The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-08 00:00:00

and his salary was raised afterwards to thirty-
five shillings. It was his duty to keep the wages book
and the cost-price book. lle had pleaded guilty to
the charge of forging the receipt that had been pro-
duced. When it was signed by Mr. Sutter the amount
was 15s. 43., and he altered it to 11. 154. 4d. The

prisoner put his initials to the bill before he made the
alteration, and he did not know of the alteration being
made. He kept the difference himself, and entered
the amount 11. 153. 44. in the wages book, so that
anyone who looked iu the book would see that it tal-
lied with the receipt. The detailed bills were gene-
but, in the first place, they were given to
rally .filed,
the prisoner to examine them and see if the items were
correct, and it was his duty to see that the work was
properly done. Both the bills tallied when he took
them from the prisoner, and he altered the bill
which represented the gross amount before he took it
to the cashier, and received the money. The prisoner
had no part of the money he got by altering this re-
ceipt. He believed there were some other receipts
for work that had been altered in a similar manner.
(The receipts that had been given in evidence
were produced and shown to the witness, and he
said that they were all altered by him, and Mr.
Mellish knew nothing about it, and never received a
farthing of the money that was obtained through
them.) He believed he altered one or two receipts
after the prisoner left. He was taken into custody
while he was in Mr. Thompson's service. Mr. Lewis
acted as his attorney upon his first examination at the
police-court, but he did not appear for him after Mr.
Mellish was in custody. He made a communication
to Mr. Lewis upon the subject of Mr. Mellish. When
he was tried in the court another attorney acted for
him. After he had been tried and sentenced he sent
for the ordinary of the prison and made a communi-
cation to him. Ho made the communication of his
own free will.
Cross-examined—He did not rob his employers
when at Birmingham. He had the entire manage-
mentfurniture establishment in that city, and
h was no one to control him ; bat he never com-
tmietrte of a
com-
mitted robbery of any kind until he came to London
and was placed under Mr. Mellish. He had no
knowledge whatever of the glass-cutting business or
of the amount of wages that should be paid to work-
menin the beginning of March, 1850, and he first began
to forge in June. He could not say positively whether
in that business. He went into the service
forgery was the first crime he committed. He used
to overcharge the men's wages on the establishment,
as well as to alter the bills of the out-door workmen.
He had a wife dependent upon him. The whole
amount he robbed Mr. Thompson of was 1401. or
1501. He would not swear that the amount of the
forgeries alone was not between 3001. and 4001. He
could not say that the total amount of which the firm
was robbed during
the period he was in the service
was not 1,0001. He could not swear that he was not
a party to this plunder. When the prisoner sent for
him he told him he was entirely under his control,
and Mr. Thompson had nothing to do with him. The
prisoner had looked over the
wages book with him,
but had never examined it. He looked over the book
just before he raised witness's wages.
Mr. BALLANTINE How much nave you actually
pocketed yourself?
Witness—Abont 140/, or 1501.
Cross-examination continued—lie thought he
made an admission of his guilt at the police-court.
When he was tried he instructed counsel that he was
entirely under the control of the prisoner, and he did
not state that he was innocent, and he heard the
prisoner sentenced to be transported for ten years
without making any observation. He did not at
the police-court, say to Smith, the officer who took
him into custody ;that Mellish and Mr. Lewis were
trying to put it all upon his shoulders, but Mellish
knew as much as about it as he did, and was equally
guilty. He never said anything to a fellow-prisoner
named Davis about Mr. Mellish peeping through a
hole in the office ; but he might have said that he
was under Mr. Mellieh's orders, and was bound to do
what he directed.
Re-examined—Mr. Lewis stated publicly at the
police-court that witness was ready to give evidence
to prove that Mellish was entirely innocent. He
bore a good character when he went into the service
of the prosecutor, and the prisoner never held out any
inducement to him to become dishonest. The only
instance of dishonesty lie ever knew the prisoner to
commit was that he made the firm a debtor to him
for a larger amount than he had actually paid for a
lathe that was injured in the workshop. All the
money he obtained was expended in extravagant
habits of his own, and Mellish had nothing to do with
spending it.
Mr. Lewis, of Ely-place, solicitor for the prisoner,
proved that he attended at the police-court originally
on behalf of both prisoners, and in consequence of
something Douglas said to him at that time he made
a public communication to the magistrate.
The Rev. Mr. Davis, the ordinary of Newgate, de-
posed that, at the request of the visiting magistrates,
he saw the prisoner Douglas a few days after his
trial, and he then made a statement which witness
took down in writing and handed to the governor of
the gaol.
Mr. Justice TALFOURD expressed an opinion that
evidence of this character was not admissible, and if
the counsel for the prosecution had objected to it he
thought
a ughvtertyhebd Court ought
to
glhtnaoltiotc:v havethe
srteacteeimv
convicted prisoner, first to his attorney and then to
the clergyman of the prison in which he was confined,
to be used in favour of the prisoner jointly charged
with the offence. received
dn
a It
t.
of I
A great number of highly-respectable witnesses
were then called to speak to the character of the
prisoner.
Mr. CLARKSON next proceeded to call witnesses in
reply to the evidence for the prisoner.
William Smith, a police•sergeant, deposed that
while he and Douglas were in the clerk's office at
Marlborough•street Police-court,
Douglas said that
Mr. Lewis was trying to put it all on his shoulders,
but Mr. Mellish was as guilty as he was.
By Mr. CHAMBERS—This was after Mr. Lewis
bad made the public statement in the court. Witness
had received Si. from the prosecutor. He gave it
him at the conclusion of the last trial. The money
was given to him for assisting in
getting up the case
and keeping the witnesses together.
Hayes, another police-const
• , proved that upon
the same occasion, Douglas pointed to Mellish and
said " lie thinks to put it all upon me, but it won't
do—lie is as much in the mud as lam in the mire."
Mr. CHAMBERS addressed the, jury upon thin fresh
evidence, and commented upon
the contradiction of
the testimony of the two policemen with regard to the
expression alleged to have been made use of by Dou-
glas, and contended that their evidence was unworthy
of credit.
Mr. CLARKSON then replied upon the whole case in
a brief but forcible and able address. In the course
of his speech he particularly called the attention of
the jury to the very great danger that must inevitably
result from too hastily giving effect to the testimony
of a convicted felon, particularly when it appeared
that up to the very moment of his conviction he had
asserted his innocence of the crime, and only now ad-
mitted his guilt in order to screen the party who was
alleged to have been his accomplice,
evi-
dence enable him to escape
punishment.
Mr. Justice TALFOERD then summed up the whole
of the evidence, and
The jury retired to consider their verdict at a
They quarter past nine o'clock. and by this
ey returned into court
at a querter to ten, and
Guilty," th 3 Foreman of the
gave the prisoner the benefit of a very great doubt.
Mr. CLARKSON made
an application to the Court in
reference
b to,
I sia
nh which
ra
rupt, been di-
rected
under the recent
y i\ Commissioner
roydagainstfraudu-
lently obtained goods three months before his bank-
ruptcy. Ile said that since the Learned Cemmis-
eioner had directed this step to be taken similar cases
had been tried in this Court, and upon the ruling of
the Learned Judges who
statute tge juryvae
f ao
radding
having
verdict
thatof
c
upon the subject, Mr. Commissioner Holroyd had re-
versed his former decision, and had come to the con-
clusion that it wouldl
not be advisable to proceed with
the prosecution under the statute, but had dealt with
the party under the
The Court rants prosecute
bankrupt _
tried them as to the law
and under these circumstances he had to apply to the
Court to order the recognizances of the witnesses who
were bound over to
the application.
law in his own court,

