The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-22 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.—(This Day).

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Baron Martin.)
Lewis Boh,n, 25, Augustus Freitz, 32, and Charles
Thompson, 32, were indicted for feloniously antl know-
ingly having in their possession a plate and other in

struments For making 51. Bank of England notes without

authority.

Mr. Huddleston and Mr. Bailey prosecuted. The
prisoners were undefended.

John Spital, one of the City detectives, deposed that,
about 2 o'clock in the day on the 12th of August, he
and three other officers went to 42, Upper Bernard

street, Commercial•road East. He and one of the of
cers, seeing the window of the house partly open, threw
back the blinds and got in, whilst the two other officert.

entered by the door. He saw in the room the three

prisoners at the bar. Thompson was turning the bandit
of a small neat iron press, which witness produced.
Freitz was standing at the side of Thompson ; and

Bohn was lying on the bed. They had all their coats off

He seized Thompson and the press at the same time. H,
found only a bit of foreign newspaper in the press, but

on searching the rooms, in the cupboard 11(
found a copper plate with an impression resembling a

Bank of England note, and 14 pieces of paper wits
water marks of waves, and the words " Bank of Eng
land " and " five " similar to those on Bank of England

notes. He also found three cakes of gelatins, a knife, a
stamp with printer's ink on it, and four pads with a faint
impression on them, such as might be produced by the

copper plate referred to. He also found another plate,
with a faint engraving on it. In a portmanteau in tht

room he found twelve pieces of paper similar to thosk
above, and four pads. In a back room he found severs,
pieces of paper like the others spread on lines drying
and there were paper ashes in the grate, which on exa
mining he found corresponded with those hanging on the
lines. flu found several other articles, and amongst
them a magnifying glass.
The prisoners are all Germans, and witness, through

an interpreter, was cross-examined by them. He saie,
be had never seen Thompson before ; he found nothing
on him, and be was unable to say if the articles seiz,.l
belonged to any of the prisoners.
Joseph Huggings, a City detective, who accompanied

:he last witness to the prisoner's house, deposed that he

apprehended Freitz, and on searching him he found a
small purse, in which were five metal figures ; foul
figures were on oue piece of metal, and one on another.

Tne metal was similar to that found by last witnes3

One piece had the figures "8,875" on it, and the other
"2," which admitted of their being used in different

forms. In a cupboard he found a box containing a

board for making watermarks in paper, similar to Bank

of England 51. notas. The plate is dated 12th May,
1856. By the side of the press he found a small square
stone, with wet ink on it. On oharging Freitz, with
the other two prisoners standing by his sido, he replied,

"I know nothing. lam a paper hanger."
Edward Fennel, another detective, produced two cans
of working ink, a bottle of oil, gum, printers' ink, &c.,
and the paper ashes found in the prisoners' room.

Joseph C. Lyte, the fourth detective, was placed k
the boa, but was not examined by the prosecution. The
prisoners put several questions to him, but which were

not material.

Matilda Winter deposed that she and her husband
occupied the house in question. On Friday, the 7th,
the prisoner Thompson came and engaged the rooms in
which the prisoners were found by tee polico. lie re-
presented himself to be an engraver. On the Monday fol-
io wing all three came there and had tea together, and slept
there that night. On Tuesday afternoon about 3 o'clock
a cab drove up to the house, and Thompson took from
it what appeared to be a package covered with a white
cloth. The prisoner Freitz borrowed a saucer of her,
in which he mixed some glue.
Mre. Rebecca Fryer, 19, Little Alley-street, White r
chapel, deposed that Bohn and Freita lodged with he
up to the 11th of August last. Thompson visited them.
They left her lodgings on that day without notice.

Cross-examined—A. man named Ulric Freitz and
Bohn lodged with her up to July. They repr3sented
themselves as stewards, just come from America.
Ulric did not represent himself to be an engraver.
She saw Thompson bring to her house a press similar to
that produced. He stumbled against her as he brought

it into her house, and she at first thought it was a coffin.
She found under the bed in Freita's room a handle si.

milar to that on the press produced. She could not say
that Bohn knew the others were lodging with lafbr when
he took the lodgings, but, on finding Freitz there he
expressed great pleasure at it, and said he was his inti-
mate friend, and he would sooner meet him than his
father.

