The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-19 00:00:00

ALLEGED FORGERY AND CONSPIRACY

TO DEFRAUD.

Ferdinand Arthur Newman alias Niomaun, a re-
spectable looking, middle-aged bald-headed man, of
sallow complexion, and wearing Dundreary
whiskers, described as a merchant, of 48, Coleshill-
street, Pimlico, was placed at the bar of Guildhall,
yesterday, before Alderman Besley, charged with
the following alleged conspiracy to defraud, and
with feloniously uttering a forged bill of exchange
for £l2O.
Mr. Beard conducted the defence. _

Mr. Albert Turner, for the prosecution, said he
appeared on behalf of Mr. Walton, a manufacturer,
of Bradford, in Yorkshire, who had had very large
transactions with the prisoner and a person of the
name of Richard Pearson, not yet in custody.
amounting in the whole to £1,329. The transac-
tions commenced in June last, and extended up to
the latter part of August, during which period the
only cash his unfortunate client had received from
them was an amount of £250. He then detailed
the case as it afterwards appeared in evidence.
Jeremiah Walton said—l am a manufacturer,
carrying on business at Bradford, in Yorkshire.
Between the 3d of June last and the 29th of the fol-
lowing August I sold goods to Richard Pearson, of
Noble-street, to the amount of £1,329 17s. Bd., and
I have received from him £252 10s. on account of
those sales. The terms were for cash at a month or
five weeks. About the middle of July I found that
Pearson was not a position to make good his
promised payments. At that time his account
showed a balance due to me of upwards of £4OO,
and it was then he introduced Newman to me.
We met at the Bowling Green Hotel, at Brad-
ford, and Pearson represented Newman to me
as a gentleman of great means. He had pre-
viously told me that Newman owed him £5OO, and
asked Newman if that was not the fact. Newman
replied that it was, and added that he would let
him have it in a week or two. Newman then told
me that he was a shipper, and had a very large
quantity of money coming from abroad, and that I
need not be afraid of trusting Pearson then, as he
(Newman) would see me all right. In consequence
of those represeotations 1 let Pearson have other
goods to the value of £9OO. Newman came twice
with Pearson to my place to sort the goods out.
Mr. Martin (chief clerk)—When was that ?
Witness—That was after the conversation I have
repeated took place. When I found a difficulty in
betting cash Newman told Pearson to draw me out
a cheque for £lOO.
Mr. Martin—About what time was that?
Witness—About the latter end of August or the
early part of September. I pressed them for money
and got the cheque which Pearson drew out and
dated forward a week. I paid the cheque away, but
I know it was presented and dishonoured. It was
drawn on a London bank. I think the London and
Westminster Bank. _ _

Mr. Beard objected to any evidence in reference
to the cheque without its being produced.
Witness—The cheque is destroyed. I destroyed
it in the prisoner's presence after I got the bills of
exchange from Pearson while at Leeds.
Mr. Martin—Was this bill for £l2O among
those bills ?

Witness—Yes, sir.
Mr. Martin—Had the prisoner anything to do
with giving you the bills ?
Witness—No, sir ; but I had an interview with
the prisoner and Pearson about three weeks ago, in
reference to these bills. I first saw Pearson and a
person of the name of Murgatroyd, and as soon
as I went into the hotel where I met them I began
about wanting money. Newman was at Bradford
at the time, but I did not see him just then. I spoke
to Pearson about the bill of exchange, and called
his attention to the three which did not bear
Newman's endorsement. He said they ought all to
have been endorsed by Ne roman, as he had them from
him, and that he was down yonder in the town and
would sign them. He also said they were at Brad-
ford on that occasion for the purpose of getting some
bills discounted to the amount of £625. I after-
wards on the same day had an interview with Pear-
son and Newman at the Junction Hotel, at Brad-
ford. I put the three bills on the table, end told
Newman that Pearson had said he got the bills of
him, and he had a right to endorse them. Pearson
then made a remark to the same effect, but Newman
did not reply to either of us. I left the bills on the
table, and after a lapse of 40 minutes I went out for
pen and ink, and when I came back I heard Pear-
son and Newman talking together. Pearson said
" It is your duty to sign them, I got them of you,"
and Newman replied that he believed 1 was con-
cerned in preventing him getting some other bills
discounted, and he would not therefore endorse the
three bills in question. I have not seen Newman
since, until he was taken into custody. Whenever
Pearson spoke of Newman, which he frequently did,
he represented him as a man of great wealth.
Cross-examined—l have only known Pearson
about 12 months. The first transaction I had with
him was on the 3d of June, and I had only seen him
once before in Bradford.

