The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-17 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MA NSI ON-HO USE.
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD.
George Marriott, alias Charles Metcalf, alias Mr.
Mellish, of the firm of Neill and Mellish, of Austin-
friars, was brought up for re-examination upon charges
of having conspired with other persons to defraud trades-
men in the city of London of goods of considerable value.
The court was crowded, and the new distinct cases
were entered into. Mr. Humphreys attended for the
prosecution..
The following is the additional :evidence in the first
case which was brought against the prisoner on the 6th
of June, by Messrs, Neville and Jourdain, hosiers and
warehousemen, of No. 11, Gresham-street, West.
William Mart, warehouseman to the prosecutors, said,
about the 6th or 7th of May, the prisoner called at our
warehouse and gave me a card, G. Marriott and Son,
ironmongers, 16, Great Trinity-lane, London. He said,
he had been recommended to us as a respectable house,
and having a son in Australia, to whom he was in the
habit of sending ironmongery goods at different periods,
and the last letter received here, expressed the wish of
his son for a small assortment of drapery and hosiery
goods, he called with the view of purchasing a parcel of
that description of goods to the amout of 1001. or a little
more. He said the goods must be ready by the Tuesday
following or they would be too late to go by the vessel,
and he then gave a reference to Messrs. Neill and
Mellish, No. 3, Austin-friars, merchants, who, he said,
hail known him some time, and would testify as to his
respectability, and he would call on the following
Monday to ascertain whether we were satisfied with
the reference. He did so. We had sent a clerk to
Neill and Mellish, and I told the prisoner that, as
far as the reference was concerned, it was satisfac
tory, but we did not know anything of Neil and Mellish.
but would make inquiries about them. He then inquired
the usual terms upon which we did business. I told him
two-and.a-half discount for prompt cash, or an accept •
ante at three months. He said he thought he should
avail himself of the acceptance, but he was not quite
sure. I asked him how the goods were to be disposed
of, and at what docks they were to be delivered? He
said, that having to send other goods by his own
cart, he would not trouble us to deliver them; his car-
man should call on Tuesday with an order trom him for
their delivery. We therefore packed up goods—namely,
35 dozen socks, 86 dozen stockings, and a variety of
other articles, to the gross value of 1331. 14s. 10d., but
•••- for the
payment.
Mary Anu Watts, housekeeper of the house No. 3,
Austin-friars, said, I have been housekeeper there for
nearly fifteen years. It belongs to Mr. Fisher. I know
the prisoner as Mr. Mellish, in which name he took the
office on Monday before Lady-day, in company with
Mr. Neill. I showed the offices to them, and they went
to Mr. Fisher to agree about the rent. A brass plate
was put upon the door, as follows:—" Neill and Mel-
lish. Second floor." They took possession on the
Monday following. Their clerk called the prisoner Mr.
Mellish in my presence. I saw the prisoner there occa-
sionally for about three weeks. After that he only came
occasionally. Mr. Neill told me he was in the shipping
line. The counting-house was ready furnished, and
there were two rooms, and each room led on to the
staircase, so that any one could go into one room and
pass into the other, and then go down stairs again.
They had no goods of their own, but they brought some
pens and ink, and after a few days they brought four
maps to hang up. The old clerk left on the 29th of
May last.
Cross-examined—The prisoner told me himself his
name was Mr. Mellish, and I saw him write it on paper
for the plate, and I have heard him called Mr. Mellish
repeatedly, and never saw any one of that name there
but the prisoner.
Mary Shelton, said, I am housekeeper, at No. 16,
Great Trinity-lane, which belongs to Mr. James. Li
May last, the prisoner occupied the warehouses there.
The card produced, " Marriott and Son, Ironmongers,"
is one of his ; I never saw ironmongery there. A
truck-load of paper and some empty cases were all I
saw there. I answered messages for about the first
week, and the porter answered afterwards. The pre-
mises were abandoned. The prisoner went away first,
and then the man.
A carman, who was employed by one of the prisoner's
companions to call at Messrs. Neville and Co. for the
hosiery, stated, that by direction of the man, he con-
veyed the goods to No. 2, Oxford-court, Cannon-street,
where he left them in the belief that he had been em-
ployed by Messrs. Neville, who said that he should be
employed again by them.
W. K. Milwood, clerk to Messrs. Neville, and Co.,
stated that he inquired at No. 3, Austin-friars, of Mr.
Neill, of the firm of Mellish and Neill, into the re-
spectability of Mr. Marriott, of Great Trinity-lane, and
received from him a most unexceptionable character.
Mr. G. Bryson, accountant, of Basing-lane, stated that
he was engaged as agent for Mr. James, the owner of
No. 16, Great Trinity-lane, and that he let the ware-
house to him about the week after the quarter day. He
saw the prisoner write on two or three occasions, and to
the best of his belief, the papers produced (the order for
delivery, and a letter addressed to Neville and Co.,
dated June 10, 1846), were in the prisoner's hand writ-
ing, as were other papers produced.
