The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-20 00:00:00

East and West India, 138

MISCELLANEOUS.
Anglo-Mexican Mint, 191 1
Berlin Water NVorks, Urn., 8
Commercial Union, Insurance, 8
Discount Corporation, 121
Egyptian Corn. and Trading, 1im.,r21
Gen. Credit and Finance of London, lim., 5 /
Hudson's Bay, 191 15
Imperial Mercantile Credit A sso., lim.,
International Financial society, lim., 51
Joint Stock Discount, lim., 91 /
London Financial Association, lim., 201
Ditto, new, 191
National Discount Company, lim., 122 /
Ocean A! arine (Insurance),:2ll
Peninsula and Oriental Steam,
Ditto, new, 491
Royal Mail Steam, Mi
Thames and Mersey Marine (Insurance), lim.,

The supply of bar silver by the last West India
packet has been sold at ss. ad. per oz. standard,
showing a fall of from the last price. This
amount has been sold for the Continent, there
being an entire absence of demand for India,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,—This day.

BOW-STREET.
GREAT FORGERY AND FRAITD ON DENT AND CO„ OF
COCKSPUR-STEET.—Francis Joseph Cooke, a young man,
lately in the employ of Messrs Dent and Co., of Cockspur-
street, was placed at the bar on remand charged with
forging cheques and orders for the
.delivery of goods to an
amount exceeding £SCO.
The facts connected with the case are somewhat extraor-
dinary. The prisoner, in the month of March last, pro-
cured an introduction to the Messrs Dent of the most re-
spectable description, and was engaged at first merely as a
temporary clerk. H,s duty was to arrange a quantity of
old papers, amongst which he found an old cheque book
which contained a number of blank forms, This fact, it
seems, led the prisoner to arrange a most ex'ensive spited'
of plunder, which was not put into execution until the
whole scheme was ripe. When the time arrived the prisoner
set to work with the utmost speed, and in one day he suc-
ceeded in obtaining either money from the customers of
his employers, or goods to order purporting to be signed
by them to the amount of over £lOO. On the day in ques-
tion the prisoner called upon a number of j,nvollers and ob-.
teined a large amount of property, and also favoured the
customers of the Messrs. Dent with a visit to collect their
accounts. In one case he went to Mr Dodd, Cornhill, and

asked for the amount of a bill owing to Messrs. Dent,
amounting to £l3O, which he received, He also went to
Mr Jones, a jeweller, and obtained about £2OO worth
goods, and to Mr Vaughan, where he produced a forged
cheque for £25, signed by Mr Dent, asking for the favour
of change for it in Irish bank notes. This he also received.
After collecting the whole et the plunder he absconded on
the 13th of September, going, it appears, to Coleraine, in
Ireland. After being there some time he returned to England
and resided for a short time in Chelsea, his object being to
get to Australia, ho having taken a passage there in a ship
which sailed two days after he was apprehended at Reigate
from the information lodged there by Sergeant Russell, of
the metropolitan police force.
The court was crowded by persons from whom the
prisoner had either obtained money or goods, as he not only
robbad his employer's customers, but ho also victimized his
fellow clerks and acquaintances.
Mr. Joseph John Carey, jeweller, Cheapside, said—The
prisoner on the 13th of September entered my shop, and
represented himself as having come from Messrs. Dent, of
Cockspur-street, and produced an order signed M. F. Dent
and Co., for goods to the amount of £B9 9s. 6d. He gave
me a cheque signed as per order for the amount. I
had had but one small transaction with them, and I
had never seen the prisoner before. The order stated that
" the bearer" had a cheque for the goods, which, if not
sufficient, he was to pay the balance in cash.
Mr Henry (looking at the order)—l presume the articles
are such as the Messrs Dent would not require ; for instance,
a diamond ring ?
Mr C arey—The transaction I have spoken of was correct
enough as to that particular article.
Mr Smith, manager to Messrs Dent, said the prisoner
was a junior clerk in the cashier's department. The order
spoken of by Mr Coney is in his (prisoner's) handwriting.
He had no authority to sign the name of the firm for the
purpose of obtaining goods. The forged cheque is also
issued by the prisoner.
Mr Henry—Upon whose bank is the cheque drawn ?
Mr Smith—The Messrs Drummond. The cheque book
used by the prisoner was an old one, which was in use before
the new stamp act was passed,
Mr Henry—lt ought to have been burnt, because any
person could put one of the new penny stamps upon it, and
afterwards use it. How many old forms did the book con-
tain ?
Mr Smith—Seventeen, your worship.
Mr Henry—How many of those have been traced ?
Russell, the officer--Only five, sir.
A large amount of jewellery, consisting of rings, watch
chains, &a., was here produced from a black leather bag,
from amongst which Mr Caney identified nearly the whole
of the goods he had supplied the prisoner.
Mr Henry—Did you present the cheque at Messrs Drum-
monds ?
Mr Ca rey—No; I paid it into my bank, and it was re-
turned to me as forged.
Mary Ann Bailey said I assist at the Railway Hotel,
Reigate. The prisoner left the bag produced in my care on
the 13th of September.
George Rogers, superintendent of the Reigate policemen,
said I took the prisoner into custody at Reigate. I found
the watch and chain identified by Mr C arey on the pri-
soner's person, and the key of the bag in which was a vast
amount of jewellery, I fonnd in the prisoner's pocket.
When I took him into custody he told me the curb chain
he wore belonged to Mr C arey of Chcapside, and that the
guards and Alberts also were his. He told me if I went to
Mrs Cooke, South-street, Chelsea, I should find some more
of the property.
The next case called on was that in which the prisoner
obtained £l3O from Mr. Dad, of Cornhill.
Mr. New said he did not, on that occasion, propose to
go into that case, as the charges against the prisonef were
so numerous that he wished to arrange matters so that the
trial should not take place at the Central Criminal Court
until next sessions.
Mr. Henry had no objection to such a proceeding, there-
fore he would, at that stage of the case, remand the prisoner
for a week.