The National Register.
London, England, 1813-01-03 00:00:00

nrosr CURIOUS DISCOVERY._

Pe netc-oart E, Bo w• aver. —Thursday, Mr. Naves, the Sitting
Magistrate, was occupied nearly the whole day in investigating several
charges of an intricate and complicated nature, of robberies at the Gene-
ral Post Office. The snbstance of the circumstances are as follows :
For some time complaints have been made at the Post-Office of letters,
containing Bills of Exchange, Country Bank-notes, and Bank of Eng-
land Notes, not having come to hand, and also that notes had been taken
out. Every possible attenticn and assistance was given to the parties
complaining by the Agents to the Post-office, as is always the case ; but
no trace could be made of the stolen property. Several persons belong-
irg to the Post-office were suspected ; but the ground of suspicion was
not sufficiently strong to take them ;leo custody. At length some Bank
of England notes that had been paid for some of the country bank notes
that had been stolen, were traced to William Griffiths, the beadle and
chapel-clerk of Bridewell Hospital ; and although be was considered a
respectable man, yet he, not giving a satisfactory account, as to how he
became possessed of them, he was taken into custody on the 21st inst.
The account he gave of the notes was, that he received them from his
wife, whom he did nut cohabit with. it being learnt that she re•ided
in Park Place, Kennington, early the following morning. Vickery went
to the house destgribed. lie was answered by a female servant, who
said her mistress was at home, but nut up. Vickery proceeded to her
bed-room, and fount/111er and a man fast asleep, and snoring in bed to-
gether ; a dog in bed wit'a them, and two dogs on the pillows, fast
asleep. The officer soon awoke the whole tribe, when a very un-
common scone was presented; the dogs barked violently, and flew at
Vickery. Mrs. Griffiths went into fits ; but the officer, having assistance
iu some of the patrole at hand, soar secured her and her gallant, who
was in bed with her. fie afterwards preceeded to search the premises.
and in the bed-room where they were in bed, he found a number of
Bank of England notes. He secured his prisoners, and Thursday was
the clay appointed for a full investigation and examination. The mys-
tery was to a great measure explained by the man found in bed with
Mrs. Griffiths, who proved to helang to the General Post-office.
William G riffiths, the husband, being admitted an evidence for
the Crown, his deposition was read over, from which it appeared,
that he and his wik had separated in October, 1811, by mutual con.
sent. For scathe tune past she had applied to hint to get bills and
notes changed for her. On the morning of Saturday the :BTh of Isla-
limber last, she called on irrn, and asked hint to get her some coun-
try notes changed. He replied, he wished all the notes at the Devil :
however, or, her pressing him, and his examining them, and finding
they were Wercester and Evesham bank-notes, and as he got a New-
bury note to get changed, and had to go into the city, he agreed to
get them changed, which he did, but not all en the same day. He took
the Pnel( of England notes he nal received for the country notes to his
wife, to her house in Park Pla,:e•, hut was not positive they were
the identical notes he had received for the country notes, as he had
mixed them with the notes he got in exchange for the Newbury
note. This was on the Wednesday following. when he stopped and
slept all night with his wife. He denied receiving any. part of the
notes, or in any way participating of the amount for his. trouble, except
that he did not pay his wife so mach as a separate maintenance since
he had been in the habit of getting note,; changed for her, she telling
him she received them tram a friend. The way his wife got money
besides what lie allowed her was by letting lodgings. The other pri-
soner, limn.
,Johns, 'edged with her. At one of his interviews
with his wife, at her house in Park Place, when Henry Johns was
he told his %vile he had pai.i her 31. too much in their last
f.r notes she pot eschniged, A filch i-henry Johns acknnw-
and said they had towel it out after he was gone, and it was
a;„ iXjtlitr conversation tt •Natt; oh,sertiedi

ry.
, .

present, hi
stttlement
'edged, am
rct..;')::d