The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-20 00:00:00

body conveyed to London for interment in the family vault, and it
en happened that he had paid away a great deal of money, and was
short of cash. The witness gave him 20 sovereigns, and' kept
the bills, which he sent to Messrs. Becchir,g's agents in London,
Maeterman and Co., to be presented when they beesine due.
Mr. Gates sworn—The bills in question were handed to him,
and he presented them for payment at Jones and Loyd"ls
but re'.
ceived for answer that they had "no orders." He then wrote a
letter, addressed to Messrs. Robinson and Brown, Glasgow, but
received no answer, and was since informed that no such firm ex-
isted there.
Mr. Frederick Weedon, clerk to Messrs. Morland and CO.
hankers, Pall-mall, swore that the endorsement on the bill Gtr
37/. Ile. &I, ss Benjamin Ball and Co., Dublin," was not the ge-
nuine endorsement of that firm, but was a forgery.
Sir R. Ilium asked Mr. Oates if he had any other charges to
prefer at present? observing, that perhaps it would be unnecematy
to go further here, as he could prefer bills of indictment after
committal.
Mr. Gates said there were a great many other cases against the
prisoner, but sufficient, he apprehended, had been proved to war-
rant a committal fur trial, which, perhaps, was all that was ne-
cessery at present.
Sir It. Briterin asked the prisoner if he wished to put any
question. to the witnesses?
The prisoner bowed respectfully, and said, " No, Sir, I thank
you, I have no questions to put.'
Sir R. Dinette—You scent to have been playing a dangerous
game, young man ; have you anything to say ?
Prisoner—No, Sir, I have no desire to say anything.
The prisoner was then fully committed to 31aids one gaol. for
trial at the next Assizes= upon the two charges of uttering forged
bill, at Messrs. !leeching a, at Tunbridge Wells.
Sir R. Btexte mentioned that information had been for a lung
time in the possession of the Police of the practices which the pri-
soners had carried on with such extraordinary success. He had
never, in the whole course of his Magisterial experience, known an
instance in which the crime of forgery had been so extensively per-
petrated. It was a singular fact, that the prisoner could be in.
dieted in every county in England, for there was not one in sonic
part of which he had not uttered forged paper.
Mr. Oates said he had been engaged in tracing him to a great
many places He was a man of very imposing manners, anti a
great knowledge of business; and the style in .which he had lived,
and the appearance of himself and his female companion, a beau-
tiful and elegant woman, completely disarmed suspicion In the
minds even of the most wary. His general mode was to drive to
the first-rate inn, in whatever place he chose to stop, and there
live sumptuously for a few days, pay liberally, and take especial
pains to Ingratiate himself with the landlord of the house, whim,
with his wile perhaps, he would take in his carriage for a day or
two to Rome place of public resort, or for a short tour about the
adjoining country, treating them whit champagne and every other
luxury that could be procured. When about to milt the town lie
would say he was shun of ready money ; he had plenty of bills,
as good as the Bank of England ; " but, then, the devil of it is,
you see, that no one knows me here or your hankers would dis-
count for me." This was a difficulty which the landlord would
soon remove, by offering to say that he knew him, sooner than he
sh tuld be inconvenienced. In this manner he got forged piper
cashed at Newark and several other places. .At each place where
he stopped lie was constantly reeeivieg letters by the post, con.
tinning bills and hank-noses, and it had been ascertained
that seemed of those very letters had been fist given by the
prisoner himself to stage.coerlimen to be put into distant post.
offices %%lien he was apprehended he bad two packages, filled
with printed forms of bills of exchange, and promissory notes,
several of which were drawn, accepted, and endorsed in various
names and handwriting. One of these parcels he contrived to de-
stroy. (Mr. Gates produced the other) There were also some
slips of paper, on which were written a great many signatures in
different characters of handwriting, as if by some person practising.
At one place the prisoner obtained cash for a bill of 201. by this ex-
pedient. He received a letter by post, with a black veal, with
which he went in haste ton tradesman, with tears in his eyes, and
said his brother had been killed in the Burmese war, and he was
compelled to go in great haste to London, to settle his affairs. But
a still more ingenious trick was played off by him at Rochester.
He had been some time at that place, and had by some means got
acquainted with a lady of high respecenhility and good property re-
siding there. He ascertained where she kept cash ; and one day,
when he was taking a drive with her in her own carriage, he re-
quested she would order her coachman to stop for a few moments
at Messrs. —, (mentioning the names of her bankers). She at
i once complied, and lie alighted, walked into the bunking-house,
and requested cash to; a bill of considerable amount. The bankers
seeing with whom he came, had not the least hesitation in corn-
plying with his request, and gave him the money. lie left Re-
cheater very shortly after.
The prisoner is a good•looking man, apparently about 33 years cf
age, of florid complexion, light hair, and about the middle size.
His appearance was gentlemanly. Ile wore a jacket, made after
the fashion of those worn by our metropolitan fresh-water sailors in
their excursions. Uri female companion was in the office, but not
present at the examination. The prisoner's conduct bas been extra-
ordinarily cool and firm since his apprehension ; it has, in fact,
been that of a man who has sufficient firmness, under trying cir-
cumstances, to :mate up his mind to meet the worst that can betel.
