The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-07 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

(OLD COURT )
(Before Mr. Baron ROLFE and Mr. JUAtiOC COLERIDGE )
FORGERY.— IVilliczni Jolasoit, aged 2i, was indicted fir
felouionsly forging and uttering a warrant for the plyrnent
of 101. 10,, with intent to defraud Messrs. Stone and
Martin.

_
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Doane conducted the prosecution,
and called

Edward Sewell, who is a hatter in Bond-street—The
prisoner was in the service of Captain Charitie. On the
18th December last prisoner came to witness's shop to
pay for a hat which he had had some time previously, and
tendered a check for 101. 103. Witness had not sufficient
change, and prisoner said he would call the following
evening ; he did not, however, do so.
Mr. Thompson, from the Banking-house of Martin,
Stone, and Martin, deposed that on 19th December a
person brought the cheque now produced to the banking.
house, and stated that he had been sent from Mr. Sewell's
in Bond-street to ascertain if it was a forgery, and that the
person tendering it for payment there was detained. lie
was taken into custody, and his story turned out to be un-
true in every particular.
Daniel Forrester, the officer, apprehended the prisoner,
when he stated that Captain Charitie's servant had pre-
sented the cheque at Mr. Sewell's, and that he had been
sent to ascertain if it were a forgery or genuine. Took
him to Mr. Sewall's. Ascertained there that his story was
a fabrication. On conveying him to the Compter found
in the cab in which he had been conveyed some torn pieces
of paper, which, when put together, proved to be a copy
of the forged cheque.
Captain John Charitie kept no accoant with Martin,
Stone, and Martin. The prisoner had formerly been in
his service, and might while Lying with him, have paid
some of his accounts with cheques, The cheque produced
was not in witness's handwriting. Never authorized any
one to write it.

The prisoner threw himself on the mercy of the Court.
Mr. Baron ROLFE summed up, the Jury found him
Guilty, and he was sentenced to ten yea, s' transportation.
FoacEav UPON THE BANK OF ENGLAND.—James
Fitldgate Porter, aged 22, wa; indicted for feloniously
forging and uttering a warrant or order for 3801. with
intent to defraud the Govenor and Company of t! e
Bank of England.
In another count the intent was laid to be to defraud
Messrs. Sandys and Co.
Sir Frederick Pollock, Mr. Adolphus, and Mr. Bullock,
appeared for the Bank of England. Mr. Ciarkson de-
fended the prisoner.
Sir Frederick Pollock having briefl!y addressed the
jury, called the following witnesses :
Mr. Robert Curtis stated that he was a clerk in the
Private Clearing Office of the Bank of England, and that
Messrs. Sandys and Co. had an account at that establish-
ment. On the 11th December the prisoner came to the
Bank and presented a check, apparently signed by that
firm, for the sum of 3801. ; and the prisoner wished to have
2001. in gold, and the remainder in small notes. Sc.mu
suspicion was felt respecting the signature, and witness
communicated with Mr. Palmer, another gentleman on the
establishment, and a messenger was sent to Messrs. Sandys
and Co., and the prisoner was desired to wait for a short
time; and in consequence of what was ascertained, he was
given into custody. The witness then produced the check
that was brought to the Bank by the prisoner.
Mr. James Palmer proved that he questioned the pri.
soner respecting the check, and he told him that he had
got it from a person of the name of Brett, and that he hal
met him in the street, and he was to take the money to him
to a public-house in St. George's-fields.
William Brand, one of the City Marshals, proved that
he took the prisoner into custody, and he asked him where
he got the forged check from. He replied that he had re-
ceived the check from a young mar, named Brett, who
lived in the Westminster-road, and that he was to take
the money to him at a public-house in the neighbourhood
of that place. He was about to search the prisoner, whrn
he said that Brett had given him a book to put the cheek
in for the purpose of keeping it clean, and he produced
the book. On searching the prisoner he found a canvass
bag which, he said, was to put the money in.
Some other evidence was adduced, when it appeared
that Brett was formerly a clerk to Messrs. Sandys and Co.
and that he had absconded from their employ. It also
appeared that the minute the prisoner was taken into
custody, he begged that the officers would go with him to
secure Brett.

