The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-28 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, BtrT. 27.

Nathaniel Stockwell, a baker, lately residing at 13, Queen-
street, Islington, was opposed by 31r. Pox Lock:. at the instance of
the 3letropolitan Sotiety, on behalf of Thomas Reynolds, and two
other detaining creditors, on the ground that he had obtained credit
by falsely describing his means.
The circumstanced of the case, as detailed by the several wit-
nesses, were these:--
The insolvent, in the month of January last, applied on various
occasions to attain flour-factors, at the Lorn Exchange in Mark.
lane, for flour, and -purchased from one 20 sacks, from another 30
sacks, and frotn another SO sacks. To all of then) he described
himself as " d forttinate youth," who would shortl have no occa-
sion to keep &baker's shop as he had a claim for
the estate of
dandyhill, in the county of 'Gloucester. which was worth 12,0001.
or 14.0001. a year, and that Mr. Brougham and Mr. Denman had
' engaged, for a sum of 20,0001., to carry. through his cause ; that
his friends hsi given him WI. to go into business. and that he'
could have as much more as he wished; that the cause was to be
settled at the next Gloucestershire Amass ; and that he had pus.
*gel session of two documents, for which he d been offered 3,0001.
and 1001. a year but *licit he had r to giye up.as even to
leestfitte eto the huhrhYof itlessts. Beau am earl Denman, but had
got a solicitor to copy them at his own house. The creditors stated
that they believed this story, and therefore gave him credit for
flour, for which they had not been paid. At a meeting of the cre-
ditors the insolvent was asked for the documents to which he hrd
alluded, as a security for the debts. But he had replied that some
lawyer was in possession of them, and that they should be pro.
educed if the creditors would wait for a week. At the end of the
week the insolvent was In prison. One of the creditors stated that
he heard the same story from a person of the name of Cullyer,
from whom the insolvent purchased his house and business.
Mr. Denman was examined, to prove that he knew nothing of
the case in question, and had never heard of the Santlyhill estate.
lie lied no recollection of ever having seen " the fortunate
youth,"
and there was rot the slightest truth in his story as it referred to
him.

The insolvent, on being questioned, denied that belted ever de-
scribed himself as claiming or entitled to any property in Glouces-
tershire. He had never said that Mr. Broughatn and Mr. Denman
were engaged to obtain it for him. But his father-in-law, John
Williams, who kept sedan-chairs in the city of Gloucester, had a
claim for the Sandyhill estate, and was at law for it. The trial
would have been brought on at the last Gloucester Assizes, but
that his father-in-law's attorney died suddenly. This story he hail
told to his creditors, but had never spoken of any claims of his
own.

Mr. Cootie, who supported the petition of the insolvent, con-
tended that the opposing creditors were r.ot entitled to any protec-
tion from the Court, as, without any inquiry into the truth of it,
they had believed a most monstrous story of "a fortunate youth"
—a name which at once carried with it the idea of imposture.
Mr. Commissioner Haunts, in pronouncing judgment, said it
was plain that the creditors of the Insolvent had been induced to
part with their property in consequence of the representations lie
had made to them—representations so different to those he had
now made to the Court. He had now the hardihood to swear that
the statements made by four witnesses were false, and that he
merely described the property as claimed by his father-in-law;
while they had distinctly sworn that he had informed them he was
himself the claimant, and that he expected to become the possessor
of immense wealth. The audacity of the story he had then told
could only be equalled by the audacity of his denying that he had
ever told it. The conduct of one of his assistants was severely
to be condemned, for he had let him his shop, had endeavoured to
confirm his story, and now retained possession of the same shop.
It was greatly to be hoped that creditors would continue to use the
means of holding up such persons as the insolvent to public detest-
ation. The sentence of the Court was, that he be remanded to
prison for ID months.
William Harding, a carpenter, of 3fcpal. In the Isle of Ely.
wastl dby Mr. Coos on behalf of Dieser*. Evened, of
It appeared that the insolvent had been removed by ILabeas
Corpus from the County Gaol of Cambridge to the King's Bench
Prison ; and therefore, under the 3th of Oeinge IV., the petition
was discharged.
The COMMISSIONZIL observed, that the attorney who advised
him to such a proceeding must have been very ignorant of the laws
relative to the Court for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors.