The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-07 00:00:00

for the value of which he had brought an action against

the simulated writer.

Mr. Lewis, in stating the cise, said that it would be
observed that the forged letter bore a post mark in tie

vicinity of the residence of the alleged writer, and that
two blank letters addressed by the prisoner to himself
were found at his lodgin* They were posted in the
like manner, and the object was to hs.ve them ready to
be filled up in any way that would best sustain the
action brought for a suppositious debt. The production
of a letter which had reached the plaintiff through the
post would of curse tell with the jury. Mr. Lewis ad-
dressed himself to the law of the case, to show that an
indictment for forgery would lie where the instrument
forged was of less importance than a will, writ, or
deed.

Mr. Alderman WOOD said he would take it that the
forging of any writing fur the purpose of duing wrong
to another amounted to forgery in law.
Mr. Jones submitted that, as an action of debt was
pending in another place, no proceeding could be taken
in this Court in respect to the subject-matter of it that
would have the effect of getting rid of the suit. The
magistrate would otherwise be trying the case of debt.
Mr. Alderman WOOD said, it was q&te comp tent to
the prosecutor to proceed with any criminal charge as
soon as be discovered the necessary proufs.
Mr. Harris Michael, a furrier, in Castle-street,
Houndsditch, deposed that he had received two lawyer's
letters, demanding a debt of 971., one a year ago, the
other six months ago. He owed the party nothing, and
handed the letters to his solicitors, Messrs. Wire and
Child. No writs were issued by them, but he was served
with a writ by a third attorney, who was employed by
the prisoner. This was on the Ist of March last. (A
letter was then put in, bearing the post-mark," Bishops-
gate Within, July 6, 1845." It began by stating that
the writer feared, from the tenor of the prisoner's letter,
that he supposed he (the writer) had sold the skins,
but he had not done so ; he had left them to he sold by
commission, as the marks had not been removed well
enough. The writer offered to accept a bill fur 501., and
referred to another transaction in mink skins. It was

signed " Harris," and addressed to the prisoner Alex li
-
ander.) The witness said he was as often called Harris
as Michael. The signature to the letter was an imitation
of his signature, but he never wrote that letter or any
other to Alexander, and never had any transaction in
mink skins or any skins. He owed him nothing, and
never did owe him anything.
Mr. Alderman WooD doubted whether the letter was
such a one as would lead a jury to find against-the sup-
posed writer on the trial of the action. The action was
for the value of furs deposited with Mr. Harris. The
letter was not precisely an admission of possession of
such property.
Mr. Lewis said, it was not a question whether it was
sufficient, but whether it was intended to be sufficient.
Whether it admitted only receiving audio:iv t' sell, or
the actual deposit of the goods, would be quite a question
fur the jury.
Mr. Child spoke to the proceediegs he took for Mr.
Harris: _ _

The officer deposed to r:ceiving the forged letters,
an:inept a number of other papers, as documents left by
the prisoner with Mr. Gates, a solicitor in The net-place,
who issued the writ for the prisoner.
Mr. Gates said, the papers he delivered to the efficer
were left by the priseeer for care only, and were not
papers delivered to him as evidence to be adduced in any
proceeding, nor papers upon which he had been con-
sulted. He had declined acting any longer for the pri-
soner as his attorney, before the prisoner showed him
the letter produced.
Mr. Alderman WOOD struck out the evidence as to
what was said between the prisoner and his attorney, as
being a privileged communication which the attorney
had no right to reveal, even in a criminal case, without
the sanction of his client. If such communications
e"x•etreen, b ntoteperlievpirleigved privileged
oafnt'kheeemuseeadnsp:,f"dilenfenv.dmiunlgd
The prisoner was moth; tcd on this charge.
The third eaae was against Alexander and Wilbeam,
alias Brown, jointly. would, to
himself.
some
Mr. Rubinson opened the case at some length.
We have recently stated the substance of the evidence.
At the end of December the forged acceptance of
5001. was paid at Messrs. Fullers'. On the 16th of
February Alexander gave charge of two persons, named
Nicholas Kerp and the prisoner Brown, for committing
that offence. Brown got away before they reached the
station-house, and Alexander also slipped off; but there
was abundant evidence against Kerp, and he was com-
mitted for trial. Alexander was subsequently appre-
hended for stealing the half-crown, and a few days after
Brown was discovered at a coffee-shop in Soho. On the
way to the station-house he confessed he was the party
who uttered the bill, but said it was Alexander, who
had given him and Kerp into custody, that furnished
them with the bill. In consequence of his communi-
cativeness, the solicitors to the bankers sent. his clerk to
the station-house to invite him to make a voluntary
statement. This statement was the principal new evi-
dence tendered to-day. It was made in the presence of
a policeman, taken down by the solicitor's clerk, and
signed by the prisoner.
The confession states, that he was working as a painter
when Alexander called upon him on the 28th of Decem-
ber, and said he wanted him to do something particular
for him. He went to Alexander's lodgings, stopped
there that night, and next morning Alexander said he
had a bill of Mr. Kerp's to present, and he had 1001. to
receive out of the amount. He wanted the informant to
present it, and he took him to Samuel's clothes4hop, in
Stretton-ground, and furnished him with new clothes,
that he might go respectably. Alexander then took him
to the Royal Exchange and introduced him to Mr. Keep,
saying, " This is the man I can trust it with." Kerp
replied, " It is all right," arid handed the bill to Alex-
ander, who looked at it, and then gave him (Rrown) the
bill and showed him the bankers (Messrs. Fuller). He
obtained the 5001., and found Kerp, Alexander, and a
stranger together. Alexander said, " Don't pull the
money out here." They all went to the Royal Exchanga,
where he, by Kerp's order, gave Alexander two 50/.
notes, and the four 100/. notes to Kerp. Alexander said
he must have gold for his notes, and he gave one to in-
formant to change for him, and went himself with the
other. They each obtained gold for their notes, and
while they were there Kerp came in to change his notes.
On leaving the bank, Alexander received the 50 sove-
reigns from informant and went away. Informant
walked with him as far as the Mansion-house, where
Alexander said he had better go back and wait for Kerp.
He did so; but after waiting a short time he returned
alone to the outfitter's shop at Westminster.
This statement is at variance with the outfitter's evi-
dence, which represents that Kerp, and not Alexander,
had Brown, the painter, transformed into a gentleman
on the morning the bill was uttered.
Mr. Alderman WOOD declined admitting Brown as a
witness, and said lie must leave that to the discretion of
the judge.
The defence upon this charge was reserved.
Mr. Alderman Wool) committed the two prisoners for
trial, one for uttering, and the other as accessory before
the fact.
The proceedings occupied above six hours.
WORSHIP-STREET.