Mr. Auguste Lorck said—l am a foreign agent,
carrying on business at 2, Dunster-court, Mincing-
lane. I know nothing of the bill produced for £l2O
drawn in my name, and accepted by Richard Pear-
son. The signature is not in my handwriting,
neither has it been written by my authority. It is
not even like my writing. I do not know either the
prisoner or Pearson. There is no person of my
name at the address on the bill but myself.
John Anthony Johnson said—l am a woollen
agent. I was engaged by the prisoner on the 7th
of August last to buy goods for him in Pearson's
name. fie gave me £5 to pay my expenses down
to Leeds and Bradford.
Mr. Alderman Besley—Did yon succeed in buying
any goods in Pearson's name ?
Witness—Yes, sir, and so did Pearson, for he was
with me at the time.
Did you buy any large quantity ?
amount of about £l,OOO or £1,500. Yes, sir, to the
Did you pay for any of them ?—No, sir.
Do you mean to say that you went down and
bought goods amounting to £l,OOO or £1,500 with-
out paying any money for them, and without any
introduction ?—Yes, sir, because I have been well
a
known in the market for many years. Newman told
me he wanted 10,000 blankets for Garibaldi's army,
and that was the reason I was sentpldlhv
oywe down
er s
o been to buy
in
on
ac-
count
goods.
Cross-examined—l left my last ern
of a dispute about some money.
trouble before. I was charged with writing a name
to an order without authority. It was not a charge
of forgery. The grand jury threw out the bill of
indictment, and I was acquitted.
Charles .Murgatroyd
s
Flradford. I know Richard Pearson, am an agent,
arson, of 6, Noble-
, street. I also know the prisoner at the bar. They

