The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-09-19 00:00:00

, OLD BAILEY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18.

• • RANK FORGERIES.
Elizabeth Brookes, 43 years of age, was iiiiiicted
for uttering, on the 21st July, a forged Bank of
England note of I/. knowing it to he forged, with
intent to defraud the Governer and Company of
the Bank of England.
Mr. Serjeat►t BOSANQUET stated the case to tl►e
Jury, us it was detailed in the following evidence.
In conclusion he observed, that if he was under the
necessity of calling one witness. l►e Must go on with
the case. The Prisoner had. therefore, still tl►e
power of pleading to the minor offence, as there
were two indictments against I►er.
Mr. Baron GRAHAM addressed the Prisoner, and
said he had only one word to say to her, which was,
that she should now pause to consider the situation
in which she was placed ; for if a single witness was
called, the prosecution must go on fur the capital
offence. He by no memis meant to dictate to her
any particular plea—she must Judge for herself,
and he hoped sl►e would decide rightly.
The Prisoner persisted in denying that she knew
the note to be a forgery at the time she paid it
away.

John White, of No. 13, Alsop's-building•, New.
rood, said the Prisoner came to his shop on Tues-
day, the 2lst of July, between three and four
o'clock. His son served her, as witness was in the
parlour; hut lie went out iota the shop before she
paid for the goods; she then gave witness a 1/. note,
and said her name was Brookes, and her address
Mary-street, Fitiroy-sqtiare. %%Fitness's son ob-
served to I at the time, that they had taken a
forged 11. note from the same street in December
last, and he believed the Prisoner was the perion
who paid it off. The Prisoner denied this, and then
said she Hid not live in Mary-itreet, but iii Mary's-
place. On being still further questioned, she dis-
avowed the second address she gave, and said her
place of residence was No. 11, George-street,
Fitzroy-square, where her husband kept a little
painter's shop, and that she had left Mary's-place
about a twelvemonth. He then gave her lgs. 1.1.
in change out of the note, the remainder was the
price of tea, sugar, and soup, which she purchased.
She went away, and lie desired his son to follow
her. Witness marked the note with the filial ad-
dress the Prisoner gave him, and the note now pro-
duced was the same lie had from her.
Cross-examined by Mr. ALLEY.
He kept the note by it.elf in a separate drawer
from other money. The articles the woman
bought were those which a woman in her station
of life would commonly want.
John White, the last witness's son, corrobo-
rated his testimony, and said that after she left the
shop he followed her, and observed that instead of
gotug towards the direction of the address she gave,
she went on to Gloucester-place, and passed down
through the different streets until she came to
Oxford-street, where she went into a Chemist's
shop near the Green Man and Still. Ou the way
she occasionally looked behind as if to ascertain
whether any body followed her. She stopped two
or three minutes in the Chemist's shop, and Alien
then went over to Little Portland-street, and
through Lisle4trket. Leicester-square, to the
Seven Dials—she afterwards went to Long-acre,
witness there ran down to Bow-street, got an office►,
returued and caine up to the Prisoner in Lincoln's-
Inn-fields, where the officer took her into custody.
%Vhen the Prisoner first came to the shop and was
told that she looked like a person who had passed a
forged note there in the December preceding. she
seemed very much agitated, and denied at once the
charge—she, hdwever, instantly offered to change
the note she was then paying if they did not like
it, but witness's father said tl►at it looked quite
new, and was, lie thought, a good one—when site left
the shop anJ got to the corner, she ran a consider-
able way on, as if to elude pursuit, but witness
kept her in sight—he met a Mr. Slade on the way,
who consented to accompany him in watching the
Prisoner—on the way she went into a public-house.
where she metely stopped to take a glass of
porter.
Crom-cramined.--His object in following her
ass to see if she went to the address she gave in the
shop. His following her through the streets might
hate occupied about an hour and a quarter ; ou the
way he never observed her offer a nute.iii payment
fur any thing.
Stephen Slade accompanied the last witness
through the streets he mentioned—on the way she
never attempted to throw away any thingi or utter
any note.
J. Johnstone, an officer from Bow-street. said,
that he apprehended the Prisoner in Lincoln's-Inn-
fields ; site seemed to be agitated ; he asked her
what made her uneasy, for if she gave a right name
and address she need not be afraid. She said site
had given her maiden name, and that she had been
married. She afterwards said she was an unfortu-
nate woman, and had received the note from a
gentleman in Mary-le-bone. On searching her
witness found a //. note in her pocket, and I Is. 6d.
In silver;
.it proved to be a good note.
Benjamin Brown, • tax.collector, in the district
of Fitzros-square, proved that Ile such person us
the Prisoner had lived at any of the addresses she
gave in Mr. White's shop.
The persons who resided at these places also
proved that she did not live at any of them.
The Bank Inspector, and one of the signing
clerks proved the note paid to Mr. White to be a
forgery.
The Prisoner, in her defence. said site got the
note from a gt lot leseisn whom she casually met, and
who took pity on her distress, and insisted on her
making an appointment with him on the Saturday
following. She went into Mr. White's shop to buy
sonic little necessaries, it was the shop where she
usually went to buy groceries ott a Saturday night
for her use. The reason she did not give her right
address was, lest by any inquiry her family should
discover and be distressed the appointmet►t she
had made with a genrtle►nan ; her daughter was re-
spectably out as apprentice, a:id was obliged to
provide her own tea and sugar, and she was in the
act of carrying it to her when the officer Plopped
her in Lincoln's-Inn-fields. She never made the
slightest re►istansce to the officer, but went with him
at once, and told how she came by the note.
Mr. Baron GRAHAM summed up the evidence to
the Jury, who returned a verdict of Guilty.
Mary Smith, aged 36, was indicted fur having

