The National Register.
London, England, 1814-06-12 00:00:00

TITE NATIONAL REGISTER.

L.iry rAlitItTdE.‘TE:
COURT OF KING'. BEL GUILDHALL, JUNE 8.

TIME RING V. LORD COCHRANE AND OTHERS, !OA A CONSPIRACY.
This morning came on the importunt trial of the Hon. Cochrane
Johnstone, Lard Cochrane, M. P. Berenger, R. Butt, R. Sandon, A.
DlTrae, J. Holloway, and IL L 4ht, for the busbies, of the recent fraud
on the Stock Exchange. Mr. C. Johnstone and M. De Berenzer were
in Court the latter in cust,)dv of Mr. Newman, the Keeper of Negate.
The Court was unconanenly crowd' (I.
Mr. Gurney ',pew the case tor the prosecution, in a speech whirl'
lasted two hours; anti after (irca,ll 111 the inaenitude of the offence,
4!etailed the le eeeedings of the ammo parties concerned in the Stock
Exchange fraud, n the day of ilt.• hoax, as it has teen called. His
marrntion of these &tiered little from the accounts alto ads before the
public. lie proceeded in substance as billows,--A Committee was
appointed in eme:equenee of this trend, and pursued the investigation
with much industry. They soon discovered an undirplot. T!.ey eound
that a second chaise had mine from Northfleet, and that the persons
who personated the two French offictrs, were Mr. M'Crae, end Mr.
'Wright, a poor nary agent. They learned that MCrae lodged in
Fetter-lane, and had the day before the fraud carried to his
two great coats, bred with white. and had emr.'esed his landlady t'
'nuke some white coe.eiles. `lcing as:itel what they were Pee he said
to take in fiats. Ott the Sunday afternonn he weet rr.wn Gravcseno,
and on Monday returned. The great coat w 4 a;tered, !te burnt
the cockede. The saute week he boasted of the motley he had (theueli
. the week before he h..d been quite distressed,' ; and !wing interrogated
as to his getting it, said it he had not vt it .9itiebody e'rc would.
ilefore this, be hued applied to a Mr. Finn. anti hail offered hint 1an1.•1
if he would personate a French efficer, hrinehe ;:ee-4 to tows.: !liis!
Air. Finn indignantly rebind. Nl'Cree. howevec picked tip from Mr.
}inn, who was well acipiailited with French, sever ii phrases, whien
were the identical phrases used its the bile: thrown ,nut of the eindow
•of the chaise. From their inquiries he felt it inspoisibte to &g,t a•
comirefilin between I.ord Cochrane aed the C-hnsel de Boergle Ttley
inquired further, and found that Mt. Cochrane Juisiis`one, and Mr
Butt, formerly a. clerk in the Navy-office, were enenged is the fat ifs'
to an astonishing crew ; that the purchases and saes of all three were
the same ; that they seemed to act t, i h one heart add soul : hat where
one letught 40010.1. the other+, did•the fame ; if one letup:le. 95,0001,
the others felloeed the example; and that the amount of 'heir three
purchases was very near a ; and that on Monday every shilling
was sold. • Their principal egemt was f unit to he %Ir. Ft arn, theeigh
there. were several otli..rs, particularly Mr. Rich:miser'. Flora his eei •
deuce, it appeared that Mr. l-7.• I t was so anxious, that he wished
It. to purchase for him 1it0,00,.:d. This tremeedoes h4late.;e, this
world of stuck. he disgorged on the- Monde?. The profits to the
party were altogether 10,0e01. ; but they mould have Lieen 100,u001.
had the telegruplis sem kt.d as they intended.
The Newspapers give some account of the publictifen, and enimehi
transpiced to direct the eyes of all individuals to Lerd Cechrinee. r':.
Johnstone, and Mr. ft it
'They
were thus called 'Ton to otter tome
vindicution of themselves. Mr. Butt threatened pri secution. but had
failed to execute his threat.

