The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-22 00:00:00

Defrauding the Queensland Emigration
Committee.

For some little time pest a system of deception
has been carried on in Manchester by persons who,
taking advantage of the assisted emigration system
instituted for the benefit of distressed operatives,
have, by representing themselves as belonging. to
that class; obtained forged certificates which entitle
them to a passage to Queensland on the terms offered
by the Queensland Emigration Society. The ship
Fiery Star recently left London for Australia., con-
raining, among a large number of emigrants, several
;nen, their wives, and families, from Manchester,
who were found after the vessel had left dock to
have falsely styled themselves operatives. Inspector
Buckley, of the Manchester Detective Police, was
Accordingly despatched to Queenstown to meet the
vessel on her passage, and he succeeded in appre-
hending three men named Peter Tickle, Joe Luck-
man, and John Hunter, on a warrant charging theta
with obtaining forged passage orders. Tickle has
been for a long time a beerhouse-keeper in Man-
chester, and took with him his wife and three chil-
dren ; Luckman for many years was an overseer and
relieving officer, and took with him his wife and
four children ; and Hunter, who had no children,
was a warper in a cotton mill. These men had ob-
tained a passage for themselves and families by
stating that they were overlookers
and presenting
certificates alleged to have been s'igned by manu-
facturers to that effect.. Those signatures were,
however, forgeries. The following is a copy of one
of the certificates :
" Certificate of character and occupation for persons ap-
plying for assisted passages to the Queensland Emigration
offices, 17, Gracechurch-street, London. Certificate to be
signed by an employer and by a magistrate. if the signa-
ture of a magistrate cannot be procured the signature of a
minister of religion will answer as well.

" We csatify that John Lukeman, now residing at Sal-
ford, has been employed by us, Fothergill and Harvey, in
the capacity of overleoker, and that we believe him to be
competent in his calling, and to be a person of unexceptional
character, never to our knowledge having been convicted of
crime. " FOTHERGILL AND HARVEY.

" ' ABEL HEYWOOD,

" ' July 1, 1863.' "

_ .
It will be seen that Luckman gave a wrong
name. The signature of " Abel Heywood," the
mayor, was procured after that of Messrs. Fother-
gill and Harvey, yarn agents, had been forged, the
mayor, of course, being under the impression that
it was genuine. The signature of " Fothergill
and Harvey," in Hunter's certificate was also a
forged one, and the document was further signed
by the mayor, and " W. J. Townsend," a Methodist
New Connection Minister. In the certificate held
by Tickle the names of Charles Clark and Co., were
forged, and the mayor's signature was also ap-
pended.

The three men were brought before tile tangis-
trates at the Manchester Police court. The prose-
cution was conducted by Mr. Fletcher, solicitor,
and secretary to the Emigrants' Aid C )mmittee.

Inspector Buckley said—On Tuesday I appre-
hended the three prisoners at Queenstown, on
board the emigrants' vessel the Fiery Star. I
took them under three warrants, charging them
with obtaining free passages by means of forged
orders from different gentlemen. The prisoner
Tickle said that the certificate I showed him was
partly filled up by himself, and that he had gone
to Mr. Clark's mill on several occasions to get the
signature of the firm. Ho also told me that the
secretary of the Operative Overlookers' Society had
informed him that the order would do if signed by
any persona, and that he had given this secretary, a
person named Campbell, £4 for his trouble in get-
ting the certificate. Luckman, when I apprehended
him, said ho was out of a situation, and represented
himself as being an overiooker in order to go out
with the vessel, The other prisoner said he did
not know he was doing anything wrong, espe-
cially as Campbell, the Secretary of the Over-
lookers' Society, had recommended him to get the
certificate, as he had given Campbell a good deal of
money for getting the certificate. I went to
Campbell's house at five this morning for the pur-
pose of bringing him to the court, but his wife
told me he had not been home since Saturday,
when the warrants were taken out. Campbell was
present in court 'when they were applied for.
Mr. Fletcher, the solicitlr, said he was instructed
by a number of charitable gentlemen in London,
who had given money to the Operative Emigration
Society to enable them to purchase assisted passages
to Queensland through Mr. Jordan, the agent. The
principal object of the prosecution was now obtained
by the prisoners being prevented from going. He
must, however, apply for a remand till Thursday,
in order to communicate with the gentlemen in
London as to further proceedings. The case was
accordingly remanded.
We have been informed that several men who had
possessed themselves of similar certificates have
gone out in the Fiery Star. The wives and fami-
lies of the prisoners have been left in Cork, while
the greater portion of their luggage is gone on to
Australia.