The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-07 00:00:00

iirRAORDINARY CHARGE- OF CONSPI
RACY, FRAUD, AND FORGERY.

- -,

At the Westminster police-court, yesterday, Mr. Ed-
ward Fred crick Wilks, proprietor of the Anchor
Brewery, Britten-street, Chelsea, Thomas Wilksrlai*son,
and John Waller; his clerk, underwent a lengthened ex-
awination, charged with conspiracy, frau 1, and forgerYi-
Mr. Parry conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Clark-
son and Mr. Reeves the defence.
The following is the evidence of the princiFal wit-
ness :-

Edwin Taylor—l am a beer-shop keeper, and I live at
54, George-street, St. George's-in-the-East. I cairlidon
business at 222, High-street, Shadwell—the Ross and
Shamrock—as a beer-shop keeper, three years and six
months. I knew Messrs. Wilke and Cowell, the Castle
Brewery, St. George's, Southward, brewers. I dealtwith
themabout 11 months, after Wards with Long and Walker.
After I returned to deal with Mr. Wilke, it began in Nov.,
1854. Mr. Wilke was a browerat that time—tbe Anchor
Brewery, Chelsea. The book now produced, marked A,
is the one of my dealing with Wilks and Co. The signa-
tures to the receipts are Mr. Wilks'e. I have seen him sign
them. The book contains an account of all the beer
supplied to me by Wilke and Co., from Nov., 1854, to
March, 1555. The ten totes produced now, marked 1),
are all the delivery notes of the beer I had. 'With re-
ference to the Rose and Shamrock, the business was very
slack from Nov., 1854, to May, 1855. I know the three
defendants. About January Mr. Wilke spoke about
parting with the business to Cowell and Brock. He said
several times trade had fallen off very much since he
took the lease of it. I said it had. He said, did I think
Mr. Cowell would take up the lease. I said I thought
he would. Mr.Wilks called once a fortnight, sometimes
twice, and said if I could get Mr. Cowell to take up the
lease he would put me in a good house. He said so on
some occasion between January and March. Mr. Wilke
never spoke to me about the book. He said, " You can
represent to Mr. Cowell that you are paying 30/. or 401,
a month, and he will take up the lease." He said so
about February. At that time I was paying about 121.
a month, and for about 10 weeks I paid nothing to Mr.
Wilke. I began to deal with Mr. Cowell about March.
Mr.Wilks told me to deal with him,to get him to take the
lease, and to represent I was paying. 301 or 401. a month.
Mr.Wilks spoke two or three times about the false repre-
sentation which I bad made as to what, I had been
doing before Wilks took up the lease. Afterwards I
received the book produced marked "C" from Mr.
Thos. Wilke. It was some time in May. One day
Thos. Wilks and Waller called and wished me to call at
the brewery, and the book_ was given to me at a pnblic-
house adjoining. 'Waller and Thos. Wilks were bath ,
present. I had had two or three glasses of brandy and
water, when Thomas Wilks handed me the book and
said, " Here, Taylor, show the red-whiskered this,.
it will make him take up the lease sooner." Then he
banded the book to me. I had never heard it men-
tioned before. I put it in my pocket. I had seen
Cowell several times about taking this off Mr. Wilks's
hands. The book is a false one of my dealings with
him. In about five days after I saw Mr. Cowell.
I showed him the book ;no one else was present. It
is the book marked " C." It was in consequence of
what Mr. Thomas said that I showed it to bins.
He opened it, and said, "Oh, this is Messrs. Wilks's
book." I said, "Yes, that is their book."' He didn't
peruse it ; he looked at it for about half a minute, and
then shut it up—we were in the bar-earlour of my house.
Mr. Cowell never saw the book again. In oonsequence
of what Mr. Cowell said, I went up, on the 30th of
May, with Mr. John Dean, to Wilks's brewery. I
went into the parlour, and there saw Mr. Thomas Wilks
and John Waller. Thomas said, before Dean, "Have
you seen that red-whiskered since—what does he
intend doing ?" I said, "He intends taking up the
lease." He said, "He's a long time," and we had
something to drink. Waller said, "Give him a strong
order for-301. or 401." I said, "How am Ito pay
Mr. Cowell, for I owe him a' good bit now ?" He
s .id, "Go through the Court, and we will pull you
through." Thomas Wilke said, "That's right, Taylor,
go through, and we will put you in the way of getting
another 501. out of him." I said, " What am I to
get for doing your dirty work. I shall expect my
hook debt, 38/. lls. 6(1., for the Rose and Shamrock."
Waller said, "That will be all right, we will forgive you
that ;" and Thos. Wilks said several times—" We will
put you into a good house." On the 6th June, I went
to Widas brewery, and saw Mr. Wilke and Waller. I
seid, " I have closed up the house this morning ; what
do you intend doing with me ? I shan't give up posses-
sion unless I get something. I shall expect what Mr.
Walter promised me—the hook debt." Wilke said, " We
will see about it ; that will be all right," and he went
away. He had asked me if Mr. Cowell was going to
rake the lease. I said ." Yes ;" then I went with Waller
into the counting house a short time, and said I wouldn't
sign any mortgage deed un'ess I got the book debt, 'us--
cording to promise. Waller said I should have it. I did
mot stop long. Wilks ceine hack ; and I told Waller, in
his 'leering, I should go and open the house, that Mr
Cowell might not know of it. Dean was with Wilke
when I was talking to Weller. About a week or more
before June 14, I received a paper from Waller, which
I afterwards lost. It was not stamped ;it was to say I
should be forgiven the book debt if Mr. Cowell took
up the leave ; and on June 14 I received from Waller
the receipt produced now. Afterwards I went to
Willis's Brewery with Messrs. Kennet and Caston. Mr.
Caston is a clerk of Mr. Cowell's. Wilke and Waller
were in the office. Kennet and Caston went in first.
When I went in Kennet said to me, " I understood you
owed only the 1501. mortgage." I said, "That's all I do
owe." He said, " Mr. Wilks says there's a book debt
against you, is that right ?" I said, " No, that's settled."
Wilks said, " No, it's not." I said, " Nonsense, it is."
Waller called Wilke aside. They returned In threei or
four minutes, and Walter said, "All right ; it's my mis-
take." Wilke was present, and he took the cheque for
1501. from Caston. I said, " I would rather have the
receipt for the book debt." Then the receipt produced,
marked " D," was written by Waller, and given to me
either by him or Mr. Wilke, I don't know which. I
dealt with Mr. Cowell after that. I shut up the house
to go into the country. Business was much the Beale as
it had been for eight months before.

Mr. Parry sought to,conflrm the testimony of this
witness by other persons.
After several witnesses had been examined,

Mr. Clarkson submitted that there was no evidence to
put Mr. Wilks, sen., on his trial for this offence. The
evidence, so far from confirming Taylor's account, con-
tradicted it, and there was nothing to show that Mr.
see., was connected with the book upon which
the prosecution was founded.

Air. Arnold hardly thought he should be justified in
stopping the case against Wilke, Ben., but he should like
to take time to look over the ease.

Mr. Parry, who had before submitted that ad►nissa-

bility of evidence was a question for a judge, said that
s. the credibility of a witness (in allusion to Taylor) was
a question for a jury. He felt that Mr. Arnold, as a
rna4istrate, would not take upon himself to decide upon
the credibility of a witness.
Mr. Arnold repeated that he would look over the
notes of the case, and determine upon the matter on a
future day.
Thursday was subsequently named, and the defend-
ants, as before, entered into their own recognisances of
3001. each, to appear on that day.