The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

EVENING,

TUESDAY

would go with me that afternoon to the Ordnance-
office and I should receive it there and then. He at
that time said that he had 600/. or 7001. to receive,
and he bad a further order to the amount of 3001. to
execute for the same department. Half-past two
o'clock was the time appointed for our meeting at my
house, from which I was to accompany him to the
Ordnance-office to receive the money. He never
came, but my solicitor received a letter from him
next day, dated 30th July. I never received the
money.
The LORD MAYOR—Prisoner, this is a charge of a
serious nature. Have you any legal assistance ? The
prisoner—l can protect myself, my Lord. I have
been treated very uncerimoniously in this business,
for my papers have been all taken from me, and I was
conveyed from West Ham on Saturday to prison,
The Loan MAYOR—Has the prisoner ever been a
Government contractor ? Mr. Hall—l do not know.
I have here a letter from the Board of Ordnance,
denying that he has any claim there, or that he is
executing any contract.
The LORD MAYOR—At what time were the goods
delivered to the prisoner? Mr. Hall—Oa the Ist
of July.
The prisoner—No such thing. They were never
delivered till the 17th of July.
Me. Hell—l saw the prisoner on the 24 of July,
and he told me he had received the goods on the day
before, and he was very much pleased with them.
The prisoner, who said he would show the matter
in quite a different light, was then remanded.,
It appeared, from correspondence found in the pos-
session of the prisoner, that his wife and family had
sailed for Australia, and that he was to remain be-
hind to make some arrangements.
Patrick Higgins, Owen Biggins, Peter Beswick,
and John Fi(lis, men in the employment of Messrs.
pebble and Co., of All Hallows-lane, Thames-street,
lead-merchants, were charged with having stolen a
quantity of old iron, the property of the firm, in
whose service Patrick Higgins had been engaged a
great many years. A policeman had, in consequence
of information) watched the premises, and he ascer-
tained that at seven o'clock in the evening, when the
regular business of the establishment was finished for
the day, the prisonera brought down a marine-store-
dealer named Beale, who lived in the immediate
neighbourhood of the warehouse, and sold to him 4
cwt. lqr. 241 b. of old iron, which lay in the place,
for 4s. sd.

