The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-01 00:00:00

FORGERY OF _RUSSIAN BANK NOTES.

Yesterday at 2 o'clock .the men Reichberg, Har
witz, and Josephson, three of the five Polish Jews
now in custody on the charge of being concerned in
the extensive and systematic forgeries at various
places in this country of Russian rouble notes, were
again placed at the bar of the justice room at the
Mansion-house, in the custody of George Scott,
detective police officer, before the Lord Mayor, to
undergo a further examination.
Mr. Sleigh again attended for the Russian Govern-
ment ; Mr. M'Donnell, barrister, for the prisoners
Reichberg and Harwitz; and Mr. Hope, of Ely-
place, for Josephson.
Mr. Sleigh said the inquiry had assumed so
important a character by the gradual development
of.the extensive and extraordinary system of for-
gery with which thb prisoners, and two others
now in custody, were charged, that he thought it
would save time if he completed the case against the
three men at the bar, the original batch, before ad-
ducing further evidence against the other two, who
had since been arrested at Birmingham.
The Lord Mayor, falling in with the suggestion,
had the prisoners Rosenburg and Weber formally
brought before him, and remanded them until Fri-
day next.
' The inquiry was than resumed, and subjoined is
the fresh evidence given yesterday.
Benjamin Hillmer, examined by Mr. Sleigh—l
am an ornamental engineer at 5, London-wall. I
remember in the beginning of November last the
first prisoner Josephson calling on me there. Ho
brought a small circular zinc plate, on which was a
worn-out pattern, unfit for printing, and asked me to
make a copperplate like it, leaving it with me for that
purpose. I asked him what it was for. He said a label
for a watch paper, and that he was a travelling en-
graver and watchmaker. I had to do the plate in about
a week, and he came punctually to get it. It was not
then finished, and he gave me three more days to
do it in. He called again at the end of that time,
when the plate was done. [lt was for doing the
engine-turned work of a rouble note.] That was
about the middle of November. My charge was
205., and he paid me first by giving me a watch
worth 30s. I returned him 10s. in change. The
impression on the plate produced, which is the one
I had engraved for him, is not now so strong as
when it left my hands. I could not say whether it
has been used in printing.
Cross-examined by Mr. Hope—l had not seen
Josephson before the Ist November. He said he
was a travelling engraver, and had received instruc-
tions for the plate from a watchmaking house at
Liverpool. He showed me a tradesman's card, and
asked what I would charge for engraving that. He
took it away with him, saying he would bring it
back to me to he engraved, but he did not do so.
Mr. James Wood, typefounder, West Smithfield,
was recalled, and identified the letterpress found by
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and figures he (witness) had engraven on a plate,
proving that the plate had been used in printing.
Cross-examined by Mr. M'llonnell—He had not
used the press at all before it left his premises. The
impressions on the tympan had not been produced
by using type with hand pressure. They were du-
plicated in some places, particularly in the border
part of the note; he could, indeed, see parts of three
impressions upon it.
James Watson, a porter to the previous witness,
proved that, at the request of his master, he took
the letter-press produced to the house (No. 6) in
Bevingden-street, on the 18th November, accompa- I
Died by the prisoner Harwitz, and carried it down
to a kitchen, where he left it.

John Girfing—l am in the employment of Mr.
Roberts, printer, 41, Tabernacle walk, Finsbury. I
remember the prisoners Harwit z and Iteichberg call-
jet; there together about the hitter end of Septem-
ber, and asking me the charge for printing 1,000
copies of an impression of a certain size, which they
indicated. I said about 4,1. They went away, Hor-
witz saying they would call again. About the
beginning of October Reichberg called alone, bring-
ing with him a " form" of type, and asked me to
pull a few proofs of it, which I did. On my pulling
the first impression lie said it would not do, as the
face of the border was not close enough together. I
tried to remedy the defect by taking out the oblong
piece of wood and filling the place up with oblong
pieces of metal, but I could not get them sufficiently
close for him. He then asked me to write on paper
the defects of the border. I did so, and he took it
away with him, stating his intention to get some
more typo cast to be used in its place. About a
fortnight afterwards Reichbcrg came again alone,
bringing some type in a frame, and I made some
alterations in the border at his request. (The
witness stated these in detail, and showed the
anxiety of the prisoner to have certain half and
quarter pieces of the type at particular places in the
border.) While so engaged I asked him what the
border was for. He said he was going to show it in
the Great Exhibition. I asked him why the half or
quarter piece of border was to be placed so particu-
larly in certain positions. He replied, " To prevent
any one imitating them." I asked him what he was
going to put on the middle of the paper, within the
border. He said some engraving, he being an en-
graver. The border did not do much better than the
previous one. He asked if I knew a typefounder. I
mentioned the name of Caslon, of Chiswell-street,
Finsbury, and wrote it for him on paper. He went
away, leaving bath parcels of type with me, and
stating he would get a fresh lot of type. He had
asked me on that occasion if I would teach him let-
terpress printing. I inquired the terms, not then
being aware of the nature of the work. Evading
the question he said he had plenty of money, and
`asked me to come to his house next morning. The
next morning being Sunday I objected, but offered