The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-17 00:00:00

THE GREAT FORGERIES IN THE CITY.

The enormous forgeries upon a foreign banking-house
disclosed in our police report of Tuesday last, coupled
-1 with the lamentable failure of a large mercantile firm
arising from the frauds, having engrossed a large amount
of public attention, any additional particulars willb doubt-
less be welcome. Mr. R. F. Pries, the person charged
with committing these frauds, is a merchant, who,
since he had been in business, a period of nearly five
years, had borne an irreproachable character. lie is
a native of Germany, about thirty-five years of age,
very respectably connected, and had numerous transac-
tions with many of the first houses on the Continent.
He is said to have derived an income of 2,0001. yearly
from the agency of two firms in Paris. His offices were
1, Crosby-hall Chambers, and his private residence 10,
Grove-place, Brixton, Since his establishment in London
he married an English lady, by whom he has two children,
and although his abode was elegantly furnished, his style
of living was unostentatious and retired. His transac-
tions were chiefly in corn, and his account at Sapte and
Co.'s Lombard-street, bankers, show that since the Ist of
.Ta,nuary of the present year he had issued cheques to the
amount of 615,974/. It will be seen by the police report
that one firm spoke of having paid him 70,0001. since
April last. Of late some dealings in corn in which he
acted, whether as agent or principal, excited a good deal
of observation in Mark-lane. He commenced a series of
shipments of grain from Hamburgh and other places on
the Continent to England, and disposed of them at rates
from is. to 2s. per qr. less than the current price of the
Exchange. During the extraordinary operations Mr.
Pries obtained large advances from foreign bankers in
the city, upon several consignments of corn, averaging
from 10,0001. to 20,0001. The obligations were often
renewed, the security in all cases being the warrant do-
cuments, bills of lading, &c., presumed, of course, to be
genuine. These transactions went on up to the last
week of his continuing business, when some suspicion was
excited by Mr. Pries failing to complete the terms which
he had entered into with the bankers who had favoured
his advances. It will be noticed that the house of
Messrs. Holford and Co., foreign bankers, of No. 1,
New Broad-street, on the Ist inst., advanced 18,0001.
on warrants, to be repaid on the following Monday, and
the house of Messrs. Mpnteaux and Co., 17, Grace-
church-street, granted 9,000/. on similar securities and
conditions. Failing in his payments, the firms pressed
him, and he succeeiled in putting them off from day to
day, until proceedings were at length threatened. How-
ever, on Saturday week, the clerks of those houses called
upon him at his offices, when he handed cheques for the
amounts demanded. He gave two to the representative
of Messrs. Holford--one for 5,000/., payable on that
day (Saturday), and the other for 14,0001., which in-
cluded interest—and to that of Messrs. Monteaux a
cheque also payable on that day. The clerk of Messrs.
Monteaux noticed some peculiarity in Pries's behaviour
which areused his suspicions. He communicated his
misgivings to the principals of the house, who at once
put themselves in communication with his bankers. The
bank had closed for the day, but they ascertained
that the cheque would not be cashed. Inquiries were
then instituted as to the bona fide value of the docu-
ments upon which the advances had been obtained,
which resulted in the discovery of one being forged.
While this investigation was going on, and it was not of
long duration, occupying little more than an hour,
one of the clerks was dispatched to Pries's private re-
sidence' at 10, Grove-place, Brixton, with a view of
seeing him. The clerk was introduced by the servant
to Mrs. Pries, who was found in a most distressing stays
of excitement and grief. She had r-ceived a letter
from her husband that afternoon, which she handed to
the clerk, who was not a little surprised at the contents,
receiving as he had the cheque from Mr. Pries himself
not two hours previously at his office. He recognised
the handwriting of the letter as that of Mr. Pries. It
commenced "My dearest, dearest Matilda," and prayed
that the Almighty would bles3 her with strength to bear
tho shock which she would sustain through his conduct,.
He had been a villain and an imposter, and implored her
to protect his children from shame and disgrace. She
would shortly know all. He had been the cause of
others ruin. The remaining portion of the letter was
calculated to lead a reader to irfer that, by the time the
note reached Mrs. Pries, the v‘ alter would be no more.
The clerk, leaving the house, hastened back to his em-
ployers, who, not crediting the contents of the letter,
proceeded to the City Police Commissioners' office in the
Old Jewry, and instructed Mr. Hodgson to take active
steps to apprehend Mr. Pries on the charge of forgery ;
at the same time offering one thousand guiners reward
for his capture. With as much dispatch as possible for
the evening had far advanced, several efficient members
of the city corps of detectives were summoned to head
quarters, and being put in possession of Pries's descrip-
tion, were sent out is all directions where he was likely
to be encountered, while the electric and submarine
telegraphs were set to work, circulating the in-
formation not only throughout the United King-
dom, but to the principal cities and towns on the conti-
nent. So prompt were the officers in acting upon their
information that, within an hour after they had been in-
structed, Pries's capture was effected, and the reward
claimed, the firm having guaranteed its payment by
affixing their signature to the paper which bore the de-
linquent's description, and the condition of the reward.
It being known that Pries had an excellent knowledge
of the lines of communication between this country and
northern Europe, it was immediately conjectured that
he would direct his flight in that quarter, and it bein•
,
imagined that he would suspect the police would be on
the look-out for him, and prevent him going by the usual
steamers from the Thames, or by the South-Eastern,
South-Western, or South Coast Railways, it was thought
that he would take his departure by one of the northern
railways, and endeavour to reach Hamburgh by one of
the boats which ply between that port and Newcastle, or
Hull, &c. The Euston-square terminus of the London
and North-Western Railway was of course to be
watched by the superintendent of the force and Hugget
was the officer selected for that part. Accompanied by
a party who had a tolerable good knowledge of the
appearance of Pries, he reached the station within a few
minutes of the mail train leaving for the north. The
officer took a stroll up and down the platform, and hav-
ing taken a cursory g lance at the occupants of the seve-
ral carriages, his attenti on was attracted to a gentleman
in a first-class carriage, who was muffled up above the
face, and wearing a peculiar skull cap ; his recognition
was a matter of some difficulty. Not a moment was to
be lost, the "bell" was ringing, and the train was on
the eve of starting, when Huggett jumped into the car-
riage, and placing his hand upon the party in question,
addressed him, "Mr. Pries, I believe." " Yes," was
the reply, when the officer informed' him that he must
go along with him, as ho was wanted in the City. Mr.
Pries became much agitated and trembled violently.
Huggett assisted him out of the carriage, and having
collected his luggage, carpet bag, railway wrapper, and
top coat, he placed Mr. Pries in a cab, and hastened to
the Bow-lane police station, where he was confronted
with the principals of Messrs. Monteaux, who preferred
the charge on which he was detained and locked up. In
the interval it had been ascertained that both the cheques
given to Messrs. Holford, to the 'amount of 19,0001.,
18,000/. being the amount advanced, and 1,000/. for in-
terest, had been returned. Pries not havine. more than
50/. at his banker's. As usual in all cases of felony, the
prisoner was asked to give up all he had about him, when
he handed over to the officer a canvas hag containing;
gold and silver to the amount of 161/. 193.11., together
with a gold watch, a bundle of cigars, and a few trifling
articles, together with a first-class ticket for Newcastle.
The carpet-bag was examined, and was found to contain
nothing but linen and claithing. He became exceedingly
reserved in his manners, and avoided entering into con-
versation.