Mr. Justice COLERIDGE upon this intimated his opinion
that the Jury, under such circumstances, would not convict
the prisoner of wilfully uttering the check, knowing it to
be forged. The prisoner it appeared all s long told theisarne
story, and it was very prol)able that he had been deceived
by the young man Brett.
The Jury accordingly returned a verdict of Not guilt).
lVilliaut Johns,o, 23, was indicted for forgery and
utte,ing an order toe the payment of 101 103., with intent
to defraud Messrs. Stone, Martin, and Co., the bankers.

Mr. Bodkin aid Mr. L)oanc ctn:ducted tli^ prosecution.

It appeared from the evidence therthe prisoner had for-
merly been in the service of Captain Charitie, of the East
India Company's sarvice, hut lied h.ft his employ some
time prior to the 18th of December. On that day the pri-
s-erer went to one of the Captain's tradesmen and wi:hed
to pay for a hat he bad purchased, and tendered a check,
apparently signed by Captain Charitie, for ten guineas.
The tradesman to whom he applied happened not to have
sufficient change, and tile prisoner left the shop. The
next day the prisoner went to the prosecutors', where
the Captain kept an account, and told tl.e cashier
that he had been sent with a check that had been pre-
sented at his master's by a servant of Captain Charitie's,
and that he wished to know whether it was a genuine one,
and was sent for that purpose. Some suspicion was
created, and the prisoner was given into custody, and when
the officer was taking him to the Compter, he to:e up a
piece of paper, which turned out to be a fac simile of the
forged check.
T. c prisoner's former master gave him a good character
during the period he was in his service.
Verdict—Guilty. Sentence—Ten years' transportation.
John Castles, aged 21, was indicted for stealing a 101.
Bank of England note from a letter, that had come into
his possession as servant to a post-master.
The prisoner pleaded guilty to the charge.
Judgment deferred.
Thomas Rosser, 33, and David Smith, 29, were in-
dicted for assaulting and robbing William Dowst upon
the Queen's highway, and taking from his person a watch,
and 30s, in money, his property.
Mr. Clarkson conducted the prosecution.
This case occupied the Court for tome considerable
time; but, as the facts have been given very recently, it
will be unnecessary to report them upon the present oc-
casion. They were found guilty, and sentenced to be
transported for life.
(Before Mr. Sergeant ARABIN.)
James Dutton, aged 35, was placed at the bar, and in-
dicted fcr feloniously sending a certain letter to George
Lane Blount, Esq., charging him with having committed
a certain offence, with intent thereby to extort money
from him.
The prisoner pleaded Guilty to the charge.
Mr. Sergeant ARABIN having looked over the deposi-
tions, addressed the prisoner, and told him that he had
pleaded guilty to a charge of the most serious character, and
it was an offence which at one time would have subjected
him to capital punishment, and that punishment would, in
all probability, have been carried into effect. The sentence
of the Court, under all the circumstances was, that he be
transported beyond the seas for the term of seven years.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Three young men, of respectable appearance, named
Gibson, Blown, and Tizzawd. were summoned before
Ald.-rman Pirie by the London and Biackwall Railway
Company, upon the 31 and 4th of Victoria, commonly
called Lord Se:,mour's Act, cap. 97, section 16, by which
it is enacted. " That if any person wilfully obstruct or im-
pede any officer or agent of a Railway Company in the
execution of his duty, or if any person shall trespass on any
railway, and refuse, upon being required, to quit it, he
may be detained until he shall be brought before a Justice,
and fined any sum not exceeding 51., or in default of pay-
ment of the penalty, be imprisoned for any period not ex-
ceeding two calendar months." The prisoners were also
charged with having assaulted one of the officers on duty.
The Solicitor to the London and Blackwell Railway
Company attended to prosecute, and Mr. Hill appeared as
solicitor to the prisoners.
The Solicitor to the Company having mentioned that
the public safety was deeply concerned in the preven-
tion of all obstructions, briefly stated the facts as they
were detailed subsequently in evidence. He declared
that, as impediments bad frequently occurred, the Com-
pany was determined to prosecute every violation of so
salutary an enactment.
Rutherford, a porter of the Railway Company, stated
that, on the evening of the 24th of December, it was his

duty to let passengers in and out of the first and second
classes of carriages. Upon the arrival of the train at the
iNlmories he let out Tizzard, who was in the second-class
es riage, first ; he then let out Brown and G:lon,
were in the first-class carriage, and pointed out to theksi
all the way from the station. Tizzard said that he wanted
to see the ground, and took no notice of his request that
they would go on. Gibson then said to witness, "If you
insult my friend, I'll smash your face," and held up his
fiats accordingly. The guard then came up, and said th it
Gibson must not strike witness; upon which Gibson said,
" I will strike you too." It was necessary, as the train
sets off every quarter of an hour, to have the static),
cleared for the passengers who were to go down, and the
defendants would not go until they were forced away.
They made great resistance, so that it took ten or a dozen
men to put them down. Gibson was most pirticulArly
offensive, and struck the poticeman employed on the sta-
tion. The three defendants were drank.

