The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-22 00:00:00

DECE3I3ER 22,

I 862.

defraud the underwriters by losing the Joseph I
Howe. The prisoner said " Yes, she was lost,"
adding shortly afterwards, " I did a bad job in sign..
ing those blank bills of lading." Witness asked if
'Lie had any papers in the ship connected with the
Joseph Howe. He replied he thought not, that he
destroyed them, bit- witness could look for himself.
Witness brought the prisoner on shore to the office
of Messrs. Fox and Co., where the prisoner re-
ceived a letter addressed to him, and which he
opened and read, giving it afterwards to his wife
to read. She returned it to him, and he was going
towards the fire with it, when witness snatched it
out of his hand. Witness then read the letter,
and asked him if Ruston owed him that amount of
money for back wages. He said " No," and that
he never owed him a shilling in his life for back
wages. Witness had previously asked him what
the letter was about. Thereply was that it was for
his wife.

By Mr. Wontner—When he apprehended the
prisoner Birtie witness did not tell him that he
would either be a prisoner or a witness, but he did
afterwards, and showed him a handbill relating to
the charge.

The letter, which was anonymous, was not read,
the Lord Mayor ruling that a man was not to be
answerable for a letter that might be addressed to
him, much less an anonymous one, which might be
designed as a trap for him.

On this evidence Mr. M'Culloch asked to have
the prisoners committed for trial. He added, in
reply to the Court, that the solicitors for the pro-
secution and himself had estimated that the value
of the goods actually put on board was about £l4O,
that £l,OOO had been received for insurance, and
that the company charged the prisoners with de-
frauding them of the difference, amounting to £B6O.
Mr. Sleigh and Mr. Wontner finding that it was
the intention of the Lord Mayor to send the pri-
soners for trial, forbore to address the Court in their
behalf, contenting himself with asking that they
should be liberated on bail.

The prisoners were then committed to Newgate
for trial, the Lord Mayor decidinglat the same time
to hold them to bail, themselves in £5OO each, and
two sureties in £259 each, after giving the usual
notice.

EXTENSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC FRAUDS.

EXTRAORDINARY BILL l RANSACTIONS.

Ferdinand Arthur Newman, a foreigner, who
described himself as a merchant, trading in the
name of De Niemann and Co., at 48, Fenchurch-
street, was brought up before Alderman Besley, at
the Guild hell, on Saturday, charged with conspiring
with one Richard Pearson, late of 6, Noble•street,
to obtain goods to the value of about .E!,300, under
false pretences, with intent to cheat and defraud
Mr. Jeremiah Walton, a woollen manufacturer, of
Bradford, in Yorkshire. There were several other
charges against the prisoner, and among the num-
ber two for forging endorsements to bills of exchange.
This case has been several times before the Court,
but the evidence has beer. of such a voluminous cha-
racter that we deemed it expedient to reserve our
report until the case assumed a more definite form,
in order that the extraordinary system disclosed
might be better understood.

Mr. Albert Turner was the solicitor engaged for
the prosecution, and Mr. Beard for the defence.

Mr. Walton said—My transactions with the pri-
soner and Pearson commenced on the 3d June last,
when the latter bought a quantity of goods, and
continued to buy from time to time, the terms being
cash at a month. About the middle of July he failed
in his payments, and his account wes then £4OO. It
was at that time that he introduced the prisoner to
me as a gentleman with plenty of means, and who
he said owed him £5OO, The prisoner corroborated
Pearson's statement, and added that he had very
large remittances coming from Florence, and would
see me all right to whatever amount I trusted Pear-
son. In consequence of the prisoner's representa-
tions I let Pearson have other goods, to the amount
of £6OO, and after that 1 found great difficulty in
getting cash from Pearson. I pressed both him and
the prisoner for money, and at length got a cheque
for £lOO from Pearson, who was advised by the
prisoner to give it me, but on being presented it was
returned dishonoured. Pearson ultimately gave me
six bills of exchange, one of which for £l2O 14s. ;
born an acceptance in the name of Auguste Lorck, of
Punster-court, Mincing-lane. Three of the bills
were endorsed by the prisoner, and I asked trim to
endorse the other three, but he refused to doso, be-
cause he believed I had been instrumental in pre-
venting him getting £625 worth of bills discounted
in Bradford. Pearson told me in the prisoner's pre-
sence that he received the bills from him (prisoner),
and tried apparently to induce him to endorse
them. The prisoner came with Pearson to select
the goods. The total amount of goods bought by
Pearson between the 3d o! June and the 29th Aug.
is £1,329 17s. Bd., of which I have only been paid
£252 10s.

Anguste Lorck, a foreign agf nt, who has disap-
peared from his office in Dunster-court since he was
examined, said—l know of no other person of my
name in Dunster-court. The acceptance to the bill
for £126 14s. is not in my handwriting, neither has
it been written by my authority. I know nothing
either of the prisoner or Pearson.

