The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-02 00:00:00

Charge of Forgery against a Shipbroker.

At the Mansion-house Police-court yesterday a well-
dressed young man, named Ellis Hugh Jones, described as
a shipbroker, was brought up on remand before the Lord
Mayor charged with feloniously forging and uttering a bill
of exchange for .£173 10s., with the intent to defraud Messrs.
Cunliff© and Co., bankers, Bucklersbury.
Mr. Mullen prosecuted, and Mr. Sleigh, pm., appeared
for the prisoner. _ _ _

Henry Clark said ho was a cashier at the Alliance Bank,
Lothbury. Messrs. Addison and Whitehead, of 146, Lead-
enhall-street, kept an account at that bank, and their ac-
ceptances were sometimes paid without special instructions.
On June 23 the bill produced, purporting to bo drawn by
A. Bodouis and accepted by Addison and Whitehead, was
presented to the Alliance Bank through the clearing-house
by the London and Westminster Bank, and was paid, upon
the belief that it was genuine.
Thomas Savell Whitehead said he was a shipbroker, of
146, Leadenhall-street. The bill of exchange produced for
£173 108., purporting to be accepted by his firm, was not so
accepted. The signature of the acceptance resembled the
signature of his partner, but it was not signed by either of
them. The prisoner was in their service as clerk for about
nine years, up to December, 1864. He was well acquainted
with the prisoner's handwriting, and he believed the writ-
ing in the body of the bill was his. The endorsement to
the bill, " C. L. Wilderman and Co." was, he believed, also
the prisoner's writing.
Edward Shrubsolo Cunliffe, of the firm of Roger Cun-
liffe and Co., Bucklersbury, bankers and bill-brokers, said
the firm of C. L. Wilderman and Co. had a discount ac-
count with them. The bill of exchange for £173 10s. pro-
duced was taken to him by the prisoner for discount for
his firm about the 23d March last. He knew the prisoner as
a member of the firm of Wilderman and Co. The bill was
endorsed " Wilderman and Co." when it was taken to him,
and was paid on becoming due in the regular way, through
the clearing-house, in June.

Carl Louis Wildorman stated that he was a shipbroker
carrying on busines6 in Mark-lane:- 'Th.- pritioner Was in
partnership with him, having joined him in December last
year, and left him on the 27th June last. During the time
the prisoner was with him the firm had some dealings with
Messrs. Addison and Whitehead, who on the 27th June
owed them a few shillings for commission. He knew
nothing of the bill produced for £173 10s., and never saw
it until after the prisoner left the firm. The drawer pur-
ported to be a Mr. Bodouis. The indorsement C. L. Wil-
derman and Co., was in the prisoner's writing The firm
kept an account with the East London Bank, and the pri-
soner had the entire management of the cash affairs. Two
passbooks produced were found in the desk at his count-
ing-hbuse by the officer. Theywere both in the name of the
firm, but he had never seen but one of them, which was a
fictitious one. The other he had never seen to his know-
lege, until the officer Spital found it in the prisoner's desk.
The prisoner used to draw the cheques, and he knew of
no transaction with Messrs. Addison which would lead
them to accept such a bill as the one in question.
Sergeant Spital said he found the two books produced in
the prisoner's desk at Mr. Wilderman's office on the 28th
June. On the 24th of July he apprehended the prisoner on
a warrant issued from the Mansion-house. Ho saw the
prisoner on that day riding in a brougham in Gray's-inn-
lane, and took him into custody. He told the prisoner the
charge, and he said he perfectly understood it. lie took the
prisoner to Bow-lane, and told him he must search him,
and he gave him a bag containing 50 sovereigns.
Mr. Mullens said there was another charge against the
prisoner for forging a bill for £lOO.

Mr. Cunliffo was again called, and said the prisoner
called on him on the 10th June last with a bill of exchange
for £lOO, which he asked him to discount. The bill HAS
drawn by the prisoner, and purported to be accepted by C.
J. Whitehead and Co., of Fore-street, Limehouse. He dis-
counted the bill, and gave the prisoner a cheque for the
money.

C. J. Whitehead, of Fore-street, Limehouse, =Ampler,
said he knew tho prisoner' when he was clerk to Messrs.
Addison and Whitehead. Mr. Whitehead, of that firm, was
witness's brother. The prisoner used to go to his office
after his own business hours to make out his books, and he
had no other transactions either with the prisoner or
Messrs. Addison. The acceptance to the bill for £lOO
produced was not his, nor did he authorise any person to
sign it.

The prisoner was committed for trial upon both charges.
Mr. Sleigh asked that the prisoner might be admitted to
bail.

Mr. Mullens said if a question of bail were raised ho
should be prepared to go into several other charges of a
similar kind.

The Lord Mayor declined to accode to the application.

THE PEABODY GIFT.—It will be remembered
that rather more than three years since—in March,
1862—Mr. Peabody, the American merchant, declared his
intention of placing in the hands of certain gentlemen
whom he named as trustees the munificent sum of £150,000
for the benefit of the honest and industrious poor of the
metropolis, and recommended that a portion of the money
should be appropriated for the purpose of providing im-
proved dwelling-houses for the working classes. Accordingly
it was determined to purchase the site of a pile of buildings
known as Ward's-place, Lower-street, or, as it is now
called, Essex-road, Islington, at that time densely occupied
by a community for the most part consisting of thieves, pros -
titues, and some of the worst characters in the metropolis,
who herded together with little or no attention to morality
or decency. The old houses were speedily levelled, and
the erection of the handsome structure which is now
rapidly approaching completion was forthwith commenced.
The building is substantially constructed of brick, and
is from a design by Mr. H. A. Darbishiro, the builders
being Messrs. Patmau and Fotheringham, who have also
received orders to erect similar dwelling-houses, like-
wise the gift of Mr. Peabody, in Love-lane, shadwell,
and Commercial-street, Shoreditch. Tho model buildings
consist of four blocks of houses five stories in height,
which will be let out in tenements of one, two, and
three rooms, at an estimated rental of 25., 35., and ss. per
week respectively. Each block will afford accommodation
for 60 families, or 240 in the aggregate. The rooms are
each of them to be 9 feet wide, and 12 feet long, and of a
suitable height. The attic of each block is paved with
tiles from the Isle of Wight, and is surmounted by a hand-
some ornamental turret. There is also accommodation for
washing, drying, &c., and at each end of the buildings is
a cistern 12 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 4 feet deep, capable
of containing 1,760 gallons of water. Everything has been
done to render the sanitary arrangements complete in every
respect. It is contemplated to erect workshops for the ac-
commodation of the tenants on the east side of the blocks.
These, however, although of course under the control of
the trustees, will be irrespective of Mr. Peabody's gift, and
will be let at a very moderate rental. Numerous applica-
tions have already been made for tenements by men whose
wages average from 18s. to 20s. per week—the class for
whom they were intended by the benevolent donor; but
none will be taken whose character does not bear the
strictest investigation.