disputa of and put away two forged Batik of Eng.
hold 1/. note'', On the 114111 July, with intent td
defraud the Governor and Company of the Bank
of England. Another count laid the offence with
iiitt•iit to defrutol John Farrow.

Mr. Serjeasit BOSANQUET, in stating the maitre
of the evidence in this case, said, it was the last of
the prosecution, for this offence which the Bank had
to conduct in the present Sessions, and he should
have been glad if tlie Prisoner, by pleading tcl the
'Moor offence, had spsred liiin the pain of prose-
ciiiio2 her case.
Farrow sowed, that, on the 1,2•11 July, the
Pii.inser came to his shop. Ile ass a clothe.,.
salesman at 0, Upper Mort ros..street, St.
Luke's. It was on a Sunday mornir g about elcven
o'clock, and another woman accompanied her.
She first asked fur a pair. of shoes Hurl stockings.
which she bought, and also a lio)'s corduroy dress.
The goods crime to the price of I/. and she gave a
pound note in payment fir it, and said her bus-
band's name was Cannon, be lived in Golden.
lane, and that he took it in payment of his pen.
. Ile %%rote down this addresa on the note at
the time. She returned again in about a quar.
ter of an hour, and bought a gown for 44. 6:1. and
gave a shilling deposit ou a 164. pelisse. She then
went away, and said she would try if it were pos.
Bible to get more money from her hush:told, fur if
she did not try to get it, the whole of his pension
would lie spent in the public-house. She WM after
returned, and paid I/. 4'. fur the pelisse and a
blue jacket, which, she said, was for her husband,
Ile then marlad the second note in the same titan.
ner as the first, and while the prisoner rein..ined in
the shop. The two notes now produced were the
swine lie had taken and marked from the Prisoner.
Thirteen days afterwards lie saw her pass his shop,
hut lie soon after missed her in Whitecross..treet.
The next day he saw her in the custody of out
officer.