Beale said that one of the prisoners called at his
shop, and asked him whether he bought old iron ?
He said yes, and he went, by invitation, down to Mr.
Kebble's warehouse, where he was told the iron lay,
weighed it in Mr. Kebble's scales, and paid for it to
the prisoners, at the rate of ls. per cwt.
John Thompson, a person in the employment of
Messrs. Kebble and Co., proved that the iron had
been on the premises on the previous morning, and
was worth about 10s.
Patrick Higgins said that neither he nor any of the
other men had any idea of stealing. The fact was,
the old iron had been knocking about for 14 or 15
years, and some of it had been actually on the pre-
mises of his employers for 26 years, and he had looked
upon it as his perquisite for a great length of time.
One of the other men said to him that the old iron
would fetch some beer, as they might get a farthing
a pound for it ; and he said they might take it. He
had no thought, after being in the employment for
so many years, of acting dishonestly.
The prisoners were committed for trial.
GUILD.HALL.
M. Jaques Anne, Marie Salamon do Gaeton, a
French gentleman residing at 103, Mount-street,
Grosvenor-square, was placed at the bar, before Sir
James Duke, charged with stealing a large quantity
of shares belonging to the Le Mineur Anglo-Franco-
Californian Gold Mining Company, from the office of
their branch establishment, in King's Arms-yard,
Moorgate-street.
Mr. Clarkson, instructed by Mr. Nobler, appeared
on l?ehalf of the French company, for the prosecution ;
and Mr. Dearsley, of the bar, defended the prisoner.
Mr. Clarkson said the charge against the prisoner
was one of taking from the office of the branch of Le
Miami., a French joint-stock company for working
the gold mines in California, a great many shares,
and other things belonging to the company. About
50,0001. in English money had been subscribed in
France, with which to establish a branch company in
London, and the prisoner was appointed the servant
of the directors to carry out their object, which was
to facilitate the disposal of the shares. M. Vachon,
the managing director, gave the prisoner his instruc-
tions, and shares to the amount of 70,0001. to nego-
tiate in London, togetherawith nearly 1,0001. to defray
all preliminary expenses. The prisoner accordingly
came over and took offices in King's Arms-yard,
Moorgate-street ; and having disposed of both mo-
ney and shares, the company, not receiving any ac-
count fiom the prisoner, sent over M. Vachon, the ma-
nager, who, on inquiry, found prisoner had taken apart-
ments in Mount-street, Grosvenor-square, in conjunc-
tion with a woman, to which place he had ascertained
the prisoner had conveyed the shares and other pro-
perty from the offices in the City. In consequence of
this information the prisoner was given into custody,
and on searching his apartments shares to the value
of 25,0001. were found concealed within the stuffing
of the sofa and beneath the flooring of a bed-room in
the same house. The Learned Counsel then vient on
to say that he would prove that it was the prisoner's
duty, as the servant of the company, to keep posses-
sion of their property, but only at their offices in
Moorgate-street ; that he was seen removing these
shares, and that they wore afterwards found concealed
in apartments occupied by him end a woman with
whom he was given to understand the prisoner co-
habited.
Mr. Dearsley wished that his Learned Friend
would go into the evidence to prove what he had
alleged
he should be able, as he (Mr. Dearsley) con-
tended that the prisoner was not the servant of the
company, but a partner; and in fact, as far as the
company in England was concerned, the company
itself.
ne. Jean Louis Mathurin Sebastian Napoleon
Vachon, jun., was then sworn, and with the assistance
of Mr. Catty, who kindly acted as interpreter, the
following evidence
was elicited :—I live at 23, Ben-
tinck-street, Manchester-square, and came to London
on the 7th of the present month. lam the managing
director ofthe company
"
yin France called Le
Mineur,” established there under the laws of France,
and enrolled on the 27th of April, 1850. It was
established in
the names of Messrs. Vachon, jun.,
Xavier Van de Castelli and Co. The proprietary of
shares established in France was about 50,0001.
English. The branch company
in London was formed
eight months ago, and the prisoner was recommended
to me, not as an officer of the company, but as the
agent only in London. He was appointed by me
verbally
end in writing. He is not the proprietor of
any shares. This is the deed of agreement between
the prisoner and myself on the part of the company.
Mr. Dearsley objected to the deed being received
as evidence, unless it was proved in the proper form,
as the law of France required not only that the deed
should be stamped, but that it should also be re-
gistered.
Sir JAltkEs DUKE said the deed appeared to be
and
he should not, therefore, at this stage of
stamped,
the proceedings object to receive the document as
evidence.
continued--The company is registered
Witness c , as
is alio the deed of agreement, although, according to
the French laws, such is not absolutely necessary. I
employed prisoner to form a branch'company in Eng-
land, on the 14thof last February,and
gave him
1 to 8,724 f. in French money, and after-
wards,3sol., equal
his representations that more money
upon
carry out the company's operations WI
required to advance of 4001. Th. us' -
further Is WAS On
made him a
or about the e
9Gth of May last. In consequence of
information I received I came to England
on
the 3d of this
moue
bad before demanded his accounts
office
three days after.
could not get them. Oa the 14thetints from him, but fol-
lowingrequested him to deliver me h•
I again
appointed the Monday followingis ac-
counts, and he
_oner
luonday, and requested for
so doing. I called
every day until the Thursday, the
accounts again off altogether for a when
he ultimately put meconsiderable
not
time. I received
formation subsequently
information
r the assistance of the policewhichlich
induced me to ask
which the prisoner lived in'
watch the house in
The shares wereMountstreet, Grosvenor-square. .given
_ leaving France
,beeause they
to the prisoner before
t they were forwarded to him in
were not ready, but they
time to time. The shares pro-
ducedsmall parcels from
d the prisoner had no authority
are the same, and
themthe from the office in Ding's
from me to remove
private house. He gave me an':
Arms-yard to his ..
any
shares, and if he has
sold of the disposal t
n 0 received no conama •
sold 120 11. shares we hav
t.
I asked him communica-
tion from him to that effec Idany shares, and Sa-
turdaybe had so and he
week last if
only ten shares. I unerstand
replied that he had sold more shares than be has
acknowledged has sold a great manytherefore, gave him into s
acknowledged to, and, don acted as bankers to
cus-
tody. Several rms in Lon
the Le Mineur branch company, but Sir C. Price and
Co. were the last.
the Alderman's attention
to Dearsley here called
e Produced by the '
to a part of the agreement
nil profits arilisilt; I
ness, in which it appeared
all sums above r
from exchange on London, and
the prisoner ,
should be equally divided between r and I
the company, after deductingexpensesP
the incurred in
!
such transactions. This was the sixth clause of theld
prove the
agreement, and one of several that would
prisoner was a participator
in the property of the
company.
Witness continued—lt wa
at the end of s 1
arranged that in case ,
t six months,
the company did not go on
extent,
its losses were to be met, to a certain v
by
the
prisoner repaying half of the
amount advanced
the company in the first instance, that is to say, of the".
if the
on there would be no losses at all.
but , company
two sums of 3501. and 400/. ,
s.he prisoner wasI