inquired of me where they could get
represented that Newman had plenty of
gooLis. Pearson
money, a.nd
would be able to do a good business in the si.lllPPing
trade. I got orders accepted for them for goon
is to
the amount of £252 10s.
Cross-examined—Messrs. Ellis's acceptance, bear-
ing Sutcliffe's name, are now in the hands of Mr.
Dawson, Messrs. Ellis's solicitor. They were given
up to him at the request of Messrs. Ellis, because'
the prisoner had threatened to lock me and Mr.
Walton up for taking them.
Mr. Beard said he would prove tbat his client
really was a man of means, and that they tried to)
do him out of £5OO or £6OO worth of bills.
Chas. Baker, a detective officer of the City force,
said—When I apprehended the prisoner and told
him the charge, he turned round, and pointing to
the prosecutor, said, "This man stole a bill of mine
for £500."
Edward Hancock, another officer, said—The pri-
soner complained of being ill, and asked permission
for a friend to accompany him in the cab ; on the
way to the station I saw him passing something be-
hind his back to his friend, who put in his pocket.
At the station the prisoner was searched, when a
meta watch and chain and 245. were found upon
him. I then requested the friebd to deliver up to
me what he had, and he gave me the letters and
papers produced.
Mr. Turner read several of the letters, which ap-
peared to have been written by Pearson, ask-
ing for small sums of money, and describing his
progress in the country, but as they were not n_iate-
rial to the charge beyond showing the connection
between Newman and Pearson, they were not put
lin as evidence.
Mr. Beard said his friend Mr. Turner had made
the most of his case so far as it went, but he had
only proved just what his client never intended to
deny. He admitted having had transactions with
these parties, but it did not necessarily follow that
he was aware of the character of the bill upon
which the charge of uttering a forgery was founded
—and with regard to the prisoner's position he
would show not only that he was a man of good
means, but that he had his books to show he had
had transactions in business to a very large
amount, without even a single dishonoured
bill against him. The fact was Pearson had bought
these goods, for which bills of exchange, which
were still running, had been given, so that the
charge of fraud was altogether premature; but if
there were a case against Pearson there was nothing
to implicate his client in the fraudulent obtaining of
these goods. His refusal to endorse the bills was the
best evidence that he did not give them to Pearson,
who was now out of the way to avoid a similar
charge, and the witness Johnson, who had been
called to connect him with Newman, was unworthy"
of credit. Take his own evidence, without reference
to his own previous trouble, and upon that alone be
ought to have been placed in the dock as an accoro,
plice, if any offence at all had been committed.
Newman denied ever having employed that man
(Johnson) ; that he gave the endorsed bills to Pear-
son ; that he was aware of the character of
the forged bill when placed upon the table
with the others as described ; or that he partic.w
pated in any way in the offence alleged against
Pearson, and, in the absence of evidence to the con-
trary, he asked the worthy alderman to discharge
his client.
Mr. Alderman Besley said it struck him there
was a strong prima facie case to justify him in an'
ceding to the request for a remand. He could not
overlook the fact that Newman was introduced to
Mr. Walton by Pearson as a man of great means,
at a time when Pearson's account was only £4OO,
and through Newman's influence that account was
at once increased to £1,300. Newman was seen
throughout all these transactions, and he could not
therefore discharge him without some further inves-
tigation. It was a mercantile case, and therefore
of great importance to the mercantile community.
Mr. Beard asked if bail would be accepted.
Mr. Alderman Besley said he should not feel jus-
tified in accepting bail at present.

COUNTRY

------ -

LEEDS—TUESDAY.
To-day at our market there were few transactions in
English wheat, and prices is to 2s lower. Barley
sale, and prices tending downwards. Other articles are I
limited demand, and unchanged in price. slow

MARKET HARBOROUGH—TLIESDAY.
White wheat, 52s to 555; red, 46s to 50s per 36 sto one.
Barley at 34s to 37s per qr., grinding 30s to 33s per 3 at.
Oats, 26s to 325; new, 22s to 24s per 24 st. ; beans, 40s to
43s per qr.

SHEFFIELD—TUESDAY.
Red wheat, per load of 3 imperial bushels...2ls Od to 22s OA
White
...23s Od to 24s 00
l, 1
New red , f
New white „ If
Beans 77 If
Peas, per qr
Grinding barley, per qr
Malting ditto, „ .. .. . : 121
67641
sss:
06°°0
ddddd
to
000:
62231 :920 :sss
og: i
31s Od to 36s Od
Oats 7 7 2os Od to 30s Od
Flour, Is 10d to 2s 2d per stone.

NEWCASTLE-U PON -TYNE—TUESDAY.
Arrivals very heavy. A dull tone provailod in th.
Old wheat brought Saturday's decline. Flour very little
inquired for. Barley was easier to buy. Oats and oatmeal
drooping.

MELTON MOWBRAY—TuEsDA.Y.
The following were the currencies :—Old white wheat,.
53s Od to 55s Od ; old red, 478 Od to 52s per 36 stone p.
beans, 48s for old ; new sorts, 38s to 439 per 38 St.
barley, 35s to 38s for malting; and Ps to 32s per qr. for
grinding; oats, 20s to 348 Od per 24 stone.

LYNN—TUESDAY.
White ..49s to 52s I Barley.... 33s to 3,°
96
Rid
..' 48s to s Grinding ...... ..31s to 3.4,.
M
Beans .4os to 44s Oats 22s
to to
20
20
..... .
New 226 ..
—8 to —8 New