The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-28 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CASE,

At the Clerkenwell Police-court, on Saturday,
Maria Read and Henry Rend, mother and son,
residing at No. 2, Union-court, Stoke Newington,
appeared before Mr. D'Eyncourt, to answer the
complaint of Mary Ann Vickers, for having stolen
a Bank of England note of the value of £2OO, and
other moneys, belonging to the cmplainant.
Mr. Lewis, jun., of Ely-place, attended for the
prosecution, and Mr. Beard, of Basinghall-street,
for the defence.

Miss Mary Ann Vickers, of 16, London-road
North. Dalston, said,—l am unmarried. I had a
relation Joseph Hankin. I was the nearesi blood
relation. He was my 3ecoud cousin, and was a
widower with no family. He was formerly a
builder and connector, and before his death he
resided at 2, Union-court, Stoke Nowington. Tnat
was a house kept by the prisoner, Maria Read, and
her husband. The prisoner, Henry Read, is her
son. The husband of the female prisoner is a
scavenger. The deceased had lodged with the
prisoners about a year and a half, and had paid the
female prisoner 12s. per week for his board and
lodging. I had visited him very frequently while
he was there. The deceased was on very intimate
terms with me, and we never had any unkind words.
He made statements to me with reference to his
money. He was paralyzed for some months before
his death, and partly kept his bed. He was a man
of very reserved habits. On the 231 of July, 1863,
I was in the prisoner's house, when Mr. Hankin
expressed a desire to make a will. He made a
statement to me which I put on paper, and after-
wards had put in the form of a will. On that day
I was in his bedroom with the will before him. I
went down stairs and said to the female prisoner,
" Mrs. Read, my cousin wishes me to take all he pos-
sesses, and to attend to his affairs in the event of his
death. Will you and your husband have any objec-
tion to sign that will ss witnesses ?" She said, "No,
not, any. My husband and I will come up and do it."
They did come up stairs and signed tee hill
witnesses. I have since proved the will at. Doctors'
Commons, and the probate of the will is dated 16rh
of March, 1854. I had seen him in possession of
money some time before the making of the will. In
June, 1859, he gave into my possession a £2OO note,
two £lOO notes, six £lO notes, and £10') in gold. I
returned him the money in November, 1859 Mr.
Hankin died on the 26e1; of November last. I then
weet to take possession of his property. I had seen
the above money in Minh. 1862. He said to me,
"Life is very uncertain. You have not done any-
thing with my money; take it away as soon as I
die." I went to take possession of the money, but I
could not find it in his room. Ith n spoke to the
female prisour2r, and I believe the younger prisoner
was present. I said, "Mrs. Read, you must be
aware that Mr. Hankin had money. All he pos-
sessed was in this house. Where is it, and do you
know anything about it ? He had money to a large
amount, Bank of England notes. It was in a small
box inside a large one." She said, " I know no-
thing about it. I never knew he had any money
beyond what he paid me for his board and lodging
every week, You know Mrs. French has been here
and staved with him until seen in the evening,
ma nadi n eshed oleft
of stupor, and he re-
mained
gentleman, has also been rhsiomm
eiadaaysst atttret
to see him." She said,
rrvvards. An old friend,
" Psrhaps Mrs. French 1411,s eometh:ng about the
money." The male prisoner wah..l present at that.
interview. That day she stoutly oeni:6l knovying
anything about the money. Ido not remea.—ber
male prisoner joining in the conversation. The nett,
day I found Mrs. French and made somo inquiries,
and then went bask and saw the two prisoners
together. The male prisoner said, " Have you
found out Mrs. French ?" and I said, " Yes, I have,
and she will come here." Or. the Monday follow-
ing the death of the deceased I wept again with
some friends. My mother asked Mrs. Read if Mr. li
Hankin had ever at any time made her a present
in money, jewelry, or clothing. She said, "No,
never, or to any of her family to her knowledge."
The male prisoner was present. He. said, " Mother,
don't say another word, hut let them go to law
with us." 1 went again sometime afterwards on
the Bth of Jaeuery with Inspector Langdon. I
had then received some information with respect
to the money. Ther© was a coroner's inquest
held on the body of Joseph Hankin, the deceased,
three months after his death, and the verdict
was that he died of congestion of the lungs caused
by privation. The prisoners were present at the
inquest. I heard Mrs. Read say that she changed
the £lOO note on the 10th or 11th of December,
1863. The male prisoner was present, but was not
examined. I made a search, but found nothing. On
my mother making a further search we found a few
old clothes and rags, a pair of silver spoons, and
about £l2 in gold in a tea caddy. 'There were also
a few old coins and two silver watches. About Sep-
tember, 1853, I easy £l2O paid to deceased on
.the
sale of a house. It was his habit to keep his boxes
locked, and his keys were clutched in his hands
when he died.
Cross-examined by Mr. Beard.—When I had
possession of the money it was in a box, and he
showed it to me and counted it out. 1 did not see
the money after I gave it to him back. He only told
me he had the money. He left my house because I
kept my business. That caused no unpleasantness
or ill feeling. There was no breach of good feeling,
for we never had a word. Wnen I spoke to Mrs.
Read about the money I did not say it was all gold..
The deceased was of very miserly habits. Mr. Lang-
don said to Mrs. Read, " Have you any witnesses ?"
she said, " Only my own family."' 1 don't re-
collect that she said that deceased told her not to
tell any of the Vickers's family about it, as he did
not want them to know.