....... _
The witness gave his evidence in such a manner as led
all who heard it to believe that his tone and manner in a
place where he might venture to assume authority- nitbt
have been intolerable. .

The Ticket Collector to the Company stated that he
observed the three defendants qua!relling with the first wit-
ness and the policemen, and obstructing the ingr,ss and
egress of the passengers. The policeman was endeavour-
ing to prevail upon the defendants to go away, and was
struck by Gibson, v.ho was the most violent of all. Wit-
nes, when he saw the policemi,n struck, said that the de-
fendant must be taken to the stationHiouse.

Alderman Ptatt?—lu what condition were they, intoxi-
cated or sober? Witnesa—They were all drunk.
Dempsey, a policeman acting for the Company stated
that he was called to turn the defendants off the platform.
Ile requested them to go, and Brown said, " they w(,uld
see him d—d first." The check-taker told witness to do
his duty, and turn them off the platform, or the passt,n-
gers who were about to go to Blackwall could not be
known. Witnes.-, then proceeded to move them off, and
when they got into the prd, Gibson, who was exec, d-
ingly violent, struck him. They threw themselves on the
und, and resisted most viol+ idly, and Gibson's coat
was torn in the struggle. The foienian called out to wit-
ness to take the men to the station house, and he did so
with the assistance of seven or eight others.

Mr. Hill said that one of his clients wanted to go back
to the carriage in which he arrived for his halidkerchici
and gloves, and if he had been in corntr.on co:lrt.,:sy per.
ruined, ri:)t one word would have been uttered ; bw, the
request was not only refuseJ, but refused in terms of in-
sufferable insolence. The fact was that Mr. G,bson,
when very reasonably expressing his indignation, was most
roughly handled and dragged to the station-house, and his
two friends, after subsequently calling at that place for
the purpose of administering to his wants, were detained in
order that they might app:ar as defendants instead of wit-
nesses.

The statement of the defendants was to the following
effect : —Upon leaving the carriages, Mr. Brown hating
dropped his glove, stooped down to look fur it, whereupon
the porter said, D—n you, Sir, walk one way or the
other." Nut relishing such an address, Mr. Brown said
that he should take the number of the person who used such
language, and complain to the Company. At that mo-
ment another of the persons upon the railroad said, " Oh,
d—n them, they are only Custom-house officers ;" and
the persons who had given evidence immediately proeeedel
to act with great violence, and dragged Mt. Gibson to the
station-house, where they put handcuffs upon him, and the
two other defendants having called to bail him, were de-
tained. They complained that the police sergeant at the
station-house not only exercised the most tyrannical au-
thority there, but refused to let them have a messenger to
inform their families of their situation. As for the charge
of having been drunk, they denied that they had drank
any thing bat porter or ale, which they took in modest
quantities. Two of them were Custom-house officers,
and had be-en doing duty on board tha Rockers, near
Graveseiel.

Alderman PlatE—The witnesses have sworn that you
were all drunk, and I have no reason to doubt that you
eiiused an obstruction, Now the danger arising to the
public from confusion and impediments in such a place is
extreme. I can easily perceive that the porter acted upon
this occasion wirh a spirit which shows that he is not a fit
person for the situation which he holds. Civility is a very
cheap commodity, and it is evident Oh he has it not. I
fine Mr. Gibe in, who acted most violently, twenty shillings,
and each of the other dJendants ten shillings.
Tile defend ints immediately paid the fines and departed
TIIE SHIP DRYAD.---It is but justice to Mr. James
Stott, who was apprehended on swieion of having been
impleated in the frauds upon the Insurance Companies.
teguther with Patrick Maxwell Stewai t Wallace, and
Michael Shaw Stewart Wallace, is now considered, after a
searching investigation, which has taken place, to have been
wholly ignorant of the designs attributed to these No pri-
soners with respect to the ship Dryad. Mr. Stott is vi be
examined as a witness on the trial. The suspicions against
him were caused by the anxiety which he exhibited to do
business as broker on the occasion.