The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-13 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

A foreigner named Henry Moritz Goldachmick
who refused to give his address at the station-house,
was placed at the bar before Alderman Challis on the
charge of attempting to utter a forged cheque for the
sum of 211. 10s.

Mr. Edward Grafton, of No. 81, Fleet-street,
watchmaker, stated, that about a quarter past eight
o'clock the previous evening the prisoner entered his
shop and wished to inspect some gold watches,
varying in price from 61. to 91. He was shown
several trays' full and at last selected one at the latter
price, at the same time requesting to see some chains.
These were also handed to him for inspection, when
he picked out one the price of which was five guineas,
and then asked witness, would he take a cheque and
give him the balance, as he had no small change
about him ? Suspecting the cheque to be a forgery,
he took it from the prisoner, remarking that he had
not sufficient money in the house, but would go out
and get it changed. He at once proceeded to the
station-house, and an officer in plain clothes was sent
back with him, and he was, after a short conversation,
taken into custody.
Richard Cooke, 246 of the City police force, said
that he followed the last witness into the shop, and,
not to arouse suspicion, asked to be allowed to look
at some seals. He then heard Mr. Grafton ask the
prisoner where or from whom he obtained the cheque,
and he replied, that Mr. Straker, of Bishopsgate-
street, gave it to him. The prosecutor then said that
as he suspected that all was not right, he should like
to know if the prisoner saw it signed by that party,
and he replied that he not only saw it signed, but
written by Mr. Straker. He (the officer) asked to
look at the cheque, and on remarking that it was evi-
dently a forgery, the prisoner attempted to regain
possession of it, saying, "If you do not like the
cheque I will get the money in the morning." On
the way to the station-house he also attempted to
escape by stooping down and trying to slip under his
arm.
Mr. Samuel Straker, of Bishopsgate-street, litho-
grapher, said that he workedl for the Joint Stock
Bank, and the prisoner called a few days ago, and
represented that his name was Henry Smith, that he
was about to go to Hamburgh, and thence proceed to
New York, at the same time requesting some cards
and lists of prices, so as to act in the capacity of an
agent. He gave him the lists, at the same time inti-
mating that his commission would be paid on his
return, but no discount should be allowed. The
prisoner left, and the signature was not in his hand-
writing. Neither could he account for the prisoner
obtaining possession of the cheque-head otherwise
than its being one of their waste papers, and he must
have picked it up. It only bore the name of the
bank, and the writing was above that.
Cooke said he had since ascertained thar:the pri-
soner lived in the IStra.nd, and was connected with
the first families in Hamburgh. However, his friends
in England had entirely thrown him off, ix conse-
quence of the falsehoods he had told and the imposi-
tions he had practised upon them for the purpose of
obtaining money.
Alderman CHALLIS asked the prisoner what he had
to say for himself ? —He replied that he found the
cheque near Temple-bar, and that having lost some
bank notes on a previous day, he was prevented from
going to Hainburgh, and thought there was no harm
in trying to change it to enable him to proceed on
his journey.
The officer said he also found on the prisoner two
forged hills of exchange, but they were of no use.
Prisoner—They are of no use. I only wanted to
exercise myself a little.—(Laughter.)
Alderman C Lizt.L.Ll3 remanded him for a week.