The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-28 00:00:00

The Confederate War Steamer Georgia.

Yesterday, at the Liverpool Police-court, before Mr.
Raffles, stipendiary magistrate, John Jones, principal part-
ner, in the firm of Jones end Co., of Capel-street, Liver-
pool, ship store dealers and chandlers, and John Wilding,
clerk in the service of that firm, surrendered for examina-
tion on a charge of having committed a breach of the
Foreign Enlistment Act by aiding in procuring a crew for
the Confederate war steamer Georgia. It will be remem-
bered that a few days ago Mr. Highat, another partner in
the firm of Jones and Co„ was committed for trial at the
next Liverpool assizes on the same charge; but that at
that time Jones and Wilding did not appear to the sum-
monses. They subsequently agreed, however, to surrender,
and were in court yesterday.
Mr. Bateson, local agent for the Treasury, appeared for
the prosecution, on behalf of her Majesty's Government;
Mr. Bardswell defended.
The introductory facts were briefly these :—Some of the
crew of the vessel were engaged at Liverpool, and others
at Greenock, on the representation that they were about to
proceed on a voyage to the China seas in the British ship
Japan; but this vessel after reaching Brest was trans-
formed into the war steamer Georgia, bearing the Confe-
derate flag, and commanded by Captain Maury, who held a
commisssion for that purpose from President Davis. The
method by which the crew were shipped will be sufficiently
understood from a very short synopsis of the evidence ad-
duced before Mr. Raffles,

Mr. Bateson remarked in his opening statement that i
would not be necessary to go into the case in any detail, as
the main facts had already been fully before the Court.
The chief witness was John Stanley, a cooper, who said
he went to Jones and Co.'s office in consequence of a repre-
sentation made to him that they desired to engage coopers
for the Japan He saw Mr. Highat on the subject, and that
gentleman said he (Stanley) might go on board the Japan,
and asked whether he could bring any more men for the
same vessel. Witness afterwards went, in company with
other men, to the Sailors' Home, where he saw Captain
Hitchcock, the person who hi charge of them in their pas-
sage to the Clyde, where the Japan was then lying. At the
Sailors' Home they signed articles for a voyage to Singa-
pore and China. He received an advance note from Jones
and Co. far £4 10s., one month's wages, but he experienced
great difficulty in getting the note cashed, and returned to
the office to tell them of this. They then paid him £2 ss. on
account of the note, and Highat said he would pay the re-
mainder of the money to his (Stanley's) wife after he had
gone to sea. On leaving Liverpool for the Clyde Highat
came down to the vessel, called over the names of the men,
and also their numbers. On their arrival at Greenock they
joined the Japan, and Jones came on board with several
other men. The Japan sailed out of the Clyde apparently
on a trial trip, being a nev vessel, but did not return to port.
Soon after leaving the Clyde a small steamer met the Japan,
having two guns on board, and accompanied her to Brest,
where two other vessels came alongside with guns, ammu-
nition, money, &c. ; thsse were transferred to the Japan,
Jones superintending theoperation. While so engaged Jones
met witness near the engine house, and said to him it would
be a good thing for him (Stanley) if he went in the Japan.
Lieut. Maury was on board at first in plain clothes, but
afterwards in the uniform of the Confederate navy. Maury
said the name of the vessel was about to be changed, and
that she was going to sail under another flag. She was then re-
christened the Georgia, and the Confederate flag was
hoisted. Jones was standing close by Maury when this took
place. Jones and Maury then said that any man joining
the ship would receive £lO bounty, and £4 10s per month
wages, Witness with the other men then went into the
cabin, where he was paid £lO by the purser. He gave the
money to Jones to transfer to his wife on his return to Liver-
pool. Jones also promised to pay half his (Stanley's) wages
to his wife while he was absent. Witness then proceeded
in the Georgia on a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, then
returned in her to Brest, and, having there obtained a day's
leave, made the best of his way to Liverpool. On his arri-
val at that port he west to Jones and Co.'s office to ask for
hmiomneayn,y:srehme3wrkasin hardtghen p
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ship.
Other witnesses were examined, and gave evidence which
went to show that Jones and also Wilding had dealt in ad-
vance notes for the crew of the steamer.
The defendants were both committed for trial, but were
admitted to bail, Jones himself in £5OO, and two sureties of
£5O each; Wilding in L5O, and two sureties of £25 each.