POLICE
Benson, of Cheapside
ON-HOUSE.
Joseph "Jaynes P;
—.clinans, who appeared to b® 22
or 23 years of a INTELLIGENCE.
age, Was charged by Mr. William
Beckford-row,
mitted a robbery under the following circumstances :
W. B. Harman,
the shop and
valued at 145. each, but said
sill:preen to Mr. Benson, said :
This day, at about the prisoner came into
one o'clock,
jeweller, with having com-
He stated that his name was Jams' and that be was
a jeweller in Raked to look at some gold signet rings.
'silt shillings change'
Walworth, and that he
wanted to purchase six rings. He selected rings,
he would take but one at
that time. I distinctly saw him, in the course of the
examination of the rin take one out of the tray and
shut his left band upon'it. He put the ring he had
purchased upon
he thrust both hands into his trousers' pockets, as if
to search for his pulled out his purse
Purse. He then
and handed over in
One of his right-hand fingers, and then
payment a sovereign, out of which
he received and he was about to
leave the shop, When 'Mr Benson, to whom I had in-
timated my suspicion of the honesty of the prisoner,
came round and accused him of the robbery. The
prisoner was much confused at the accusation, and
suddenly put his hand into his left-hand pocket ; soon
afterwards a ring g dropped from the bottom of the
trousers of the prisoner. It was picked up. The
ring he had purchased was found on his finger.
The officer who took the prisoner into custody
found is his pomeniou a card.oltset containing cards;