On Pries's apprehension being made known on Mon-
day morning, much excitement prevailed in the City,
which in a few hours was in no little way increased by
the announcement of the stoppage occasioned by the dis-
covery of the house of Messrs. Collman and Stolerfowht
by forged bills of lading and granary warrants. It was
naturally feared that other firms immediately connected
with the English markets would suffer directly or indi-
rectly, and on Saturday it was announced that Mr. E.
Weatherman, the Amsterdam correspondent of Mr.
Pries, had suspended payment, and that the amount of
liabilities was between 30,0001. and 50,0001.; and it was
report(i that as much as 27,000 onar iers of wheat were
coming to him from the Baltic, which, if true, would
force sales and involve a loss of Bs. to 10s. per quarter.
With the exception of the 101/. 19s. 4d., which Pries
handed to Huggett when he was apprehended, and the
501., the balance in the hands of the banker, no other
moneys or papers of any value whatever have been
found. Both his chambers and his dwelling at Brixton
have been Searched by the police, but without any satis-
factory result. It is represented that so late as ten days
before his apprehension he had 18,000/, at his banker's,
the whole of which, with the exception of 501., he had
drawn out. This circumstance probably induced the
assignees under the • prisoner's bankruptcy to adopt the
course they have in offering rewards for information.
Pries is a native of Rostock, in Mecklenburg. Prior
to commencing business as a merchant on his own
account, he was in the employment of a wine merchant
in Mark-lane as clerk, where he had the means of
forming an extensive connexion.