glopenaent and Charge of Robbery,

At the Sallsbtity Police-court, on Monday, a young mar-
pa with
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eed Sou man,.nwamesetedru3a4maeishivi3atyaicntoomnp,
haricyle, wasrk inthe
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employ
having feloniously stolen .ury.
4-he property ofsMl.r.bCharles
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William Harris, landlord of the London " the
Mr. Whatman prosecuted, and Mr. Wilson deter,._
prisoner, who was formerly the superintendent of the
Dinton station of the South Western Railway Company,
but about six months since he was transferred to Salisbury,
where he has acted as booking-clerk. During the past three
weeks he has been appointed parcel-clerk at the Salisbury
station. During his visits to the prosecutor's house an in-
timacy sprang up between the prisoner and Mrs. Harris,
which resulted in the present charge.
Mr. W. Harris gave evidence to the effect that on the
20th inst. his wife suddenly and unexpectedly left home,
and that the prisoner, who was at his house when he dis-
covered the fact, expressed considerable sorry at the affair,
and pretended to use his best efforts to discover where Mrs.
Harris had gone to. He subsequently missed a box con-
taining £5O or £6O, and had since received the following
letters,one of which was intercepted, and others found upon
the prisoner.
The letter found upon the prisoner was as follows. It
was directed to " Mr. J. Staiuton, Salisbury Railway Sta-
tion, Salisbury"
"A. W. Z.—To be left at the Post-offico, Islington, till

called for.
" Here I am, my darling, almost afraid to write to you,
in case you may be watched very closely. Write by return;
save the London post in the morning. lam so anxious to
hear from you. lam very comfortable, but shall get into
fresh quarters in a day or so. I cannot give you any parti-
culars. lam so—so nervous. Bly idea is to write to a
friend of mine, an Indian colonel, and get-information about
my going to India ; what do you think ? I would rather be
oft at once. Send the traps to the Greenwich Station till
called for, to Mrs. (not Miss) Wilson. I will run down there
on Saturday. I Era not sufficiently composed to write a
lengthy letter. Good bye, God bless you. Do you under-
stand to address your letter as above, that is—A. W. Z., &c.
God bless you. I have just been to Highbary to have a
look at your place. The house immediately before the en-
trance to the yard has every blind drawn down; it gave me
such a turn, although I do not know it to be your father's.
Do not fail to write, my own loved one."
The intercepted letter was addressed to Mr. James Stain-
ton, Clerk, S. W. Railway, Salisbury, Wilts, Salisbury
post mark, Jan. 221, 1861, and was as follows :
"Here's a pretty pickle. I went just now to the P. 0. at
Islington. Informed all letters so addressed were detained
at General P. Office. Went there, and further informed no
letters with initials taken in, but opened and forwarded as
dead letter to writer. lam hot and cold, and I hope you
did not put any name; then you will take no further trouble
about it. I will run down to Greenwich to-morrow in case
you may have sent on the parcel. Write to me immediately
you get this, my darling, or I shall go out of my mind. If
you do not, I eannot get a letter from you till Monday. I
shall therefore look out to-morrow afternoon. Direct, Miss
Wilson, Thompson's Family Hotel, 10, Pentonville-road,
London, N. I shall remain here a few days. If you find
it desirable for me to change quarters because of any fresh
turn up, write a message and send some lad in the tele-
graph-office. Say `Change and write;' and if you think it
desirable for me to change, not write, say ' Change and
Pedro.' I will then advertise in the Daily Telegraph to
Pedro. I can do nothing, my love, until I year from you.
I hope all's well. I went to inquire about a passage in the
Daleep Singh—L6o—stiffish I Tell me, can I write unre-
servedly to you without fear ? Good bye, write my eternal
love. God bless you."
Superintendent Daidow proved taking the prisoner into
custody on Friday upon the charge of aiding, abetting, and
receiving from Mrs. Harris money and wearing apparel be-
longing to her husband. He replied, "I did not; nor have
I anything belonging to either Mr. or Mrs. Harris." In
a desk in the prisoner's office there was a parcel, and I
asked the prisoner to whete it belonged, and he replied
"It is my parcel; I have got to pay 7d. for it." The par-
cel was directed to Mrs, Wilson, Waterloo Ststion. There