Cross.e.rariiined by Mr. A N mutt's.
lie xis in the habit of hiving several customers
soniet.ines on a Sunday morning, but on this pull-
cuts,. Sunday nobody was in the shop to purchase
but the Prisoner while she was there. lie was po-
sive as to her iden•ity, lie never doubted this when
he saw her miters/arils. lie never said to his servant
iluthon that lie was not sure he could speak to tlib
same person who passed the notes, and that he wish•
ed she could recollect her better.

Mary Anti [lnchon, servant to last witness', cor.
roborated him testimony, and was equally positive
that the Poisoner was the woman who paid the notes
to her master, and gave her address, Canagan,
den-lane.

F.— F-I e r master had told her two
or three times that he did not think he could re-
collect the person who passed the notes, and should
wish witness to look at her attentively, when they
went to see the person who was in custody. She
was positive he said this, but witiiess was equally
Certain the Prisoner was the woman. When *ha
passed the notes she wore a bonnet. It was before
her master had been in the watch.house to see the
Pr user in custody that he said he was nut sure
wheiter he could recollect her or not.

Mary Farrow, the wife of the first witness, cor-
roborated his statement respecting the Pri►ouer's
purchasing the articles in his shop, and paying fur
tliein in two 1/. notes.

J. Van, a constable, produced a bundle of clothes
and a bonnet, which he found in the Prisoner's room
when he apprehinded her.

Cross-examined. —He knew a woman of the name
of Driscoll, who was ut large; he knew her on the
12th July; ►he had been afterwards apprehended
by witness ; he never saw Mrs. Driscoll in the
clothes he now produced ; she was a little taller
and more bulky than the Prisoner. He found in
the Prisoner's lodgings, which he particularly ex-
Brained, no part of the goods purchased of Mr.
Farrow. although he closely searched for that pur-
pose. He found upon her 25 pawnbrokers' dupli-
cates, but nut one of them referred to any of the
articles represented as bring sold by Mr. Farrow.
The Prisoner had, he heard, a daughter, but no
son, or any body who could have wanted a cordu-
roy dress.
The clothes now produced by the constable. Mr.
and Mrs. Farrow and their servant stated exactly
resembled those worn by the Prisoner when she
paid the notes. The pattern of the cotton gown
was, however, quite a common one, and in general
wear, and neither of the witnesses could say fur-
ther than as to the pattern.
The Rank Solicitor and Clerk now proved the
two notes in Court to be forgeries.
The Prisoner, in her defence, said, she had
neither act nor part in this transaction, nor had she
been out of her house that morning, and could
shrw what he► character had invariably been fur a
number of years.
Richard Nevill, a cabinet-maker. of No. 9, Lit-
tle Crown-court, Type street, said. that he had
known the Prisoner; he lodged with her, and used
to eat his meals with I►er. He remembered her
being taken into custody on Sunday the 26th, or
27th July; l►e perfectly well recollected the Sun-
day fortn►ght preceding: on that day, he, as usual.
breakfasted with the Prisoner at about ten o'clock ;
he staid in the same room where she was until raw
o'clock on the same day. Where they lived was
nearly half a mile from Mr. Farrow's house.
Crass-examined.—He lived in the same house
since ; it was kept by Prisoner's husband, who let
out one lodging-bed, which witness l►ed. He was
positive she never quitted the house between ten and
two o'clock on Sunday, the 12th July.
James Harvey said, he lodged in the Prisoner's
husband's house, and slept in the same bed with
the last witness. He corroborated the statement of
their breakfasting together with the Prisoner at fro
o'clock on Sunday morning, the 12th of July.
This witness underwent a long cross-examination,
but nothing material transpired.

Richard Mullen, a bricklayer's labourer, knew
the Prisoner, and recollected calling on her at
o'clock on a Sunday, a fortnight before she was
taken up. Ile then described his finding her at
home ; he remained there until a quarter before
one o'clock, ■nd she never quitted the room during
that period.

Bridget Smith, the Prisoner's daughter, remem.
hertil her mother's being apprehended un the Sun.
day ; a fortnight brfore this took place she was at
her mother's from ten o'clock in the morning until