Re-examined.--She did not say when he gave
her the money, either before or after the making of
the will. The deceased was very communicative to
me about his money. My mother and myself were
the only persons who visited him. The little box
that contained his money was unlocked.
Inspector Langdon, N division, said—On the Bth
of January I accompanied Miss Vickers to a small
cottage up a court in Stoke Newington. Mrs. Rend
was there, and I said, "I am a police officer. I
have come to make some inquiries respecting a Mr.
Hankin, who died hero a short time ego. I want to
ask you a few questions in reference to his pro-
perty ; be careful before you answer them." I said,
" Did he before ho died give you any money or
money's worth, or property." Her words were—
" Oh! dear no, poor man. Ho had no money for
himself. He would have died for want had it not
been for me, as friends have taken no notice of him."
I then said
" He gave you no money whatever ?"
and she said "No." About this time the male pri-
soner came down stairs, and I said, " How do you
account for the £2OO note you changed at the Bank
of England for gold ?" At that time I produced a
piece of paper, and said, "
This is my information
I have obtained from the Bank of England." As
soon as.l said that the male prisoner said, "Mother,
don't you answer another question." The woman,
however, said, " I changed that note. Mr. Hankin
gave it me prior to his death, as well as the whole
of the property. His friends had not behaved well
to him, and, therefore he wished me to have the
whole of the property."
Cross-examined—l have known the prisoners as
respectable persons. The husband of the female
prisoner is a scraper on the road.
Mr. Richard Baily said—l am a clerk in the
Bank of England. I produce a note of the Bank of
England for £2OO which was changed for gold on
June 29, 1863. It was endorsed on the note " Maria
Read, 2, Union-place, Dalston." I produce seven
notes for £lO each, all dated Feb. 8, 1838. Two
of them are endorsed in the name of Henry Reed.
Two others were paid in December, and were en-
dorsed in the same manner, and a third had on it
"H. Read," but no address. They were changed
for gold.
Mr. Lewis here asked for a remand, and said he
should be attle to trace all the stolen notes to the
possession of the prisoners.
Mr. Beard said he had me objection to a remand,
but hoped that bail might be taken for both the pri-
soners. lle had a complete answer to the charge
when the proper time arrived.
Mr. D'Hy ne, urt reminded the prisoners and con-
tented to take hail, the woman in £l2O and two
sureties iu the sum of £6O each, and the son in £6O
and two sureties is the sum of £3O each.

Wm) Is MR. PATER? asks the London Review.
Whore and how was he " raised ?" Who laqd the
correcting of his manners in early youth, and the licking of
him generally into shape from that period upwards till he
was considered able to be responsible for himself ? Above
all, how on earth did he come to be called to the bar ? We
ask these questions because of a " scene in court" which
took place on Tuesday at the Middlesex Sessions, in which
this gentleman conducted himself in a manner we should
have thought impossible to any man belonging to a liberal
profession. In reading the report, one is almost tempted to
fancy that some costermonger, who was to be tried at the
sessions, had contrived to get into the barrister's robing-
room, dress himself in a wig and gown, and pass himself
off as a member of the bar.