The second owe brought against the prisoner was as
follows :
Mr. Benjamin Wilson, hat manufacturer, Walbrook,
said the prisoner came on the 23d or 24th of April to
our warehouse for the first time, and presented a card
with the name Marriott and Son upon it. He said he
wanted a parcel of goods to the amount of about 1001.
for his son in Australia, and his terms were what we call
cash, but not money down ; and we agreed to let him
have some, and asked him for a reference, and he gave
us a reference to Neill and Mellish, Austin-friars, and
he was to call again in a few days. After we received
a report from our clerk as to the reference, we agreed to
execute the order.
The clerk to the last witness stated that upon calling
at Austin-friars he saw Mr. Neill, who gave the prisoner
an excellent character.
Sergeant Dubois (No. 14 N) of the metropolitan
police, who took the prisoner into custody at Stockton,
proved that the prisoner was living there in the Lame
of Metcalf, and that upon being asked whether he had
any children, he said " none alive."
The third case against the prisoner was brought by
Mr. Craggs, wholesale fancy stationer, of Budge-row.
Mr. C. A. Craggs, in the employment of the pro-
secutor, said, on the 29th of April the prisoner came to
us, and asked me if we could execute a shipping order
for him to go to Australia to a son he had there. He
presented a card with Marriott and Son upon it. We
told him we could, and we told him our terms were
cash, or three months with a very respectable reference.
He referred me to Neill and Mellish, No. 3, Austin-
friars.—(Laughter.) He said I was to call any hour
between ten and four o'clock, they being merchants,
and that they were executing an order for him at the
same time. I told them I would call the next day upon
them, and I went there and saw a gentleman who
represented himself as Mr. Smith, who said that Mr.
Marriott was most respectable, and punctual in his pay-
ments, but I did not consider the reference satisfactory,
and we delayed the order for a few days, but I sent an
invoice of the goods I thought would suit the market to
the prisoner at Great Trinity-lane ; and after that the
prisoner called, and said the goods and the prices would
suit him. He said he wanted some paper to pack with
ironmongery, which he was going to ship to his son ;
and I asked him if he would accept a bill ? He agreed;
and also said that Neill and Mellish would cash it imme-
diately upon allowing them 5 per cent. discount.—
(Laughter.) Upon these representations I let him have
part of the paper, to the amount of 181. 4s. 6d., and he
gave me an acceptance at three months for the whole
amount, 551. ss. 6d. I sent one of my lads :,to 16, Great
Trinity-lane, with the goods in a truck. It consisted of
paper, but we did not complete the order.
Mr. Craggs, the principal of the house, also gave evi-
dence. He had his suspicions of the integrity of the
prisoner, and of his reference from the beginning, and
determined not to give credit to him for a farthing's
worth. The prisoner, however, contrived to induce the
brother of the prisoner to entertain a better opinion of
him, and to let him have part of the order. Neill had
told witness that he would immediately discount Mar-
riott's acceptance, but upon being subsequently applied
to apologised upon the ground of having a large pay-
ment to make. The witness finding that there was no
chance of retribution, went to the landlord of the house
in Trinity-lane, and mentioned the facts ; and the pri-
soner afterwards said, if witness had not been a fool, but
kept himself quiet, he should have had the money. It
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evidence of the
next witness.
Nicholas Mullins, 306 R, Metropolitan Police, stated
that he knew the prisoner by the name of Charles Peck,
alias Metcalf, as a transport on board the hulks at Dept-
ford. He then produced a certificate of " the particu-
lars of Charles Peck, late of the Thames hulk, Dept-
ford, dated 15th November, 1843, convicted of obtain-
ing goods by false pretences, at Newington, on the 7th
of December, 1840, sentenced to transportation for seven
years, and discharged by pardon, 21st October, 1844."
The prisoner, who had asserted upon being appre-
hended that everything would be found to be right, and
that all his transactions were bona fide, said not a word
during the examination, except that he wished to bo
remanded.
The depositions in the above-mentioned cases were all
taken, and the witnesses were bound over to prosecute ;
but, as many other charges are expected against him, he
was remanded till next Thursday.
A partner in the house of Calvert and Co. stated that
an attempt had been made by the prisoner to com-
mit a little plunder on that concern, but it proved un-
successful.
The following two letters were produced by the gen-
tleman who appeared for that firm :
" Messrs. Calvert and Co.
" Stockton-on-Tees, 75, High-street, June 16, 1846.
" Gentlemen,—I shall feel obliged by forwarding to
me, at your earliest convenience, the price of ale, porter,
and stout, for shipping and
C home use.—Yours, &c.,
" HARLES METCALF."
" Messrs. Calvert and Co."
" Stockton-on-Tees, 75, High-street, June 18,1846.
" Gentlemen,—The following order I shall feel much
obliged by your forwarding per the first vessel:-
5 barrels porter, at 335. 5 barrels ale, at 405.
10 do. stout, at 435. 10 X at 48s.
10 do. do. at 535. 10 XX at 58s.
I am likely to do a good deal of business in the shipping
trade, in connexion with my brothers, who are ship-
owners at North and South Shields. I refer you to the
house of Messrs. Neill and Mellish, merchants, 3,
Austin-friars, Old Broad-street, with whom I have done
much business, and they can speak as to my family con-
nexions, which, I make no doubt, will meet with your
entire satisfaction.—l am, gentlemen, yours, respectfully,
"CHAS. METCALF."
The prisoner,
whose coolness all through the investi-