a gentlemanly looking young man, on
brought up in cus:tody of Sergeant Brett, the detective, on
several charges of swusdling and forgery.
Mr. Muliens, solicitor to the Bankers' Association for
Protection from Forgery and Fraud, attended on behalf
d the prosecution ; and Mr. Walker appeared for the

prisoner.
The circumstances under which this charge was heard
would appear to he of a very extraordinary character, the
prisoner having for a long time caused on a most success-
ful system of swindling and fraud, by which be succeeded
in obtaining large SWIM of money. It may be as well to
state that in October, Milli, a cheque-book, containing
iiO
blank cheques, one of a umber that hail been placed in •
parcel to be Pent to thenHalstead branch of the London
and County Bank, Lombard-street, was stolen from that
establishment, end, notwithstanding the rigorous in-
quiries that were made, no clue could be obtained as to
what hail become of it. Ify some means or other, the
prisoner, no doubt, succeeded in getting pow'
con of this cheque-book, and by means of
it, it appe., re that he has carried out nearly
fifty aucceisful forgeries, souls of very considerable
amount, in different parts of the country, and also in the
metropolis. The prisoner is respectably connected, and it
scents so have been his practice, among other, proceedings,
to advertise for abootiup in different parts of the country,
and make engagements, and he then underlet them to
different parties, some of them persons of station, from
whom he obtained money, never himself paying, and
basing thus iugratiated himself into their confidence, he
succeeded in some instances in passing cheques upon them
and defrauding them in a variety of ways. It was also
Ms practice to go to tradesmen and tender the forged
cheques, and in one case he purchased a mowing machine
from M. Brown, Thames-street, an agricultural Snide.
meat maker. giving in exchange • cheque for 121. and
receiving the difference, about 14 He shortly afterwards
took up his abode in the Caledonian Hotel, Portland-
place, kept by Mr. Grace, and he commenced his proceed-
ings there by making the'llandlord thepreeent of a quantity
of game, no doubt the result of some of his everting opera-
sitns in the country. After stopping • few days, and run. I
g.up • bill, he tendered cheque for 10f..and received a
portion of the difference, but he was fortnnately detected
before obtaining the remainder. There is no doubt that
be has victimised persons in all parts of the country, and
it is anticipated from the publicity that will no doubt be
given to the case that a number of other charges will be
preferred agaiust him at the next examination.
Mr. Yullene said the prisoner was brought up according
to arrangement, but ho was not at present Imq:wed to
go on with the investigation. He should, however, be able
to prove several cases on Monday.
The prisoner, who said nothing, was then remanded.
BOW-STREET.
A boy of about 13 years of age, named Jomes Burns, was
brought op on remand charged with having absconded
from the •• Buys' Home,' a certified industrial school,
Regent's.pirk-road, to which institution he had been com-
mitted froni this court fur • period of three years of which
two yeti, were unexpired ; his father also, Brnard Barns,
a ithooLaker. was charged with harbouring him.
It appeared that the younger prisoner absconded about
four months ago, and was found a few day. back at the
lodgings of his father, who said that the boy could earn
10s. n week by assisting him in his trade, and he did not
wish him to go back to the school. Upon being brought
before the magistrate, the boy alleged that he was driven
to run away from the school by the severity of the master
of the workshop, who was in the habit of beating him.
Themes had been remanded chiefly for the purpose of
inquiring into this allegation. It appeared that on two
occaaions the boy hail been punished for not clearing up
properly after his work. On one occasion he received one
stroke, and ou taw other two strokes, on the band with •
cane. He had not been beaten on any other occasion.
Upon this Mr. Vaughan observed that the chas-
tisement did not appear to him to be at all exces-
sive or improper. Many gentkmen paid large sums for
the education of their children at schools where
they were subjected to punishments much more severe.
The conduct of the father was most selfish and unworthy.
He ought to be glad that his son should be provided fur
in an institution where he was kept out of the way of bad
company and temptation, and brought up to become •
useful and respectable member of society. But because
the boy could earn a little money to contribute to his
father', support, he was encouraged to run away from
school and harboured at home for the sake of • few shillings
• week. It also seemed inconsistent that so high an
estimate should the put on the boy's labour, though the
father himself, when called upon to contribute towards his
maintenance in the school, pleaded poverty, and declared
that he could not even pay 2s. . per week. lie should con-
vict the boy of ab3condiug from the school, and sentence
him to fourteen days' impriaoument, and also to serve the
remaining two years of his tens at • reformatory instead
of the Industrial School. He should convict the father of
harbouriog the boy, and fine him 75., or, in default of
payment, sentence him to five days' imprisonment.
WESTMINSTER.

Mr. Saw ,tel Fowler Ueciertay, a gentleman residing at
10, Milbourne-grove, Gilston-road, Brompton, was charged
on four sumniouses ; first, that he did unlawfully and
maliciously publish a certain defamatory libel of and, con-
cerning Mitabetli Watts; secondly, that he did wilful
damage to the goods of the said Elizabeth Watts ; thirdly,
that he did unlawfully detain a receipt for rent, the pro-
perty of the said Elizabeth Watts ; and fourthly, that he
did assault and beat Eliza Harold.
Mr. Smyth opened the case of libel first. Defendant had
taken the apartmeuts of Mrs. Watts, who was a widow
lady of limited means, residing at 25, Park-walk, Chelsea,
in August last ; but in a month he made some complaint,
and gave notice, from that time to the time he left con-
ducting himself in an exceedingly unseemly manner, and
drawing caricatures of Mrs. Watts on Lis looking-glass, re-
presenting her as a Satanic being with a cloven foot. These
annoyances culminated in his having thrown down her
area a drawing of a female with a cloven foot, addressed
to the woman who" wears limey." On the xdrd of Decem-
ber he left the house, and as he did so knocked at her
parlour door, and told her something was left for her.
She went outside and found a letter addressed to her in
the hall, of which the libellous parts were as follow :
" The first six week,' your immodest behaviour towards
me ww so disgustiag that I was obliged to keep you as I
have done, at arm's length, and to treat you as I should be
very sorry to treat any respectable woman ; when, reject-
ing your invitations into your own room, when trying to
pass in and out of the house, and to avoid your presence,
which, I am sorry to say, was so molting to me ; but that
did not stop your bold, unblushing effrontery, as I was
obliged to request you to leave my sitting-room more than
once, and once my bedroom, when it seemed nothing would
shame you. Shortly afterwards you had the impertinent
presumption and rodeorney to try to walk with me in
the street, which I most decidedly declined, preferring
ea my companion the poorest of the poor, but
honest and respectable, than with one of such
a character." The above latter was followed by other mat-
ter of a like character in which the complainant was ac-
cused of having exhibited a cloven foot, in which the de-
fendant add that she was a most dangerous woman, and
concluded by designating her as Jezebel, and by foretelling
her reward as likely to be of a like kind with that of the
wicked woman mentioned in Holy Writ. Mr. Smyth west
en to say that there was not the slightest foundation for
any of these libellous charges ecoWned In the letter, sad
which had caused his client, a most respectable lady, the
greatest passible pain and annoyance ,
_• he asked the magis-
trate upon that letter to commit the defendant to take tits
trial.