The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-05 00:00:00

--rt AUGUST 5, 1862.

all his large creditors to
ness, and he intenaeu . told him if ho
reduce their accounts. vv b 'hat we had
looked at our books he would see 1--
enough to pay all our creditors more than 20
shillings in the pound. He said he did not wish
to look at them. He was quite satisfied with
our word. We tried all in our power to induce
him to take £lOO. He said the least he would
take would be £l5O, and if we did not let him
have that amount by August 6 he should proceed.
against us, as he would sooner loose all than take
less. We should have been prepared to meet all our
regular engagements, if this had not come upon us
unexpectedly ; and we shall not be able to extricate
ourselves without your kind consideration. He said
he did not care if our account did not exceed £350.
We are two single men. Our income last year was
£BOO, and this year we expect it will be more. We
live as economically as we can. If you will be so
kind as to lend us £l5O it will save us from being
proceeded against. We must offer composition. If
there is not a composition we shall be made bank-
rupts. If they should aceept compensation we shall
lose our standing in society. Our names will be in
the Protection Trade Society's books. Up to the
Present time we have never been in difficulties be-
fore. We have always paid every one what was due
to them up to the present time, and our characters
have been without reproach —Yours truly obliged,
" A. & B.

"We should be able to repay it in a year. The
writer of this letter is a lieutenant in one of the
Metropolitan' Rifle Volunteer Corps. As regards the
number of effectives on the muster roll, having been
in the corps from its formation, if you are so kind as
to lend us the £l5O, it will save us from being in
difficulties. If you do not lend it we must offer
compensation ; if that is not accepted, we shall be
bankrupts. In either case, I must resign my com-
mission, for I could not associate with my brother
officers afterwards. Then there would not be any-
thing in this world that I should desire to live for.
If you are so kind as to lend it, the first opportunity
I have, when in uniform, of speaking to either of
you, I will do myself the honour_ Then you will
know what I have written is the truth. If you have
faith to lend it, I shall not care about your knowing
my name, for I feel confident you would not cast
obliquy upon me or my corps by taking notice of
what I have written.—Yours, respectfully,

" A. & B.

" If you should be so kind as to lend it, please
have the following advertisement inserted in the
Dasly Telegraph :—' Bon Accord, your letter of the
26th has been received, and the favour shall be
complied with.'

"If you lend it, we will let you know how to
send it."

Another advertisement having been inserted on
the 30th July, a letter was received, stating how the
money was to be sent, which was as follows :
" London, July 30, 1862.
" Sir Anthony Rothschild, and your respected
Brothers, Baron Lionel and Baron Meyer.
"We are not aware if you have any other
brothers. We return our sincere thanks for your
kindness in consenting to lend us £l5O. It has re-
leased us from our anxiety. The first time I have
an opportunity of speaking to either of you, whe-
ther in uniform or not, I will do myself the honour,
then you shall know my name and our place of
business, and in which Metropolitan Volunteer
Rifle Corps lam a lieutenant. If you be so kind
to enclose the halves of two bank notes in the en-
closed envelope, we will send a letter acknowledg-
ing the receipt of it. The envelopes are not very
thick, and I think it would be advisable to enclose
the half notes in a piece of paper before placing
them in the envelope.—Yours truly obliged,
" A. and B."

The envelope enclosed was addressed to Mr. John-
son, Post-office Coffeehouse, St. Martin's-le-Grand,
E.C., and the letter was put into the hands of the
secretary to Messrs. Rothschild, and sent the fol-
lowing reply:—
_ _

" Sir Anthony de Rothschild regrets he cannot
comply with Mr. Johnson's request to forward the
half notes in an envelope to be called for at a coffee-
house.