William Sare, a boot and shoemaker, ot No. 2, Whit-
mote-street, Whitmore-road, lioxton Old Town, was
charged with wilfully setting ere to the house in which
he resided.
Winford Holdham, a lodger in the above house, de-
posed that about twelve on Monday night the prisoner
had got a few friends with him. Witness was one of the
company ; he, however, left, as there was manifestly a
disposition to quarrel. He had not long been in
bed, and was dozing, when he was aroused by the
prisoner, who was vociferating at the foot o'
the stairs, " Holdhana, come down, or I'll set the
house on fire." Witness became alarmed, and on open-
ing the door the smoke was so dense from below as
nearly to suffocate himself and family. He now rushed
down stairs, and having gained the outside of the street-
door he called out " Fire and " Police," and constable
233 N was soon in attendance, and followed wi'h him
into the front parlour, but were obliged speedily to re-
tire. The prisoner was standing with all his clothes on
in the passage. His wife had escaped to the staircase.
Some persons with buckets of water extinguished the
fire. Witness gave
prisoner into custody.
Police-constable 233 N, corroborated thy, latter part
of the witness's statement, and added that he was
passing, on his beat, the house of the prisoner about
half an hour previous to the time above stated, when he
heard the voice of a man in the prisoner's house, ex-
claim, "I'll set fire to the d—d house," or words to that
effect. Witness conveyed the prisoner to the station-
house, but returned with Sergeant Dubois.
Mr. AhNOLD, the sitting magistrate (to the prisoner)—
Do you wish to say anything? It is, however, my duty
first to caution you not to say anything which might
criminate yourself. The charge is a very serious one,
and is punishable with death.
The prisoner made a rambling defence, in which he
denied all knowledge of the manner in which the house
was set oa fire. lie had, he said, with great difficulty
escaped being suffocated with smoke.
The prisoner was then fully committed to Newgate to
take his trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Alfred Blacktop, a youth about 16 years of age, the
son of a respectable carpenter and builder at Hackney,
was placed at the bar before Mr. Arnold, charged with
having been found upon the premises of INlessrs. Joseph
Church and Co., brewers, at Cambridge. heath, with in-
tent to commit a felony.
Police-constable 388 N stated, that it formed part of
his duty to examine periodically during the night the
prosecutor's premises, which covered a large extent of
ground, and were surrounded with a brick wall, enclos-
ing, besides the brewery, cooperage, and out offices, a
furnished dwelling-house in which the family resided,
and large shrubbery. For this purpose he was intrusted
with a duplicate key to admit himself at a side entrance,
and on opening
this door at one o'clock that morning,
hearing the sound of footsteps in the court-yard inside,
he proceeded to the spot, and detected the prisoner
secreted between the wall and a large tree, from which
he dragged and searched him, and found in his pockets
an iron chisel and bradawl, and a quantity of lucifer
matches. On taking him up to the dwelling-house, at
the rear of the premises, he also discovered a large
flanging-iron, or cramp-ended chisel, used by coopers in
staving butti, and which he had since ascertained had
been left by one of the workmen in the cooperage the
night before,
lying between the prosecutors' ball-door
and parlour window, beneath which, in the garden-
mould, were distinct foot-prints recently made. On
questioning the prisoner what business he had there,
he told him that he had entered the premises for an
exigent purpose,
scaling a pair of iron gates full eight feet high, which he
and acknowledged he had got there by
must have had the greatest difficulty in accomplishing, as
there was scarcely room to admit a person's body between
them and the brick arch, and they v. ere mounted with
spikas ; but witness was
satisfied he must have done so,
as both entrances were securely locked vihr n he had he-
fore
left them, and he again found them so on detecting
the prisoner inside. -
, William llockiey, one of the prosecutors' workmen,
1
, deposed to leaving the flanging-iron on the top of a butt