The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-08 00:00:00

THE SU,

__-
posing creditor, and would merit severe punishment; it
would, in fact, be nothing more or less than wilfully,
feloniously, and fraudulently obtaining goods by false
representations. But there was no such evidence. He
admitted that the interval between the obtaining of the
goods and their being pawned was a short one, and that
the transaction gave rise to very considerable suspicion;
but then against this there was the positive evidence of
the bankrupt that 11^ did not intend fraud, and that cir-
cumstances occurred, after obtaining the goods, which in-
duced him to t.J.ke another course, and this was confirmed
by the whole conduct of the bankrupt as a trader, and
by the manner in which he treated all the remain-
ing creditors, not one of whom was there to com-
plain. Nothing could be more improper, and few acts
deserved more reprehension, than the course he took—a
course which, all things considered, surprised him (the
Commissioner) exceedingly. He was also surprised at
the course taken by a large house in requesting of the
bankrupt to ;pay them the amount of a bill not yet due,
on the ground that rumours were afloat affecting his
credit, and that they would not be convinced of his sol-
vency unless he paid this immature bill. He must say
that that was a most irregular transaction, and one
which, so far from removing those doubts of the bank •
rupt's solvency, ought rather to have confirmed them,
for it was plain, if Coldrey was in independent circum•
stances he would not have complied with sueh a request.
It was in order to supply this irregular demand that he
went to the house of Messrs. Frith and Wallis, from
whom it appeared he was in the habit of obtaining
advances upon the deposit of goods to the
amount of two-thirds of their value, and procured a
further advance. The bankrupt swore that at that
time he had made shipments to the amount of 26,000/.,
for which he had received advances to the amount of
16,0001. Now, according to the understanding which
appeared to have existed betwween Messrs. Frith and
Wallis and the bankrupt, the latter was entitled to con-
sideiably more than 16,0001., and was not, therefore, in
need of raising money on Mr. M'Gregor'a goods; but he
excused himself from doing so by stating that he was in
ignorance of the precise position in which he stood to-
wards Messrs. Frith and Wallis. But, whatever the
bankrupt's ideas on this subject were, and however
honest his intentions respecting Mr. M'Gregor, one
thing was quite clear, namely, that when he found the
false position in which he was placed regarding Mr.
M'Gregor, he should have taken the earliest opportunity
of placing whatever money came into his hands in Mr.
M'Gregor's hands, towards the liquidation of the debt.
It was true that Mr. 11‘Gregor had sold the goods upon
credit, but then he sold them on the understanding that
they were to be shipped, a condition which
had not been complied with. It was his (the Com-
missioner's) opinion, therefore, that although the bank-
rupt did not contemplate fraud, having lost dominion
over the goods by his own neglect, it was his duty to
have done all in his power to indemnify Mr. M'Gregor.
That he had not done, and for not doing so Mr. .'Gre-
gor had most properly opposed him; and it would be his
(the Commissioner's) duty to punish him for the orris•
sion. He could not go the extent of saying that this
man had been guilty of such gross fraud that he must
refuse his certificate altogether, or even suspend it for
any very lengthened period ; but, taking all the circum-
stances into consideration, and seeing that the bankrupt
with this exception stood well with the creditors and
with the Court, he would suspend the certificate for six
months from this day• _ _

