The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-29 00:00:00

THE BANK PAPER ROBBERY.

Two men, who gave their names as Geo. Buncher
and Robert Cummings, the former describing him-
self as a butcher, residing at No. 28, Strutton-
ground, Westminster, and the latter calling himself
an electroplater, having no home, were placed at
the bar of the Mansion house yesterday, in the cus-
tody of detective officers Spittal and Moss, before
the Lord Mayor, charged with being concerned with
others in stealing, in August last, from the mills of
Messrs. Portal and Co., of Laverstock, Hampshire,
a quantity of Bank note paper; and they were also
charged with being concerned with others in forg-
ing and uttering Bank of England notes, with in-
tent to defraud the Governors and Company of the
Bank of England.
Mr. Freshfield, the solicitor to the Bank of Eng-
land, attended to conduct the prosecution. Neither
of the prisoners had a solicitor.
Mr. Freshfield said that his lordship was aware
that for the last few months a system of forging
bank notes on the Bank of England had been car-
ried on to some extent, the circumstances respecting
which had of late been much before the public.
The notes were printed on paper which had been
stolen from the manufactory of the contractors, who
manufactured the paper for the Bank of England
on which the bank notes are printed. The appear-
ance of forged Bank of England notes on genuine
Bank paper gave a very serious aspect to the mat-
ter, and the Bank authorities felt it their duty to
make every inquiry and have the matter thoroughly
investigated. These inquiries had been made under
the direction of Capt. Hodgson, of ibe City Police,
and were of the most effective cliaractet% He would
not go into the details of those inquiries; but the
result was the apprehension of a man at Birnijog-
ham on the previous day, who was caught in the
act of printing Bank of England notes from forged
plates, which were found in his possession. Thus
the principal in this great affair had been appre-
hended, and on the previous night the two prisoners
before his lordship were apprehended. Since the
court had been sitting he had received a telegram
from Birmingham informing him that there was
another man apprehended upon the same charge.
There were other individuals who were likewise
implicated in the matter. He had had no time to
get the case against the prisoners completed, and as
the case was one of many parts it was necessary
that it should be centralised, and he proposed to
call a witness from the Bank to prove that there
had been an utterance of forged notes, and the
officer Moss, who assisted in apprehending the pri-
soners, when he should ask for a remand for a
week, in order that the men in custody in Bir-
mingham migkt be brought to London, and so have
the case perfect. He had no doubt, from informa-
tion he was already iti possession of, that he should
be able to show satisfactorily that the prisoners at
the bar were implicated to a great extent in the
manufacture of the forged notes. He did not, how-
ever, think it would be judicious to bring forward
the evidence with which he was at present pre-
pared, as by doing so the ends of justice would in
all probability be frustrated if it were made public.

The following evidence was then adduced :
Mr. Frederick Murfill, inspector of Bank of Eng-
land notes, Bank of England—lt is my duty to in-
spect notes supposed to be forged, which are
brought to the Bank. Within the last few months
forged notes, principally £5, have been brought to
the Bank, The note produced, No. 9,786, is a forged
bank-note, and was brought in in the month of
July last in the present year. Some of the notes
which have recently been brought into the Bank
appear to have been impressed upon the paper ma-
nufactured by Messrs. Portal and Co., of Laver-
stock, the paper manufacturers for the Bank of
England.
When asked if they wished to put any questions,
Buncher said he could not, as he knew nothing
about it, and Cummings said, "Not then, but at a
future time he might perhaps."
John Moss, detective officer, City of London
police—l am aware that inquiries have been made
for some little time past under Captain Hodgson
respecting some forged notes on the Bank of Eng-
land. I am one of the officers engaged. I am
aware that some of the City officers have gone to
Birmingham. I have received information that
certain persons are now in custody in Birmingham
for printing notes from forged plates. In conse-
quence of information which I had received I ap-
prehended the two prisoners last night. I appre-
hended Buncher at his residence, at 28,
Strutton-ground, Westminster. Tne prisoner
Cummings I apprehended at the corner of Essex-
street, in the Strand. I believe he has no fixed re-
sidence, but has been lodging in a common lodg-
ing-house in a bye street in Westminster. I believe
from information I have received that the prisoners
have been implicated in the manufacture of these
notes, and I am of opinion that if the case is gone
fully into to-day, and the evidence of which I am in
possession is given at present, the ends of justice
will be frustrated, but if a remand is granted there
will be evidence to prove that the prisoners are im-
plicated in the matter.
Upon that evidence the prisoners were remanded
for a week.

It appears that for some months past Inspector
Hamilton and Mr. Webb, of the London City de-
tectives, have been engaged in endeavouring to
trace the perpetrators of the robbery at the Laver-
stock Mills, and during the past few weeks their
inquiries have been confined to Birmingham, and
owing to the ingenuityand tact displayed, and the
assistance of Mr. Manton, of the Birmingham de-
tectives, they succeeded in apprehending one of the
parties, of the name of James Griffiths, residing at
Brown's-buildings, Winson-street, Audley-road,
near Birmingham. At half-past three on Monday
afternoon Messrs. Webb and Manton, accompanied
by Tandy, of the Birmingham detective force,
forced an entrance into the house of Griffiths, whom
they discovered upstairs in the front room in his
shirt sleeves, at work at a copper-plate printing-
press. On a stone in the room was a £lO money
plate, and a £5 note plate was on the table of the
press. There was also two water-mark plates on
the press. There were also 20 completed £lO notes
on the press, and the same number of notes of the
value were found wrapped in oilskin on the
'canton , on searching
number the room, found other
bed.i plates used in forging bank notes.
nompanied the prisoner to a field
The same officer at:
some distance from the hous,!, and under a hedge a
_ e same purpose were
number of plates used for 1.. a mile further, an
fpund, and at another spot, abou:
additnal number of plates viler, discovered..,leeaoe..l
Among the naper was found some of the rug,
which had been stolen from Laverstock Mili .
months ago. The printing press and materia...4
were taken possession of by Mr. Tandy, and the pri-
soner was taken to the Birmingham lock-up.
Yesterday (Tuesday) morning the prisoner, James
Griffiths, who is about 40 years of age, was brought
before Mr. Kynnersley, the stipendiary magistrate
at Birmingham. charged with forgery, and on t et
application of Mr. Webb was remanded till nex
Tuesday. succeeded
the late
in capturing the principal concerned
paper from
On the same day Inspector Hamilton.n
robbery of Bank of England noteho
app
was
re-
Laverstock Mills. The prisonerß,
1
hended in the neighbourhood of
taken to London for examination.
:7:raingnam,

NEW-

REMOVAL OF WILLIAM ROUFELL FROM
GATE.—An order has been received by the Governor of
Newgate from the Secretary of
State for the Home De-
partment for the removal of this criminal, and he has AC-
dependsroeuart
cordingly been removed from. the abpoivnespthroidsroonugtholyMeilllebaannkse
preparatory to his undergoing the term of his sentence.
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