The Sun.
London, England, 1807-05-30 00:00:00

POLJC'E.

MANSION-HOUSE.-7,Yesterday twb yonncr men,
of reputable appearance, named Still and
who were committed by the Lord Mayor, on Fri-
day week, upon a charge of forgery, were brought
up for their second examination.
On the former examination it appeared, that an
Office was opened, in St."Michaers-alley, Cornbill,
with a brasS plate upon the door, on Which the

words '" Winkley, Brothers, and Co." were en-
grawd, purporting to be the names of the agents for
a banking"company, at Ipswich. The ostensible
manager in this Office was the prisoner Still and
the business carried on was that of discounting bills,
and-giving for them, in lieu of money or Bank of
England paper, notes, purporting to be those of the
Bank at Ipswich,
•A youth, about 14; named James Page, the son
'of a Mr. Page, in 'Norfolk, Was the first witness
e:atnined: he stated that lie was at waat School at No.
105, Fenchurch-street, and that on the '2Bth of
Aprithe'receiVed a letter from his father, containing
'a one hundred pound bill of exchange, whibh he was
directed to carry to- a Gentleman, at Baker's Cof-,.
fee-house,' to-get discounted. From .Baker's Coffee-,

.house.he was reterra; by the Gentleman, to the
.bffi'ce in Michael's- alley ; he saw there an old Lady,
:who told hint the Gentleman was not at home. He
next day, and did not see him : but saw him
on the Ist- of May, at his office, when Mr. Still
told him, if he would accompany him to:the Edin-
burgh Castle, in the Strand, the would Meet a per-'
son who would give him the amount. He,went
there accordingly, and ttict, Mr. Hitchins, who told
him he was a partner in the concern, and glve him
the one hundred pounds, inpotes„ purporting, to be
notes of the' Ipswich Bank. The 3d of May he re-
ceived another letter from his father, inclosing him
another bill of exchange for tool. desiring him to
-on the house in Michaers-alley; for the like
sum, in Ipswich notes, finding that the first 'hun-
dred pounds had circulated freely in 'his neighbour-
hood ; and he -accordingly went and received the:
notes. He said, that, about a month before, be
hada 30i. the house; which was paid by Mr.
Still, in Michael's alley, whom he supposed to be a
partner in the business.
An old Lady, named Vaughan, who lives in Mi
chaers-alley, proved that the office alluded to is the
shop belonging to her houS'e, which she had let to
Mr. Still last Christmas. It was for the purpose of
occupying it as.s'Cottutry Bank ; the - plate on the"
door, with the names Winkley, Brothers, and Co.
was affixed there by Mr. Still. She never saw
Winkley, 'Brothers, or any other partner in the bu-
siness but Mr. Still. She never saw Hitchins there.
Mr. Still continued to occupy the house till now,-
paid the rent, and took receipts in his own name ;
and she had diredions whenever any body' asked
after him, if he was in the way, never 16 deny him.
Mr. Innes; an engraver,: was next called ; and
being shewn some copper-plate impressions of blank
notes of an Ipswich Bank, stated, he had engraved
those plates.for Mr.-Still; they were for one-pound,
five-pounds, and ten-pounds, and payable in Lon-
don only. He delivered the plates to Mr. Still, who
paid for them, but ordered the bill to be made out
in the name of Ralph Holden and Co.. He saw
another person at Still's office at the time, but did
not know his name.

The next person called was a Mr. Young. He
said be had been employed to take a bouse'and as
as .a clerk, at Ipswich, by Hitchins. He was en-
. _

gaged as for Ralph Holden and Co. but never saw
any person of the name of Holden there. Mr.
Hitchins always ..paid the notes,-and the name of
Holden was always signed by Hitchins, who informed
him that he was a partner in the,bouse.- 'A tidte
was now shown to hid) by Mr. BOLLAND, Counsel
for the Prosecution, and he was asked whether the'

not name of Ralph Holden, signed thereto, was
written by Hitchins ? He answered, that he should

certainly have thought so, had he not, since his
former examination, seen a person whose name_ he
was told was Holden, whom he saw sign his name,_
and whose hand-writing was so like that of Hitchins,
that he could not distinguish one from the other.
He did not himself know the 'name.of that person to
be Holden, he was told so by a Mr. Bland, who in-
troduced him. He had seen his faCe someWheie
before; it might be at Ipswich; but he never r.IW
him a&t in the business wherein he was employed.
He acknowledged to have seen Hitchms continually
write on the notes 'issued, the name of Holden,
and he himself was in the habit of entering and
countersigning titem., sometimes before they were
so signed by Hitchins, and sometimes after. He
never saw any person but Hitchins employed at the
bank at Ipswich. He had received orders to conti-
nue paying as long as they had any money left in
the house, and they did not stop payment before
their money was all gone.
Mr. BoLLAND, on the part of the prosecution, ad-.
dressed the. Chief Magistrate, and Submitted that,
upon the testimony adduced in this case, there was-
ample evidence to sustain the charge of forgery. He
cited a variety, of cases from East's Reports, in Sup-
port of his assertion ; particularly the case_ of Anne
Lewis, tried at the Old Bailey, in 1754, for personi-
fying a seaman's legatee : the case of George Wilkes,
tried at Bodmin, on a charge of forging a Bill in the
name of a person not in existence ; but the Judges
were all of opinion it was a forged instrument, be-
catse uttered with intent to defraud, for that it was
the fraudulent intent which constituted the very es-
sence of the crime of forgery : the case of the'noted
James Bolland, which was a curious and critical one;
be was a Sheriff's Officer, and so much in the habit
'of !circulating Bills of Exchange, and his name was
indorsed upon so many, that his credit was injured,
'and his signature rather impeded than promoted the
circulation. Sonie person to whom he passed a Bill
made this remark to him, and told him his name
must be changed on the back : he accordingly erased
all.the letters of his name except the 13, and made
the name Banks, which he said was the name of a
vidualler, in Rathbone-place ; there being no' sucb
person
.in existence. The fad was proved, and held
to be forgery ; and Bolland was convicted and exe:-
ctited.' From' the analogy of all those eases to the
present, where it was clear the
,Prisoners had setup
officcs under a fiElitious firm, and issued notes in the
names of that firm, and affixed; sig,naturetf to those
! notes not their own, ,obviously with a fraudulent in-