Mr. Cochrane Johnstone likewiat threat.

rued, and likewise failed. Mr. C. Johnstone was particularlv indignant
tit an assertion, Mat whereas his busiuess had before that time been
transacted at another office, he had on that morning an office f,,r
Mr: Fawns in a coon close to the side door of the Stork Excl,amfe. He
swore positively that he had not taken the (Ace. Pe (Mr. Gurney)
after what he had seen of the evidence, was not much surt4riscd at 1.14
denial of a fact, yet he was surprised that he should deny ss:at could
be proved by a witness and by Lis own letter. 13;•esi,oisly to the
fraud, he had called on Mr. Harris respecting the him ~f a ticuse, and
afterwards wrote to him to kw's, if he would sell the House. murli
for his denial. ,Lord Cochrane was caned upon to ar.?.,,tillt for his vi-
sitor; and how did he do it ? He chose to make an afdi.i it. (1-le,e b";
read the affidavit.) "Lord Cochrane had complained that ho had not
been called open by the Stock Exchnnge : would that lie heti : it
vuold have been curious to see the power,of the linos in co t on.t.itaore
with vellich he would have uttered his strange asserlicals. Whit ! A
man entiged in a tremendous stock-aecount, and ihte7ested al.()
nt w invention, suffers himself to be hurried home by a :rt;v: fr in a
person whose signature he cannot read ; arid then goes and holds
extraordinary conversation with him. De flerenger t.anteit t••
Ins dress. • For what reason ? Why could he not go to
in the sanie dress in which lie visited Lord Cochrane ? His goir, bac!:
to his lodgings in that dress would excite suspicion. 1m.1e.:.!! Was not
his goine from them in tacit a dress more likely to excite aiir:n than his
return in it? De glerenger wished to change his dress, because, in fact,

