The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-15 00:00:00

THE ABSCONDING BANKRUPT, WELSH.

At the Guildhall, yesterday, Michael Thomas Stacey
Welsh was placed at the bar before Sir Chapman Mar-
shall, charged that he, having been adjudged a bank-
rupt, absconded and did not surrender at the time and
place appointed. The prisoner in 1851 was a draper
and silk-mercer, and carried on business at Romford, in
Essex, until he absconded at the latter part of the year.
He was made a bankrupt shortly after, and his debts
amounted to upwards of 1,0001., and he had gone off
with property to a much larger amount. Mr. Walker, of
the firm of Boyd and Co., of Friday-street, had traced
the prisoner's progress from this country to Australia
and back again, and subsequently from place to place
lop to the time of his being apprehended at South-
ampton, as he was on the eve of embarkation for Ame-
rica, and property to the amount of 7501. was found in
his possession, which was given up to the assignees.
Mr. John Benjamin Walker gave the following ac-
count of his apprehension of the prisoner at the Tiger
Inn, Southampton :—I obtained the assistance of a de-
tective officer, and after the most unremitting exertions,
we at length fell in with him at the Tiger Inn, where we
found him in company with a lady at dinner. I went
up to the prisoner and said, " How do you do, Mr.
Welsh," and he shook hands with me, but recollecting
himself immediately he said, " You seem to know me,
bet, my name is not Mr. Welsh, my name is George
And I said, " Yes, you are Mr. Welsh of Romford,
-171 u I charge you with felony." He told me it was a
mistake, and referred me to his solicitor, and then re-
quested me to allow him to finish his repast. I acceded,
4114 while he was doing so I remembered a peculiarity
the Prisoner was remarkable for relative to certain finger
the wore, and on looking over his shoulder, I dis-
ES7,Y saw she marks those rings had made, and signi-
bl' '0 the officer, who was present, that I was not mis-
In
heledss
sereen the man. I was, however, a good deal stag-
bY the coolness of the prisoner's denial, but never-
collared the prisoner, and directed the officer to
do his duty and search him. The prisoner became very
indignant at this, and striking his fist on the table he
said, " Mr. Walker, you are treating me very badly."
I advised him to give up all his property, but he said he
bad nothing but a large sea-chest full of linen. I did
not believe that was all, and I then ascertained from the
officer that he overheard the prisoner telling his brother
to write to London, and let the prisoner's friends know
he was in custody. The brother was a brewer at South-
ampton, and I procured a warrant to search his premises,
and on going to execute it I was informed that 7501.
was placed in the Hampshire Bank on 14th September,
and withdrawn all in one sum on the 23d of the same
month. I then traced the money to Powell, of the
Shard Arms, in the Old Kent-road, to whom the pri-
soner had forwarded it, and on applying to )him upon
the subject he admitted he had given it over to Mr.
Norton, the prisoner's solicitor, who has undertaken
to pay it over to the assignees on Saturday (this
day). After the committal of the prisoner by
the magistrate at Southampton, I intimated to the
mayor in court that I should apply for a warrant at
the rising of the court to search certain houses in the
town, the result of which was that the prisoner, as I ex-
pected, offered to disclose where his property was con-
cealed. He told me that there was a desk, a portman-
teau, and a box at the Tiger Inn belonging to him ; but
on going there the possession of the property was strenu-
ously denied by the people of the house for some time,
but the parcels were ultimately found as the prisoner
had described them. I took possession of them, and
discovered the lock of the desk had been picked and the
hasp broken off the portmanteau, and the property evi-
dently conveyed away surreptitiously since the prisoner's
capture. I can only account for this by the negligence
of the police. The prisoner was allowed free intercourse
with the young lady with whom he had been seen, and
there was no knowing what injury the estate had sus-
tained in consequence. When first taken the prisoner
endeavoured to tsar up a letter, which we prevented him
from destroying, and on reading it it turned out to be a
letter written by the prisoner to the lady he had been seen
with and to whom he was engaged to be married, bidding
her farewell. It was dated from on board the Hermann,
which was then about to start for America, whither he
had taken passage. There were also several love
letters, from four or five young ladies, found on the
prisoner, with whom it appeared he had formed matri-
monial engagements, and in one of them the lady offered
to get everything ready for her marriage with the pri-
soner in two or three days, so as to be able to accompany
him to America. I was more disgusted with the pri-
soner's conduct towards the young ladies he has been in
communication with than the loss of the money, and
I was determined to follow him up, in order that
the public might be put upon their guard against
such specious characters. The prisoner's plausibility
was such that when the news that he was about
to sell off reached the creditors they sent down
an accountant, a very clever man, to see how mat-
ters stood, and he returned with tidings that there
was not the slightest occasion for any anxiety, as the
prisoner had in the most open manner shown him all his
books, and proved that his property was much more
than sufficient, and that though he was about to sell off
he intended to pay off everybody, and the opinion of the
accountant was that the prisoner was as honourable and
upright as the sun.
Mr. Newling said he had received letters from Aus-
tralia informing him that the prisoner had also absconded
from that place with 1,4001., which two gentlemen had
intrusted him with to buy gold, and 1001. which he ob-
tamed from several poor diggers.
The prisoner said he left all the money behind when
he was shot at in Australia,
Mr. Walker said he understood from the passengers
in the Indus that the prisoner had said he had been shot
at in Australia by persons who supposed he carried a
great deal of property with him, but at the time he took
his passage in the Indus he came on board at midnight,
and disguised.
The prisoner sai dit was not so, and that having een
in India he had come from Madras by the overland
route.
The prisoner was then remanded for the completion of
the depositions.

MORE EARTHQUAKES IN GREECE.—A,letter. from.
Athens, of the 30th ult., in the Augsburg Gazette, says •
We have had a dreadful night. A shock of an
earthquake took place at midnight, and alarmed every
One, and forced us all to leave our beds in great haste,
some of the inhabitants being even flung out of them
violently. A number of ether shocks afterwards took
place, until five in the morning, some of a severe cha-
racter and some of a milder kind, heavy rain falling
nearly all the time. Several buildings have suffered
S
damag
tee. At Thebes also, on the night of the 22d of
whiepmber, a sharp shock of an earthquake was felt.
which was afterwards followed by several others. The
Population, who have been living in tents since the
greater part of the town was destroyed by earthquake,
some short time since, are about to establish themselves
elsewhere."
IMPORTANT TO THE GRAIN TRADE. ALEXANDRIA,
°et s.—No answer has yet been given to the consuls
as to their demand for the extension of the time to ex-
port grain. Stephen Bey, who is at Cairo, says he can-
not reply before the return of Abbas Pacha, from his
voyage to Mount Sinai. In the meantime all sorts of
grain are exported, which leads to hope that it will re-
main so until the 30th November. Freights are now
for the United Kingdom 13s
to. 13s. 6d. for beans ;
ether grain in proportion.
___
renchman PREVENTATIVE AGAINST CHOLERA.—Doctor Busq, a
port
:F, who has lately published a pamphlet in sup-
of the theory that constant contact with copper
'cure for
1.8 a preservative against cholera, has taken his depar-
England to try the efficacy of his system.