John Anthony Johnson, a woollen agent, said—l
was engaged on the 7th of August last by the pri-
soner to buy goods for him in Pearson's name, and
did so, th 6 prisoner giving me the money to pay
my expenses down to Bradford and Leeds.

Cross-examined—l was tried about two years ago
for signing an order without authority, but I was
acquitted.
Charles Baker, a detective officer, said—When I
took the prisoner into custody and told him the
charge was for conspiring with Pearson, he said
Mr. Walton had a bill of his for £550.

Ed. Hancock said—l was with Baker, and at the
prisoner's request I allowed a friend of his to accom-
pany him in the cab, and on the way I saw the pri-
soner pass something behind his back to him. At
the station I asked the friend to give up what he
had received, and he produced a bundle of papers.
Squire Walton, the
.prosecutor's son, corroborated
a portion of his father's evidence, and said—l came
to London on 27th of Sept. last for money. I went
to Pearson's office, in Noble-street, and told him we
wanted £l,lOO, and he took me with him to the
prisoner's office, in Fenchurch-street. Pearson went
in first, and sometime afterwards called me in and
then left me alone with the prisoner. He told me
he had received a letter from Florence that morning
advising him of a remittance of a large sum of
money. I asked him for some cash, and he replied
that he had a drawer full of bills of exchange, and
that I could take the amount I wanted. I told him
we could not take any more bills, and he then said
if we would wait a few days we should have every
farthing.

It was stated that, so far from the prisoner being
a man of good means, he had only furnished apart-
ments; that there was not ss. worth of property be-
' longing to him at his office, and that for some time
past he had been constantly denied to persons, and
among the number the sheriff's officers, who called
at his office with applications for money.
The next case against the prisoner was that of
Mr. Reginald Chauncey, a retired army officer,
who said—The prisoner was first introduced to me
about a year ago. He represented that he could, in
conjunction with M. Jean Marie Farina, whom he
afterwards introduced to me, manufacture eau de
cologne to sell at a large profit, which he was agree-
able to share with me if I was inclined to gointo it.
He said that M. Farina would require £3O for the
secret for making the eau de cologne, but he even-
tually accepted £lO. The person calling himself
Farina signed the receipt, which was drawn out by
the prisoner; and they manufactured seven and
a half dozen of eau de cologne at my office, as
a sample, which I afterwards sold. The prisoner
produced the genuine labels of Farina's eau de Co-
logne, and said I could have the use of the plates,
but he afterwards said one plate was missing, and
asked me for money to pay for a new one being en-
graved. I gave him £6 by Eecheque made payable to
Messrs. Smith and Co., the printers. The receipt on
the back of that cheque I believe is in the prisoner's
handwriting. I believe that the endorsement of
" Newman and C 0.," on the two bills of exchange of
Aug. 23, 1862, drawn by C. A. Martin, on Barnett,
and of Bept. 19, 1862, drawn by Barnett and Co., on
Pollack, are also in the prisoner's handwriting. I
parted with other sums, amounting in the whole to
about £6O, under similar circumstances; and upon
the faith of the agreement I entered into being a
genuine one with the real Farina of Cologne. The
sample was all I got for my money.
Cross-examined—The prisoner afterwards gave
me a bill for £6O to get discounted, and I was to
have received part of my money out of the proceeds.
have not before seen the agreemeneproduced signed
" Johann Maria Farina Imhoff," and dated Oct. 24,
1860. Tha agreement I spoke to the prisoner about
was in his handwriting, and dated 1850. I did not
know that the person introduced to me as M. Farina
was Imhoff until after I had advanced the whole of
the money, and then the prisoner told me.
M. Albert Domeier, of 7, Old Jewry, said—l am
sole agent for Jean Marie Farina, of Julien'a-place,
Cologne. I do not know the prisoner, but I do know
Imhoff, and I believe the signatures to the agree-
ment and the receipt produced are in his hand-
writing.
Cross-examined—There are 34 firms of the name

