Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-03 00:00:00

LONDON COURT OF BA.NKRITPTCY.-JULY 1.

BEFORE MR. COMMESSIONER GOITLBURN.
In re BYERS, WALKER, AND CO.-The bankrupts were
merchants of London and Liverpool. This was an
adjourned examination meeting. Mr. Linklater appeared
for the assignees, and Mr. Green f r the bankrupts. Mr.
Lawrance, for several creditors, said that they had, since
the last meting, instituted an independent inquiry into
the bankrupts' accounts. The report of their accountant
contained matter that had reference rather to the certifi-
cate meeting than to the state of the bankrupts' accounts.
They were willing, therefore, that the bankrupts should
pass. He must object to a claim of £3Ol upon the estate
by the bankrupts for the preparation of their accounts. In
the case of merchants carrying on an extensive business it
was clearly their duty to keep their accounts fully and
accurately. This had not been done ; hence the necessity
for these charges. Ia anticipation of their stoppage, the
bankrupts had drawn out, a few days preceding it, upwards
of £9OO from their estate. No part of this bUM had been
drawn by Mr. Walker. It was due to him to state that
the drawings of the partners in two years had been
£9,000. Common honesty required that every merchant
should keep proper books. Here were three men of
mature age and experience carrying on most extensive
transactions, yet they had failed in one of the most
necessary duties of their position. They had had for a
period an allowance of £l5 per week. Mr. Commissioner
Holroyd had held that a case of this character was not one
in which an allowance ought to be granted fm accounts.
There might be reasons for granting an allowance to small
traders and illiterate persons, but this was not one of
those cases. In reply to a question, the Commissioner
was informed that the debts proved against the estate
were £173,000, and that a dividend of is 31 had been
paid. There were consignments from which further assets
might come; but 'here was also a Chancery suit,
and the ,prosp-ct of any further dividend was remote.
His Honour said that on their stoppage the bankrupts had
held out to their creditors a vision of an enormous divi-
dend. Their representations were now shown to have
been most exaggerated. Creditors to the amount of
£173,000 would receive a dividend of is. 3d, in the pound.
Notwithstanding these state of things the bankrupts asked
for £3OO for the preparation of their accounts. This
rendered it necessary to ask, " Are the bankrupts ignorant
and illiterate men ?" Quite the contrary. They were
held up as persons above the ordinary rank of traders.
Their property was not to be treated as the property of
ordinary merchants. Their affairs must be wound up only
by private arrangement. Upon his (the Commissioner's)
adjourning their case into open court they appealed against
his judgment. The judgment of this Court being affirmed,
they were very indignant, but to bankruptcy their case
came. Before the bankruptcy, however, thus took place,
it appeared that two of the members of the firm helped
themselves to £975. This, it should be observed, was only
a day or two before the bankruptcy. Having taken this
£975, it was quite preposterous that they should make the
present application. For a time they had an allowance
of £5 per week each. They had subsequently received £3
per week each. This allowance was rather larger than the
they woract pay to their creditors. The bank-'
rupts, however, were not, it appeared, yet satisfied. They
wanted £3OO in addition to the £975, and the allowance
of £l5 per week for a period, and of £9 per week up to
the present time. Having been at length allowed to pass
their examination, more by the favour of their creditors
than from the state of their accounts, this application was
made. He saw no cause for it, and he refused it. The
bankrupts then passed.

APPREHENSION OF TWO DESPERATE BURGLARS.

HEROIC CONDUCT OF A FEMALE.
On Wednesday Richard Cotter and William Jones, two
smart-looking young fellows, well-known housebreakers,
were charged, at Southwark police-court, with breaking
into the dwelling-house of Mrs Margaret Richardson, at
No. 59, Bland-street, Great Dover-road, and stealing
therefrom a writing-desk and cellaret. Jones was also
charged with committing an outrageous assault upon Mrs.
Richardson, and threatening to murder her and her
servant. The prosecutrix, a widow lady, who exhibited
two black eyes and a severe bruise on her forehead, stated
that she resided at 59, Bland-street, and on Sunday night
the only persons in the house were herself and a female
servant, and on their retiring to rest everything was safe
in the house. About half-past one on Sunday
morning she heard a noise in her room, and
saw a sudden flash of light. Believing that
there was a storm coming on, she called out to her
servant, " Mary, how it lightens." Suddenly the light
went out, and she then felt certain that something was in
her room. She instantly jumped up and seized hold of
Jones as he was trying to hide himself under the bed. He
turned round upon her, and, making use of a fearful oath,
said he would murder her if she would not let him g
Jones then struck her two violent blows between the eyee
which stunned her, and she was compelled to let him go.
She then heard him and another man leave the house,
and immediately afterwards she went to the street door,
and admitted a constable. She then found that her house
had been entered by forcing a back window, and that
the parlour had been ransacked. She misied from the
latter the writing desk and cellaret produced by
the police. She did not see anything of the prisoner
Cotter, until he was brought to her house with
Jones a few minutes after she admitted the police.
In the struggle with Jones she pulled out a
large quantity of hair from his head, and she must
have overpowered him hal the servant come to her assietane 3.
Eliza Santon, a young girl about sixteen, said she heard
her mistress call out to her about the lightning. She in
stantly got out of bed, and in descending to her room she
saw Jones struggling with Mrs. Richardson, who was
calling out for assistance. As she was going towards
her, the prisoner Jones met her in the passage, and
seized her by the throat, telling her that, if she resisted or
called out, he would do for her. She was so struck with
terror that she dropped down on the floor, and then he
went away and left by the back door. Witness afterwards
found a screw driver under Mrs. Richardson's bed, which
she handed to the constable. A police-constable dep :sed
to having been attracted to Mrs Richardson's house
by the cries of "Mur 'er." He immediately went
to the place, and being told by Mrs. Richardson that two
thiet'es had attempted to murder her and her servant, and
that they had escaped by the back door, he climbed
over the walls of the adjacent houses and found the
prisoners concealed in the water-closet at the rear
of a house nine doors off As soon as he saw them
they both of them called out, " Don't hurt us ; we'll go
quietly with you. Witness, with the assistance of a cab-
man,ee took them into custody, and on seerci.ing them, he
t icandlefi e
da son Jones, aid some Lucifer
matches on Cotter. In the water-closet where he
writing-deskdis-
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mwahgiicsh.
mcfoortinvserdßediaethhkardeemy
n and
wereid a
then
trate asked what was known of the prisoners ? Dennis
Clark, 108 M, said that C tter was tried at the We t-
minster sessions in April, 185 G, for housebreaking, and
sentenced to twelve months' hard labour. Jones was tried
and acquitted for burglary in May last, and they wore
both connected with a desperate gang of burglars. The
prisoners, who did not deny the charge or tne officer's
statement, were fully committed for trial, and all the
witnesses bound over to prosecute The magistrate com-
plimeated the courageous conduct of Mrs. Richardson, the
prosecutrix.

CASH
ermliebiletorsud,
eanedd
AHD DEED Boxxs.—The next important thing to the Poss-s-
-sion of cash is. how (when you have got ►t) to keep it safely, either in
the counting-house or at home. The same remarks apply to deeds
and other valuable documents. We have seen a large and varied
stock of both these desirable articles, manufactured ex)ressly for Mr.
E. T. Hall, of South John-street, that challenge attention. These
boxes are made on new and admired principles, and possess patent
locris, which defy the ingenuity of any "pick-lock" in the world to
oothpeenr,s.exthcezet
nweitwhetabewl,eoginrawntealkieLe.
ieToremeeetrpcharevents;
—N►rthens Daily Times, 218 i Mc% 1867.