" His charity is never given to unknown persons,
and unless Mr. Johnson can call on Sir Anthony or
the Secretary at New-court, he cannot have the
money.
" July 31, 1862."
"This letter was posted by one of the officers
engaged in investigating the affair, and was seen
to be given to the accused. He was followed and
seen to open the letter and read it, and when he
had read it the officers, Sergeant Green and Sergeant
Scott, took hold of his hands and asked him what
he had got. He said nothing and crumpled the
letter in his hand. Sergeant Scott took hold of his
hand, and taking the letter from it, asked the pri-
soner if he called that nothing, and he said he knew
nothing about it. The prisoner was taken into
custody, and upon his apartments being searched
some paper and envelopes were found in a cupboard,
which exactly corresponded with that in which the
letters had been written to Messrs. Rothschild.
Mr. Won tner said that the evidence he should
produce he thought would be sufficient to prove be-
yond all doubt that the prisoner was the party who
wrote the letters in question.

Mr. Ald. Humphrey asked if anything was
known of the prisoner ?
Mr. Wontner said nothing was known as to who
or what the prisoner was. How he had been
getting a living was at present involved in mystery.
The following evidence was then adduced :

Sergeant Webb said—l have been endeavouring,
in company with Sergeants Scott and Green, to dis-
cover the writer of the letters addressed to Sir
Anthony Rothschild. On Thursday last, July 31, I
was at the Post-office Coffeehouse about 2 o'clock.
I saw the prisoner there, and saw him leave about
a quarter-past 9 at night, and followed him, in com-
pany with Scott, to No. 5, North-place, Kingsland-
road. I did not see him go in. I was at Messrs.
Rothschild's office on the 31st, and saw Major Snell
open the letter signed A and B, and dated July 30,
which contained an envelope addressed to Mr. John-
son, Post-office Coffeehouse, 26, St. Martin's-le-
Grand. Major Snell wrote a letter and enclosed it
in that envelope, and handed it to me, and I took it,
with four others, to the waiter at the Post-office
Coffeehouse, and allowed the waiter there a mark
upon them. At 10 o'clock the same night I posted
them at the General Post-office. I went the next
morning, at 8 o'clock, to the Post-office Coffeehouse
and saw the waiter, who had the five letters I pro-
duce, and amongst them is the letter addressed to
Mr. Johnson. They are all differently addressed.
On Saturday afternoon I saw the prisoner in cus-
tody at about 20 minutes past 1. I then went to 5,
North-place, Kingsland-road, with Sergeant Scott,
and on the first floor I found, in a cupboard in the
prisoner's bedroom, four sheets of paper and four
envelopes wrapped up in a piece of newspaper. The
mark, " Goynson, 1861," on the paper, corresponds
exactly with the marks on the paper on which the
letters addressed to Messrs. Rothschild are written;
and the stamps on the envelopes also correspond.
Alderman Humphery—Was anything known of
the prisoner at the house where he lodged ?
Webb—Nothing, sir ; and he has lived there with
his wife and family six weeks, and the landlord has
not seen him yet. He said he saw his back once, and
that was all. He went out in the morning and re-
turned at night.
Sergeant Scott, detective—On Thursday last I
was in company with Webb near the Post-office
Coffeehouse. I saw the prisoner between 2 and 3
o'clock, and saw him leave at about a quarter to 9. I
was in company with Webb and Green. We
followed the prisoner, and saw him go into Cheap-
side, and after walking about twenty yards, he
turned round, and stood and looked back, as if he
were looking for some one. He repeated this about
every two or three hundred yards, before he
reached home. He passed No. 5, North-place, on
the opposite side of the way, and after proceeding
about twenty yards, turned back and stood for
some time with his back to the door, looking in the
direction in which he had come. He rang the bell
at last, and went in. On Friday night, at ten
o'clock, I Was with Green in the Kingsland-road,
when we met the prisoner. He passed No. 5, on
the opposite side of the road, and after going
twenty or thirty yards he turned back and looked
up at the window, and after waiting a few moments,
apparently to see if any one were watching him,
he rang the bell and went in. On Saturday, at
twelve o'clock, I was at the coffee, saw him, and
saw him leave- I followed him, in company with
Webb and Green, to Portland-street, and I saw
hit* open a letter, and, after reading it, crumpled
it in his hand, and as soon as he did so, Sergeant
Green, who was behind, caught hold of both his
arms. I immediately caught hold of his left hand,
and asked him what he had got. He said nothing,
and I opened his hand and took out the letter which
was produced by Webb, and asked if he called that
nothing, and he said, "it is not mine." The letter