Mr. Bumpstead, inspector of Bank of England notes,
proved that the plates, block for water marks produced,
were spurious.
The prisoner Thompson made a rambling and length)
address to the jury through the interpreter. The pur-
port of it was that the press and articles tound belonged
to Ulric, a lithographer and engraver, the man alluded
to in Mr. Fryer's evidence, and that they were brought
to the lodgings in Upper Berners-street, Cimmercial read
East, by Freitz, who had lent Ulric 4/. on them. The

prisoners being in indigent circumstances were desirous
of raising money on the press, and on breaking open a
box they also had of Ulric's, they then found the
gum, plates, ink, pads, &c., produced. They consulted
what they had better do under the circumstances, and it
was suggested that the plates should be broken up, the
papers burnt, and the press sold, and one of them advised
their giving information to the police, and so make
money by it. That, however, was not done, and the
things were put into the cupboard. He then went into
the City, and on his return they held another consults.-

tion on what should be done with the things, and it wa,
then that the police broke into the house like thieves
and apprehended. them.
Freitz, in hia defence, said he had recently been dis•
charged from the German Legion, and that he considered
it an honour to have served under England's banner.
He denied having any intention or ever having been en-
gaged in such a nefarious practice as that charged against
him. _Tile One on high knew his heart was clean and
innocent of this charge, and he called on the jury to do

justice to his injured honour.
Thompson, who had also belonged to the German
Legion, denied any knowledge of the articles till the day
of his apprehension, when they were produced and a
consultation held relative to their disposal. He lived
with the prisoners, who were his countrymen, for the
sake of economy. He suggested that the articles should
be taken to the police station, but being strangers they
did not know how to act, and it was not carried out.
Re also denied having been engaged in making imitation
Bank of England notes.
Mr. Baron Martin, in summing up, said that the jury
must be satisfied, before they convicted the prisoners
that they had these articles in their possession for the
purpose of using them in the manufacture of forged
Bank 'if ,England notes for issue by themselves, or of
selling them to other persons for that purpose. The
prisoners had made able statements relative to how they
became possessed of the things, and it would be for the
jury to say if they were consistent with truth and the
facts of Vacs case.
The j ary found the prisoners guilty.
Mr, Huddleston handed in a forged 51. Bank of
England note, evidently produced from the plate found
at, their lodgings for issuing, for which Thompson was
dried at Guildford, and acquitted.
His lordship said the prisoners had been convicted on
the clearest and most satisfactory evidence by a jury
composed partly of foreigners and of Englishmen, one of
the former being their countryman. He sentenced thew
each to six years' penal servitude.
UTTsniuci A FORGED 51. Nom—John Dumont, a
German, 23 years of age, was charged with feloniously
uttering a 51. Bank of England note, with intent to de-

fraud.
It appeared from the evidence that on the 21st July,
the prisoner went into a bootraaker's shop, in White-
chapel-road, and purchased a pair of boots for 14s. 6d.,
giving a 5/. note in payment. Prosecutor asked him
where he got the note, and ho said from a friend of his
at Liverpool (where he had just come from), who had
been diegharged from the foreign legion. At prosecutor's
request, he wrote his name, "John Dumont," on the
note, and prosecutor, not liking the appearance of the
note, detained the prisoner on the plea of getting change,
but in reality sent for a policeman. During the absence
of the man the prisoner was very uneasy, walked up and
down the shop, and asked for a glass of water, which
after some time was given him. Ho then 'walked to the
door and out of the shop, walking rapidly down the
street. Prosecutor called after him, on which he in-
creased his speed, and he had to run after him to bring
back to the shop. Prisoner said, "I am in no
fear of my change." Prosecutor replied, " You
must return and get it. I shall nit let you
go without it. " After the prosecutor brought
him back to his shop, prisoner went to the water-closet,
where the prosecutor saw him throw pieces of paper
down the water-closet, one 9f which turned oat to have
an address, Wells-street, on it. Prosecutor went there,
and ascertained the prisoner was known to the occupier
of the house ; but on the policeman going there the fol.
o wing day they denied all knowledge of him. Mrs.
Fryer, who gave evidence in the last ease, proved that
the prisoner lodged with her in July last. Mr. Bum p