The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-09 00:00:00

COBB V. LOWE.

The LORD Cturicka,Loit also gave judgment in this
case, in which the bill was filed by the plaintiff against
the defendant for an alleged breach of trust, in investing
a certain fund in the Four, instead of the Three pet
Cents. His Lordship considered that the plaintiff had
made out no case for the interference of the Court, and
ordered the bill to be dismissed with costs.

BROWN V. THORPE

His LORDSHIP also gave judgment in this case, de-
cLiring that the plaintiff was entitled to the value of cer-
tain shares in the Northern and Central Bank at the
time he purchased them.'

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
A NEW MODE OF EXTORTING MONEY.—Mr. Ash-
urst, solicitor, of Cheapside, appeared before the Lorin
MAYOR and Sir P. LAURIE. for the purpose of making a
representation of a new way of raising the wind He was
apprehensive, he said, that he could not be supplied by
the Magistrates with an immediate remedy for the evil of
which he had to complain upon the part of his clients,
Messrs. Tarsey and Milgate, wholesale warehousemen in
the city. The publicity, however, which he knew would
be given to the particulars would in all probability enable
othrs in trade to protect themselves as well .as to punish
the aggressors.
The LORD MAYOR and Sir P. LAURIE said it :could
give them very great satisfaction to render service •to
their fellow-citizens in every possible way.
Mr. Ashurst then said that on Friday night a man,
whose name was unknown, walked into. the counting-
, house of his clients and asked whether any one of the
principals of the firm was within. The reply was that
Mr. Tarsey was to be seen, and the man was forthwith
introduced to that
.gentleman in his office. " Have I the
honour," said the visitor, " to address Mr. Tarsey ?"
Upon being informed 'id- the affirmative he continued,
" Are you aware Mr. Tarseys:that you have made your-
self liable to heavy penalties by giving receipts in seve-
ral instances on unstamped paper ?" " Nocal..replied Mr.
Tarsey, " I am not aware of anything of-,the kind."
The visitor, who had a large bundle of papers in his
hand, then stated that Mr. Tarsey laboured under
mistake, for in the mass of papers which met the eye, and
;vhich consisted of unstamped receipts, were five of
Tarsey's, one of which purported to be the receipt of
Mr. Edward Roberts, a linen draper, for 201., which had
been settled without a regularly sanctioned and legal re-
ceipt; and as it would be probably more agreeable to the
Arm to pay 10/. than 501. or 601., to which the penalties
of the infraction of the Act would amount, why the mat-
ter could be arranged. Mr. Tarsey said he would pay no
such money; but being anxious to get one of the receipts
into his hands, for the purpose of enabling him to expose
or prosecute, if necessary, he consented to accept the
offer of one of them for the sum of 21., which he ac-
cordingly paid, and was put in possession of the receipt.
The LORD MAYOR—Ama did he not give the fellow
into custody ?
Mr. Ashurst replied that Mr. •Tarsey did not suppose
there were sufficient grounds for acctissation, and allowed
the individual to escape for the time.
The LORD MAron—l hope that such an extortioner
will not be permitted to do these things
th impunity.
He ought to have been brought before me at :
ince. Here
is a clear case of extortion.
Sir PETER—Most decidedly. We should have very
little hesitation in dealing with such a person, and I hoc!4
we shall see him here.
Mr..Tarsey urged him to give his name, but be said,
o, ago ; you shall have no name." .
T,h4oar. MAYOR—But it was very easy to call in a
policeman, and give the fellow and all his receipts int 6
custody'.
Mr. Ashurst said it.' was ascertained that the same
r.S person called with a similatOry at' the warehouse of
Messrs. Leaf, Smith, and Jones-,syho refused to make any
purchase of the receipts',whitli' lie said he possessed of
that firm, or to have anything atcall to do with him ; and
it appeared that Mr. E. Roberts ought to have handed
over the possession of allthese papers to his trustees. He
(Mr. Ashurst), however, did not say that Mr. Edwards
Roberts joined the stranger in making a base use of the
documents. It was quite impossible to say by what
means he, who carried about with him the papers for
such a purpose, obtained possession of them, and Mr.
Tarsey considered it to be better in the hands of Govern-
ment than in those of a gang of extortioners. In all pro-
bability the fellow would continue to take his rounds
amongst the London tradesmen until he should see the
account of the application first made.
The LORD MAYOR—Did he use any threats to the se-
cond house he endeavoured to impose upon ?
Mr. .Ashurst said, that upon finding his proposition
unsuccessful at Messrs. Lea, Smith, and Jones, lie assured
them that if they did not pay into the hands of Mr.
Monckton, of Surrey-street, a certain sum of money, the
case should be put into the hands of her Majesty's At-
torney-General, who would sue for all the penalties. He
(Mr. Ashurst) had been informed that several advertise-
ments had appeared in the Times newspaper of late, on
the subject of unstamped receipts, calling the attention
of any person who may be possessed of any to the fact
that they cotild be turned to the advantage of the holders.
Sir P. LAURIE asked whether it was the custom of
the house which Mr. Ashurst represented to give receipts
of the kind described ? Mr. Tarsey said that his house
always gave receipts when accounts were closed, and it
was quite impossible for any but men in business to con-
jecture what great inconvenience resulted from the obli-
gation to give reeeipts for small sums in the infinity of
transactions which took place in an extensive business.
Sir P. LAURIE—Theh you ought to have had these
papers back ? Mr. Tarsey--Most certainly. Mr. Ro-
berts ought to have given them up.
Sir P. LAtinig—l pay my coachman and groom, and
enter the sums in a book, which I dare say might be
used by a fellow of this description as unstamped re-
ceipts. Mr. Ashurst—Exactly so. It is frequently the
case that the retail-dealers would prefer memorandums
of this kind to numberless receipts. The Government
cannot be aware of the insignificance of the productive- j
ness of such a source of revenue compared with the in- I
convenience to which it subjects men of business.
The LORD MAYOR said it would 'give him great plea-
sure indeed to adjudicate in such a case as Mr. Ashurst
had detailed. However, as the extortioner was not in
custody, all that could he done would be through the
medium of the public press to stop his progress, and lie
trusted that some warehouseman, upon whom an attempt
to plunder might be made, would seize upon the impos-
tor, and all his papers and books, and introduce him to
to the Justice-room..
Two young men, named George Thompson and Robert
Hill, the latter of whom is a mere boy, were brought up
charged upon suspicion of having been concerned with a
gang of thieves, whose practice it is to send the younger
branches of the profession into premises with bags, to be
need in secreting any portable property that might be
lying Amt.
Mr. Hobler, jun,, who attended for the prosecution,
stated that on Friday the premises of Messrs. Caldecot, of
Cheapside, were robbed of some pieces of linen, no
doubt through the means of a boy and a bag ; and this
morning in walked Hill with a bag, while Thompson
remained outside evidently watching for the boy. The
shopmen were of course observing the movements of
both, and as they accounted in a very lame manner for
themselves, they were given into the custody of the po-
lice.—They were remanded till Monday.