MABLIOROUGU-STREET.—A few days ago we cautioned the
public against a system of robbery now in daily practice—that of
thieves going down the areas of gentlemen's houses, and, if none of
the servants are in the way, stealing whatever is most convenient
for hand-carriage; if they are detected in the kitchen or pantry,
they immediately offer some trifle • for sale that is not likely
to be wanted, and escape from the house without any particular
notice being taken of their persons. The case we allude to was
that of .Ir. Raikes Currie, who was fobbed of table linen to the
value of 141. by a fellow who went down the area with a large
basket, having a few oranges at the bottom, the sale of which, if
the servant had been in the kitchen, would have been the excuse
for Iva intrusion. When that thief was taken, another was known
to have been in his company, who then escaped. This fellow, it Ss
believed, has been since caught entering the house of Mr..l3rioe,
of Euston-square, otteneptiug to steal the bonnet of the cook. Two
fellows having been lately convicted of a capital felony in the same.
house a short time since, the whole faintly were reluctant to give
evidence. Mr. Brice came early in the morning to be excused
prosecuting, on account of the nervous state of Mrs. Brice. Mr.
DY Lit said the case could be completed without the attendance or
Mr. or 31ra. Brice; he therefore dispensed with their service on
the promise of having the evidence of the housemaid and cook. Late
in the morning the housemaid was brought, but the cook had not
come when the sitting was over ! She is to be summoned, and if she
does not attend to that, a warrant is to be put into the hands of an
officer, to which resistance will be vain.
Ann Norris, housemaid to Mr. Brice, stated that on 31ondsy she
brought down front the three pair of stairs the bonnet of Sarah
Chamberlain, the cook, and placed it on the furthermost dresser of
the kitchen. About ten minutes after she went into the pantry, re-
turning front which site saw the prisoner in the kitchen with the
bonnet in his right hand, going towards the door, mid a large basket
in his left. Site celled " Stop thief," when the prisoner dropped
the bonnet and ran op the area steps. She followed to the corner
of Euston.terrace, still calling "Stop thief," where he was stopped
by the street-keeper. She is positive to the person of the prisoner.
The girl was in tears while giving her evidence.
Mr. Fitzpatrick, the clerk, sold her it would not effect the pri-
soner's life ; at most he would be *but transported.
Mr. Drell reasoned with her en the propriety of convicting such
characters, who, if they escape .once, return to the taros thing
again and again.
The street-keeper prnved stopping the prisoner, on whom were
found a knife, three sticks of sraling-wax, and a basket with a flap
to it, containing a handful of coloured willow ehaviogs for fire-
grams
cook is to give her evidence on Saturday, when the prisoner
will he fully connififted for trial.
ileNry .10,4„:, and John Drtr.ort were apprehended in St. James's
Park. picking pockets.
Jelin Groom went into the Park dui ing the tiring the chambers,
in company with Bertram and Roberts, and °been ed the two pri-
sm); es towidunuely following a gentleman ; shortly after he saw
Josee take something from the pocket of the prosecutor, and give
it to Brown, slum bath walked away. Witness told Bertram to ask
the gentlemen if he had lost any thing, while himself and Roberts
went after the prisoners; witness took one and Roberta the other;
on Brown was found the book produced.
Bertram Inquired of the prosecutor if he had been robbed ? and
VIA told by him that he bad lost the book produced by the last
, itness ; it was Mylios's Se/tool Dictionury, value eighteee-pence.
3lr. Christopher Gandy, the prosecutor, of Harams:reet, St.
Patters., identified the book.
The primmer; were fully committed for trial.
The Secretary of the Sisters of Humanity Benefit Society was
sumarion•il, for regimens; to pay the nominee of a deceased member
ten pounds.
A Mrs. Cull, the deceased member, who lived in Limon-grove,
had been a member for some years; Cut when she WAS ill hest De•
ember " the box was closed ;" that its the payments to the sick
were suspended, on account of a diminution in the teock ; but this
closing the box does not extend to the payments of contributions,
which, if not paid, can be recovered by summoning the defaulting
member to a Court of Conscience. Oii the second of May a noti-
fication was sent to Mrs. Cull, that if she did nut pay us she would
be excluded the society. By some sort of mistake Mrs. Cull died
before she paid the money ; but her brother, the nominee, one
week after her death, sent 13s. fie. by Mary Cull, the deceased's
daughter, to entitle him to the 101. This the Secretary resisted,
on the ground, that unless she had died, the friends of the de.
ceased did not mean tope's for he had been midst). berense the so.
ciety was bankrupt, through the bankruptcy of Mr. Starkey, the
brewer. Setting the intent of the deceased aside, the Secretary
failed in proving the order for payment to have been delivered, and
the Magistrates adjudged his liability. The Secretary stated that
the society possesses 91. se. It once had 175 members, which
number Inn dwindled to less titan ate; and how twiny there may
be the next monthly night, he could not presume to say.
ROBBERIES BY SERTANTS.

UNIOX-HALL.—A man named Harris, a eoppers mith, in the
employment of Messes. Maudslays, the engineers, of Westminster-
road, was brought before the sitting Magistrate, charged whit steal-
ing a quantity of copper And steel filings from the factory.
Mr. Mandalay, pin. stated that of hoe immense quantities of
copper and steel filings have been missed from the floury, and in
consequence some of the workmen were suspected ; this led to a
very strict watch over the men on leaving the premises. The pre-
ceding day, as the prisoner was about to leave work for dinner, his
pr.ckets were observed to be unusually large, and that circumstance
exc4irtg suspicion, he was immediately searched, and his jacket
pockerf, winch appeared to bare been mac for the purpose, were