tent, be relied that both the forgery, au! ;he utter-.,
atv:e With fraudulent intent, were proved, in away
which made it the dori of the Chief Magistrate to
commit the {ii fo'r trial:

Mr. ALLEY on behalf of the Prisoners, acknow-
ledged this to. be a most important case ; but he
totally denied there was any analogy between any of
the cases cited by his Learned Friend, and that of his
Clients now at the Bar ; arid he stated particularly
the circumstances of each case, contrasting them with
thepresent. It appeared that, for five months past,
they had carried on their business with credit add
punauality, and paid many thousands of pounds;'
that their Clerk (Young), as he proved; had-direc-'
tions to pay to the last shilling ; and that this charge
Was brought against them only tOr the balance of
2001. on account of- Mr. Page, who, he observed,
was the applicant to hi Clients, who, in fa&, sent
his bills to purchase their notes pind it was not they
who. applied to him, or demanded kis-bills in ex-
change' for their notes. He had; in fact, purchased'
these notes for his own securities, and at his own
request; and therefore they could not be implicated
.in any charge_ of forgery or fraudulent utterance;
for it .was in /proof that there was- such a person as
Mr. Holden, of the Ipswich! Bank., who Wrote to
Hitchins;Mr. that the Clerk of the Finn, Young,
could not swear whether he or Hitchins had signed
the notes shewn tosaid,
his Clients,- he aid,
were men of Property. and- respectability. Mr. Still
was a gentleman who had:obtained .to,oool..forttine
with biS wife, which he had devoted to secure bet a
settlement of 6001. a year, and therefore was pre-
eluded from applying anypart of that sum to liqui-
date at present the 200 L, due to. Mr..-Page. , At the
worst, his Clients had incurred no charge.higher
,than that of a misdemeanour, which, though it
might subject them tc transportation, was yet a
bailable offence, and such. as did not preclude his
Lordship from enlarging his Clients, .upon stitlicient
security. .

The LORD. MAYOR Said., he had beard the Coun-
sel on both sides, but before they had spoken at all,
he was clear it his own mind that the Prisoners.
ought to be sent to trial, and he would commit them
accordingly.
Three women, of genteel appearance, of different
ages, named Williams, Harris, and Martin, were
brought up yesterday • before the LORD MAYOR,
charged with being a party of pickpockets. It ap-
peared that two of the City Officers were on Thurs-
day appointed to Watch in St. Paul's Church-yard,
for this species of depredators, during the Anniver-
sary Procession of the Charity Children to St.
Paul's. The three
,Prisoners were pointed out to
them as such. They watched for- some time, and
found that a charge was made by a. Mrs. _Mar-
garet Winter, .of having had her.:.pocket picked
in the crowd of her pocket-book, which was found
by one of the Officers upon one of the Prisoners,
while she endeavoured to throw it away in Ivy.:
lane, with her right hand, from her pocket, the left
hand being at the same time held fast by the Of-
ficer.. Margaret Winter appeared in Court, and
swore to the pocketbook, containing a one-pound
note, and other papers, and memorandums, as her
property. The Prisoners not beimg able to give a satis7
faagry accotint of themselves, or their way of living,
were fully com&dtted for trial, and
bound over to prosecute, which she yielded to with
reluetance.

In the night of Thursday se'nnight, as Mr. BEN-
JAMIN Duvr, of Durham Down, near Bristol, Was
on his way 'home, about 11 o'clock, lie"observed
beforehim'on the road an ill-looking felloW, whom
he describes as having the qppearance. of a 'W etch
drover, dresSed in a dark coat and flannel cravat, and
armed with a bludgeon. Mr. BUTT,as be paged
the fellow, wished him a good night, when the cil
lain immediately levelled a blow at his head, Which
knocked him down, and after striking Mr. Burr
another blow on his side, he proceeded to rob him.
Mr. B. however, got up and engaged with the ruf-
fian for some time ; but having suffered touch frOm
the blow -on his head, he was unable
`watch
continue the
contest, and immediately gave up his watch and mo-
njey. As the robber was abont to decanip, Mr. B:
called,out to him; "I know yOu 3" upon w hick the
fellow eXclaimed, with a horrid oath, thaf" he would
prevent him, telling tales," and instantly.stabbed him
in the artn; ear, and other places ; and made off on
the alarm of two other perSonS coming up. His_,
person.having been described in a hand-bill,. and 20
guineas offered for his apprehension, he was taken
on Friday afternoon, in ai pawn-broker's Shop, •in
Broad-mead; Bristol, in the aa. of selling the watCh.,
He is a sawyer, and has worked in Bristol about.
two months ; he is about 40 years of age, and came
last frOmtbard. It is somewhat remarkable that
he was on the.point of marriage with a woman, who
actually visited him in Bridewell after his apprehen—
sion. He was taken from Bridewell to the County
goal on Saturday having been fully committed to
take his trial at the next Assizes.