The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-05 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EV;-:NI,NG, APRIL 5, 1833

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.
Yesterday the Justice-room was again crowded
withcommercial men, many of whom, although
they- made no formal complaint against Byers, de-
clared that they had been plundered by him. It
appeared from_th.egeneral testimony against the 'pri-
soner, that he owed his success to the off-hand and
dashing style of business which he uniformly
adopted, the simple nature of his plan, and the un-
affected 'address with which he threw down his
checks upon Loyd and Co. The writing in the
checks, too,: was most excellent, and no effort at
imitation was perceptible in any one of the fabrics.
tions. 'He was very well dressed, appeared to be
quite unconcerned, and sometimes hid his faCe in
his hands to hide his laughter as his victims detailed
the history of his contrivances. A number of no-
torious swindlers were recognised in the avenues to
the justice-room bythe deputy of Mr. Barrett, the
Governor of Whiteeross-street Prison. It was
stated that some of the ablest swindlers about town
have betrayed great jealoiksy of the wonderful lack
of ,the prisoner in doing sojynuch without any cop.
Opted machiner z
Mr.-Leader, •coßchmaker',ilf -V4ells-street, irxittd:

street, deposed that the prisoner called upon him on
the 20th of June, and looked at a cabriolet which was
for sale. Prisoner said that he lived at the Salopian
Coffee-house, that he liked the cabriolet, and wanted
it for a friend, whose cab had been bruised to
pieces in Paris, when, in the revolution, it was
thought necessary to block up the lanes and pas-
sages with every thing that could be used as an
impediment. Witness knowing that vehicles had
been destroyed by such means credited the state-
ment, and asked the prisoner 70/, or guineas for the
cabriolet. They differed about shillings at that in-
terview, and the prisoner observed that he had seen
two others, which seemed to him to be a better
bargain, and one of them was to be sold for 101.
less. They parted under these circumstances. The
prisoner, however, had taken so great a fancy to the
cabriolet that he was determined to have it.—(A
laugh.) He accordingly called on a subsequent
day, and after the interchange of a few words, said,
" Well, I suppose I must have it. But I'll tell you
what you must do—you must warrant it.—
(Laughter.) It is to go on board ship as soon as
possible." I had no objection, continued Mr.
Leader, to warrant the vehicle, as I knew well its
stability, but I had great difficulty in persuading him
to go to the expense of a linen cover for it.—(Con-
tinned laughter.) He called next day and asked
me whether I had made out the warranty. I told
him I had, and he then asked me whether I could
give him change for a 1001. note. I said I could
not, and he then appointed that I should call next
day at the Salopian, which I did, but he was out,
and was no doubt watching me. The name he
went by was Clinton. He afterwards called on me,
and he put a check upon Jones, Lloyd, and Co.,
into my band, for 100/., and I gave him the difference.
The LORD MAYOR—Is not that a very incautious
and unusual way of doing business ? Witness—lt
certainly is, my Lord ; but he came in such a man-
ner, exhibited the shipping order, and had every
thing arranged in such a way, that I thought it im-
possible that any thing could be wrong.
The LORD MAYOR—WeII, I suppose he called to
take away his cab ?—(A laugh.) Witness—No;
it was not the cab he wanted, it was only the
change. It was incautious on my part ; but then
he took me off my guard by disputing the price so
hard.—(Laughter, in which the prisoner joined.)
The LORD MAYOR— I have postponed this case
in order to give the public an opportunity to come
forward against this wholesale robber. The change
in the punishment for the offence which he has com-
mitted- in so many instances, has given a laughable
interest to cases which would but a short time ago
have been heard with horror.

The waiter at the inn called the Bull Inn, kept
by a Mrs. Ginger, stated that about nine or ten
months ago the prisoner came to the house in a
morning coach, and dined and took wine, after which
he tendered a check upon Jones, Lloyd, and Co.,
for 101. Witness took the check to his mistress, who
gave the change for it.
Sir C. MARSHALL (the Alderman) understood the
house of Bevington anti Co., the leather-sellers, in
his ward, were defrauded by the prisoner of the sum
of 25/. The prisoner had, it appeared, given to
Messrs. Bevington a check, purporting to be the
ord,r of " Sir C. Marshall" on Jones, Lloyd, and
Co., for .50/., which check the house, in conse-
quence of knowing witness as the Alderman, cashed.
The other 251. was to be sent to the prisoner in
leather.—(Laughter.)
The LORD MAYOR asked Mr. Bush, the solicitor
to the Committee of Bankers, how many cases the
Committee intended to prosecute.
Mr. Bush thought it necessary to state that the
Committee of Bankers intended to prosecute in two
cases ; that there were forty or fifty cases in which
wealthy persons had been plundered; and that it
was incumbent upon such persons to indict in these
instances.

His Lordship then asked the prisoner whether he
had anything to say why he should not be com-
mitted ?

The prisoner replied in the negative, and was
committed to Newgate for trial, the LORD MAYOR
at the same time expressing a hope that numerous
cases would be brought forward on the day of trial.

I female Sellers, he found that she had a husband still
living, who was transported for life, he having been
tried at Horsemonger-lane, and cast for death ; but
his sentence afterwards commuted. Since his mar-
riage with the first female, her husband had written
to his friends in this country, and consequently he
could bring forward proof that the first husband was
still alive, and very comfortably settled in Van Die-
men's Land as a clergynian's servant. His first
.wife had also been married to him in a wrong name,
in her husband's name, who was transporter], and
-consequently her name was SelwoOd, and not
Sellers. Since he had parted from her, she had
gat married again to a man named Humphries.--
Committed for trial.