The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-18 00:00:00

THAMES.

THE EXTENSIVE PLUNDER BY A CONFIDENTIAL
MANAGER AT MILL-WALL, POPLAR.—Joseph Hadley
Riddell and W. 31. Eclipse Riddell, the former con-
fidential manager and the latter a subordinate clerk
at the extensive chemical works of Messrs. Pontifex,
at Mill-wall, Poplar, were finally examined, charged
with pludering their employers to an immense extent.
Many of the facts have already been frequently before
the public.
The prisoner Joseph had the sole and uncontrolled
management of the concern at Mill-wall, with a
salary of 500/. a year ; but the business not answer-
ing the expectations, his salary was reduced to one
half. From that time, if not previously, an extensive
system of plunder was commenced. Valuable por-
tions of Messrs. Pontifex's property were removed to
premises in the holding of the prisoners, but osten-
sibly in the possession of a person named Godwin,
at Lee Bridge. Messrs. Pontifex's men, whilst sup•
posed to be employed for that firm, were at work for
fifteen weeks embellishing and improving the hand-
some residence of the prisoners at Berner-street,
Greenwich, fitting up greenhouses, 'garden frames,
&c., made out of their employers' materials. The
most glaring fraud in the whole transaction was an
occurrence which took place in July last. It being
understood that Mr. Jones, a clerk at Messrs. Ponti-
fex's City offices, Shoe-lane, was about to take stock at
Mill-wall, previously to his arrival 36 casks were filled
with an almost useless refuse called sulphate of lime,
and were represented to Mr. Jones as tartrate of lime,
thus fraudulently increasing the apparent stock to the
amount of 9001. The increase was at first stated at
I,SOO/. 'When Mr. Pontifex questioned Joseph Rid-
dell on this subject, he admitted that it was a gross
deception, but at the same time said it was the first he
had ever practised on the firm, though the other frauds
were as patent as day.
Both prisoners were fully committed.
Leiois Philips, a negro, who told a very cunning
story so simply that it was at first almost believed,
was charged with defrauding Jane Ryan, a coff,e-
house.lteeper, Ratcliffe-highway, in the following
artful manner : _ _

He called at the house of the prosecutrix on Mon-
day night, and representing himself as a ship's cook,
asked for a bed. He said he had no money, but he
would leave one of his jackets. This being agreed to,
he told the landlady that the night before he picked
up with a girl, who stole 21. from him—that he gave
her in charge, and was to call next day at the station-
house for his money. He had his supper and a bed,
and after breakfast next (lay went, as he said, to the
station-house stating on his return that he had got
the 21. In the evening he asked the prosecutrix to
lend him 103. to take the servant girl to the theatre;
but she told him he must first hand her his purse,
which he did, and she then gave him 103 , and 23. 6d.
for a cab. She opened the purse when he left, and
found, that instead of two sovereigns, it contained two
medals, one bearing the effigies of our Sovereign Lady
the Queen. On his return from the theatre, she gave
him into custody.
The prisoner, in his defence said, that the girl who
took his purse, when charged with the robbery,
threw it in his face, and it remained safe with the
constable when she was taken into custody ; that he
got it back again with the in-)ney safe at the station-
house, and that the prosecutrix must have substituted
the medals.
Ilere Sergeant Sugg, 17 H, came forward, and
said that the prisoner bad made quite a different