The solicitor for the bankrupt applied for protection.
The CO3IMISSIONER—Yes, I will grant it, as I do not
believe there was any fraud committed.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
Samuel Uriah Stoter, an officer in the Post-office, was
brought before the Lord Mayor, in the custody of John
Forrester, the officer, charged with having committed
forgeries under extraordinary circumstances.
Mr. Mullens, of the firm of Bush and Muliens, solici-
tors to the Committee of Bankers for Protection against
Forgeries and Frauds, attended for the prosecution; and
Mr. Peacock, solicitor to the Pose-effice, appeared for the
purpose of watching the case on the part of that esta-
blishment. The charges against the' prisoner involved
complicated offences.
Upon the 22d of July, 1847, Mr. James, a solicitor of
Ely-place, transmitted a letter to Scotland to a Mrs.
Hedlow, inciosing a cheque upon Masterman's banking
house for 551. That letter never reached its destination,
but on the 23d of July a forged cheque for 551., purport-
ing to be signed G. James, in favour of Mrs. Hedlow,
was received by Messrs. Masterman, in a letter signed
Ellen Hedlow, and dated from Kensington, requesting
that the amount might be forwarded in a 401. note and
three Si. notes. On the same 23d of July, Messrs.
Masterman sent the halves of a 401. note and three Si.
notes in a cover, addressed to Mrs. Hedlow, Spring
Cottage, Kensington. On the 26th of July, Messrs.
Masterman received a- letter, purporting to come
from Mrs. Hedlow, acknowledging the receipt of
the halves of the notes, and on the 27th they
transmitted to the same address the other halves
It turned out that there is no such person or address'
at Kensington, but as it has been usual with the Post-
office authorities to put letters wrongly addressed to
Kensington, upon the return of such letters to the estab-
lishment in Aldersgate-street, into the hands of the
Kennington postman, to be by him taken round his dis-
trict, with the view to correct any errors of superscrip-
tion, the letter in question was accordingly given to the
prisoner, who was one of those who superintended the
delivery at Kennington. From the moment it was
suspected that foul play was going forward competent
persons were appointed by the Poit-office to effect the
detection of the guilty person, who had not only stolen
a cheque, but forged the name of the person in whose
favour it was drawn. Upon the 29th of July it was dis-
covered by an accidental circumstance that the forgery
and robbery had been committed ; but as the prisoner
was a person in whom great confidence was reposed, no
suspicion was entertained of him until the measures of
detection proved completely successful.
Mr. Mullens said he had reason to beliere that he
could, in a few days, establish four distinct cases against
the prisoner, who had availed himself of the facilities
afforded to him by his situation to pursue an ingenious
system, which, however, hadonly in one instance proved
to be advantageous to himself in a pecuniary way, and
that to a very small amount. For the present he should
merely call evidence upon which to apply for a remand.
John Walker, a boy between 14 and 15 years of age,
said, I reside at 11, Wood-street, Westminster, and am
the son of a carpenter and builder. On the day of the
Westminster election (the 28th of July) I saw the pri-
soner at the bar at the corner of North-street, West-
minster. I did not know him. He asked me if I would
go to the Bank and take a letter from him, to get him
some money. I said I would go, and 'he promised to
give me two shillings. I was to return to him from the
Bank to the committee-room at the Coach and Horses in
North street. In a few minutes I was to meet him in
Smith-square, to get the letter to the Bank from him,
and Inccordingly met him and received the letter, and
took it straight to the Bank. They detained me at the
Bank, and a gentleman asked me from whom I had re-
ceived the letter, and told me to mention to the gentle-
man who gave it to me, that he must come for the money
himself. I came away and I met the prisoner, whom I
was to see in North-street, in St. Paul's-churchyard,
and mentioned to him what had been told me at the
Bank. He then gave me two shillings for myself and
desired me to go home. I never again saw him until
this day.
Mr. Mullens—Are you positive the prisoner is the
man? Witness—Certainly I am.. I saw him to-day in
the office of the solicitor to the Post-office, amongst five
other persons, and I knew him at once, and picked him
out from all the rest.
The LORD MAYOR—Prisoner, do you wish to ask this
boy any questions? The prisoner—Not now, my Lord.
I am altogether ignorant of the charge against me, and
of this boy. I know nothing of either.
Mr. W. Higman, of the issue department of the Bank
of England, said, on the 28th of July a 50/, note and
requestingrdgeorldthfoart
Ithmemig,hbtymtahkeediiroeqcotiiroineacaf
hoaort. leamr:
three 5/. notes were brought to me, together with I letter
th
We at once believed, from the circumstance of the boy
having been sent by a stranger upon such an occasion,
that the bank-notes were the produce of a forged cheque,
and we traced them to lkiasterusan's banking-house, when
it was found that the name of the person in whose favour
the cheque was drawn was a forgery. The boy made
exactly the same statement at the Bank he has just made
before the Lord Mayor. Nobody ever called for the
notes or the sovereigns since.
The LORD MAYOR--Had the notes been stopped at the
Bank ? IVitness—No. We questioned the boy as to
the person who had sent him for the money, and we
concluded at once that alorged cheque had been passed,
and they ascertained -at Masterman a subsequently that
such was the case.
The prisoner asked whether he could not be allovied
to communicate with his friends?
The LORD Mairon—Certainly, you shall have every
facility.
The prisoner was then remanded for some days.
The prisoner, it appeared, although apprehensive of
the consequences of applying at the Bank for the 55
sovereigns, was not deterred from making other expe-
riments in forging and robbing. On Saturday a bill
for 24/. 18s.,:upon which was a forged endorsement, was
sent to Messrs. Hanbury's banking-house, in a letter
enclosing two shillings' worth of postage stamps, and
requesting that bank-notes to the amount of 251. might
be sent, directed to Mr. Edward Gibbs,. No. 5,
Bath street, Prince's-square, London, The bill had
been stopped at Hanbury's, and it was suspected
that the prisoner was the delinquent, for the only
Princes-square is in Kennington, and the prisoner no
doubt knew that a letter so addressed would fall into his
hands as the deliverer of the Kennington district. A
letter was at once transmitted from Messrs. Hanbury,
informing Mr. Gibbs that he could not have the money
until Monday morning. No account of that letter was
received at the Post-office, although there is no such
street as Bath-street, Princes-square. A second letter
was sent, addressed in a similar manner, and both were
found upon the prisoner.
BOW-STREET.
Mr. Jardine was applied to by the churchwardens of
St. Clement Danes to prevent the public exhibition of
the dead, under circumstances peculiarly revolting, in
Enon Chapel, in Clement's-lane, Strand.
It was stated by the complainants, that Mr. Walker,
the surgeon of Drtery-lane, having got possession of
Enon Chapel, had for a long time past exhibited the
heaps of dead bodies, bones, coffins, &e., accumulated
in the vaults of the chapel to crowds of persons who
were daily applying to his residence for tickets of
admission. To such an extent had the morbid taste of
the public been excited by this means, that scenes of
disorder and confusion were daily occurring, owing to
the impatience of the mob collected on the spot. They
h
(the churchwardens) had themselves applied for ad-
mission, but were refused by the man at the gates, who
the excitement of the persons QS.
serebled
vvt ae view of increasing lked about with skulls in his hand, apparently with
outside.

-~.,.

k)

J

i