of Farina who sell eau de Cologne, at Cologne, but ' '
there are onlysix or seven of the name of Jean Marie
Farina The labels produced are imitations of those
used by the house I represent.
Thomas Thilford Hough said—l was in Mr.
Chauncey's employ in March last. I knew Farina
only by that name until after Mr. Chauncey
gave up business, and he then told me that
Farina was Imhoff. At the prisoner's request
I endorsed the £6 cheque " P. P. Smith and Co.,
T.H.H.," but the name has since been altered.
Mr. W. E. Smith said—l am a printer and en-
gravr, carrying on business in the name of "W.
E. Smith and C 0.," at 124, Fenchurch-street. I
never authorised any one to endorse my name on
the cheque produced. I never saw it before. I
have been paid £5 for a plate.
That was the whole of the evidence in the eau de
cologne case, and the following witnesses were then
examined with reference to other charges :--
Mr. James Halliley, a woollen manufacturer at
Earl's Heaton, in Yorkshire, said—l have a claim
against the prisoner in respect of goods brought by
Pearson when the prisoner was with him to the
amount of £3OB. I still hold the prisoner's accept-
ance for £l5O, which will be due on the Bth of
January next.
Matthew Ellis, of the firm of Demas, Ellis, and
Co., manufacturers at Dudley-hill, Bradford. I
have done business with Peason, and in August last
there was from £l5O to £230 payable to me, but
not then due. He told me be was about to enter
into an arrangement with a gentleman of ample
means, that would place him in a splendid position,
and he afterwards introduced the prisoner to me as
that person. The prisoner said he had undertaken
to assist Pearson, and asked me to discount some
bills, amounting to £472. I advanced him £7O, a
note for £5O and £2O in gold on the lot, ar.d have
since made inquiries and cannot find any of the
parties whose names are upon the bills.
Mr. G. Toolson, a wollen manufacturer, of Dews-
bury, in Yorkshire, said—ln August last, the pri-
soner called at my warehouse with Pearson and
Johnson. The two latter represented the prisoner
as a man of substance, and they selected goods to
the amount of £134. The prisoner referred me to
Demas, Ellis, and Co., and to Jeremiah Walton, of
Bradford, and I ultimately, at the prisoner's request,
invoiced and sent the goods to Pearson, at 6, North-
street. Pearson gave me a bill at four months,
which is not yet due. The prisoner afterwards
came with Johnson, and ordered more goods, but I
refused to send them unless I got Pearson's bill re-
turned. He went away, and I afterwards received
a note for £5O and £2O in gold. Pearson had pre-
viously left with me some watches and musical-
boxes, and I afterwards, on declining to execute the
prisoner's order for blankets, received a demand for
the value of those goods, and for the £7O paid on
account of the bill for £134. The watches were
invoiced at £2 2s. each, and were worth only 15s.
The musical-box invoiced at £7 7s. was not worth
half that money.
Walter P. Francis said—l was in the-prisoner's
employ in October and November last, and have
denied him to the sheriffs'officer while be (prisoner)
has been concealed under the desk. I have denied
him to his creditors in like manner, and said he
had gone to the Exhibition. I produce the prisoner's
letter-book. Pearson used often to write in it, the
prisoner very seldom.
Richard Phillpot, a sheriff's officer, said—l hold a
warrant to take the prisoner for a debt of £47 13s.
Mr. Soesan Abrahams, a wholesale grocer, of 41,
St. Mary-at-Hill, said a person hired a room in his
house as an office, and carried on business in the
name of Bernard and Co. (the drawer of one of the
bills produced). He left without paying the rent.
Mrs. Lissen den, the housekeeper at 26, Bush-lane,
said Pollock had a room in the house as an office,
and left without paying any rent.
Mrs. Augustus Pinfield, the housekeeper at 69,
Hatton-garden, said—C. A. Martin took one room
as an office, and painted up the name of Martin and
Co. Cloth and other gods were brought there, and
sent away immediately. Bills were presented and
dishonoured, and the landlord eventually took the
furniture in lieu of rent.

Ann Beard, housekeeper at 28 and 29, Southamp-
ton-street, Strand, said a person named Barnett
had one room there, and carried on business under
the name of Barnett and Co. He dealt in various
goods, and there were a great many applications
about bills. He left without paying his rent.
Mary Phillips, the housekeeper at 22, Fenchurch-
btreet, said, in reference to a bill drawn by Vavas-
seur on Chabey, that Vavasseur had two rooms, and
the names of Vavasseur and Co., and Clermont and
Co., were painted on the door. Vavasseur left
without paying his rent.
Elizabeth Deardon, landlady of 7, BloomfiQ,ld-
street, said—l know a person calling himself Mat-
thew Chabey, who bad two rooms at my house. I
have distrained for the rent. He went away about
a fortnight ago without paying the rent due. A
great many applications have been made for him
with reference to money.
Before the case for the prosecution was closed, a
letter from the Prussian authorities was put in and
read, from which it appeared that the prisoner's
real name was Charles Ferdinand William Hell-
wig ; that in 1846 he was convicted of fraud, and
sentenced to six years' imprisonment ; that in 1850
he was again convicted of fraud, and fined 25,000
thalers, and in default sentenced to nine years'
penal servitude, but the imprisonment impaired his
health, and he was therefore granted a temporary
leave of absence, during which he made his escape
from the country, notwithstanding the strictest
surveillance.

Alderman Besley said he had received a letter
from Newcastle-on-Tyne to the same effect, so there
could be very little doubt of his identity.
It further appeared that Arthur Ferdinand de
Neumann became a bankrupt in London in July,
1855, and received a second-class certificate ; also,
at Newcastle on-Tyne, where he ruined a family of
the name of Hindhaugh, who received him into
partnership, and threw their business into bank-
ruptcy for liabilities to the amount of £45,000. He
was arrested for a debt proved under that bank-
ruptcy, and discharged him from prison 12 months
after without obtaining a certificate. Since be has
been in custody on the present charges he has been
made a bankrupt for the third time.
Alderman Besley having given the usual caution,
committed the prisoner for trial.