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he koew it was unsafe. and might lead to detection. :Lord Coehrsnito
then, by los ossa acciaitv, assisted him with means to itb.eini. Lord
Cochrane then assert.d, that the tieifintsi limenger wa)sgia:Tiolu:
it weld+) be proved to have teen scarlet. Lord Cochrane II ought it a
favourable cit eumstance Ilea he had sold his stock at a small iro fit
tf-e contrary, H ahing could be stronger against him. Tf he and his co-
adjutors had believed, the news, would they have sold at that
prat( ? would they 'Jot have ta-ai'ed till Uranium rose higleir, when it
was so reasonehle to expect that it must rise ? they could' not have
s witholit a monstrous ! .ss, unkss some favourable circumstance oc-
curred. 'I herefore, as fast as the news operated, the sale was directed
to R,. on : orders was issued every moment, and in the hurry one sold
10,04`01. loss, tha whet '.'4,0(101, more than was held. it was felt, how.
ever, that little was done '1 the defence rested here. There was ii,
man who woull regatti their assertions, if it could be sliewn that
Berenger and De Bowel) were the same. They therefore set up au
vhbi. and published two more voluntary affidavits of the servants of
De Bt retiorw. The tact the patty thought De liertnger was out
of the kirydom they- wort' therefore hold Ind vapoured. Mr. Rua
tvas very tirkria fur his in. a...sr the Stock Exchange, with perfect
justiee, said, that V Cy • to diposit the money in the hands of
trust'-es to the invra:.;liation, and to be disposed of atter that
evetit. Mi. Bat:, hu lever, was elainorotis, •‘ Walt a bit," they said,
'4 wail. for vetir own Iteamar and eharaciar." 111 r. Batt, however, had
different senti.a :tits : his ft g w
Popidos ine rittilat, at plando
rosi sinoi! at: numilos conteteplor ill arts.
While, tem ewer, M.-. BIM was the, vapoering, a ssdrrailt had heen
"'"ed w'a'r=s' Ber; Leer : he, wos allawed the pro iii ge to stay hi the
kinetions. hot net eut of it wiliont le:ive. li. ttas apprehended
at L-ith, and 0; en Ittie:cht towards L'.ndon ; t was I . •ntilied at Dart•
ford and else.. here I v every person who had set a Ilie oiteinal transae.
tine : above all, tie w;ot identified h\- c7V I c..l),,rtolit person whose
name W3`, SnI001',11S• it .ww.!,l be remenittered tliat a fisherman had
picked up it the rater a scarlet airiforis ((• at in pieces,) with a Slit!.
Mr. Solonices, I:4* Charing-cross, had set n 110 s, i.ad identified it :
had sold on the Saturday I,re;:e.'ins, the fr:tt.l to a eentleman who
-Was very iberal io ie".vnient. • Stilotentis., sehtat le. saw De 13rrenger,
at once ktiev• him to be !,he person to h had sold the uniform,
as before de:cribed. What became tine' thase voluntary '46l‘l"'itg
rif al'bi ? If men thus re,orteli to Les tor their defeeer, what was the
ieferenee) Becanse they feh that t. tth a end(' lead to convictiou and
wichrci An ward it off. perhaps tea.a;ed friends wmild say, 4' lifiW
eao De L'otren.ter be c.in-ected 'Pit it Lord Cochrane.", Would De
tenger be • o;:t. a fitil rs ta g. d'rectly to hist house, i' be not had Lan
associated with him ? This defence. went on n wrong assumption, that
•se who act wickedly act rationally, and provide for all events. "l'he
tact was, that in toe hurt!, a,f tin: conspiracy, they forgot to setile wilt re
ll'srencer should co on bid arrival, and lw was afraid to go to his
F own house.
.lie ther.tfore 'went to Lord C
oe wane's, where he re-
ceived a dress. Ile wis familiar wish L rd Cochralar, awl boasted
of it. 't.",''hat weld. ;.erotic do, wen employs(' a matt for such pur•
Poses a' Dc Betenger ? hey would pay Lilo) and Itt hint go. They
~ did so :he paid, and niiits his lodgings. being well paid in notes,
fn: which 'totes 1 e has sliewn an extraordinary attachment. • No wea-
rier, for tiary afro:ded the most dao ring proofs against him. Mr. 'fa.
hreirtlin and Mr. C. Johnstone were sureties for Mr. DV Berenger tar
.104101. Mr. D.. Beren...er had elle ded them, and y"t Mr. T..huard;ii
telzave it all, :.nd now defended him. Among the memoranda of I)
Berenvr were found certain important farts. It appeared that De Ilt•
reitger tr,is to have a per een;ag,e %ankh amote.ted to ; k: coill.l
trace different notes'to the aniteint ef nearly 4001. to De Bereegar
a great liumbur of those marked. fis name were found upon his
; person and one note of .in!. which' ~s paid to Lord C-chrane at the
same time that the otter ti .it's Lad have elven to Butt, c,, !.l
preyed to have been given by Lead •one to his coal merrhant.
The stints together in-ide lip .1:01. etoii i any one chaiht andel.
11 sae' eveumstances that they were oe rewardsof his criminal services?
'; lie held nearly foront to state, t‘ ,t .A 5 r..seurce Mr. ( . Johnstone
had •sritt-it to tl,e Coonnittee.of t!ra. Stock Exchange statmg that
Crar was rea,iy tr. eent'ess for a r•"' ,'rd ot 1,03001: that be, and
Lord C. and Mr. Butt. were st ilhng to advance a 'thousand each
i• V the Eyetiange would advaine the rest. To this strange pro-
Pusitirra no answer •as tenoned. Mr, C. Johnstone complained of
it this, arid th=en wrote anot:esr letter. Ile must make one observation
11 on ttiii ecol,(1 letter : Mr. C. Jel.rnstone called 'his matter a hoax ; that
a eretleman of accused of a fraud. instead of the usual
s‘-nsile ity of honour, culls the matter a joke, tie should like to kni"l.
It 'ecru :;v:'s rivet, le fraud in tt e vocahrtlary ill the hon. gentleman ;
with him, perhap , it woald that taking money undor false
pretences was a mere par Of the intacinati.ai. and cheating with loaded
I dice an ineoious excrtiou of art. Mr. G. Johnston moat have thcu6hl