The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-26 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Nov. 25.

(Before Mr. TURNER, Deputy Assistant-Judge, and
a Bench of Magistrates, at the Guildhall, West-
minster.)
CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD A LOAN SOCIETY.

John Johnson, aged 39, was indicted for having
conspired with a person named Hill (not in cus-
tody) to obtain by false pretence& from one James
Dwyer the sum of 41. 145., with intent to cheat him
thereof.

Mr. Parry conducted the case for the prosecution,
and Mr. Payne appeared for the defendant.
Mr. PARRY, in stating the case, said that he ex-
pected to be able to prove that the defendant then
standing at the bar of that court was one of a gang
of persons who availed themselves of the means by
which advances of money were made by loan
sooieties to defraud the members of such societies,
the plan being for one person to make an application
for a loan and refer to an accomplice, who became
security, when, the money having been advanced, it
was divided between them, or among as many as
were in the conspiracy. He believed that it would
turn out that the prosecutor of this indictment,
which was one of several of a precisely simi-
lar character which he had preferred against other
persons, was a money lender, and the fact of his being
so would be urged no doubt by the Learned Counsel
for the defendant against his credit; but so long as a
money lender did not avail himself of the circum-
stances of necessitous men to extort extravagant gain,
but contented himself with a moderate interest for the
sum lent, he, for one, could see no more harm in that
man's course of business than in the trade of any
other person in that metropolis, where goods were
bought and sold for a profit. The Learned Counsel
then called

James Dwyer, the prosecutor, who deposed that be
was a money lender, and bad an office in St. Martin's-
lane, and resided at 9, Brewer-street, Woolwich. A
person named Hill applied to him for a loan of 51.,
and referred to a Mr. Johnson, of No. 3, Belvidere-
place, Cambridge-road, Bethnal-green, as security.
Hill filled up the usual form and gave it to him.
(It was produced.) In consequence he went to
Johnson. That was on the 4th of November.
He saw the prisoner at the address given by Hill,
and asked him if he was the tenant of the house.
He replied that he was, and that he had been
so fourteen months ; and witness asked if he
had any objection to show the receipts for his rent.
He said he had not, and produced four pieces of paper
purporting to be receipts, stamped, and signed by a
Mr. Bull. He said they were the receipts for rent
he had paid for that house. He looked at them and
believed them to be genuine receipts, and was quite
satisfied with the reference. He showed the prisoner
the form, in which his name had been written by Hill
as a security, and the prisoner consented to become
security for the repayment of the loas. The prisoner
and Hill went to the office in St. Martin's-lane, and
signed a promissory note for the amount. The money
was paid to Hill by the clerk. Hill had absconded.
Search bad been made for him, but without success.
When he went with an officer to Johnson's house, for
the purpose of giving him into custody, he asked to be
shown again the receipts. The prisoner said his wife had
them, and as she was not at home he could not show
them, but, when he saw the policeman, he said he
bad never shown receipts at all. He advanced the
money to Hill believing that the representation of the
prisoner, that he had lived in the house for fourteen
months, was true ; and certainly should not have done
so had he known that he had lived there since Michael-
mas last only.
In cross-examination, the prosecutor said the loan
society consisted of himself only. It was called the
" Railway Loan-office." He had not a betting-office
at the present time, but he had bad one. It was
closed a very few hours after the race for the Chester
Cup in May last. At that time there were liabilities
upon the office amounting altogether to 8,0001. He
had paid a large sum off that amount, but he consi-
dered these questions quite irrelevant to the matter
before the Court. He had not paid the whole of the
money ; he had paid 1,8001. His losses on the Derby
were included in the 8,0001. He did not lose that
sum upon the Chester Cup only. He had 4,600/.
owing to him at the " Corner" (Tattersall's). Never
advertised for holders of his tickets on the Chester
Cup to appear at Worship-street Police-court. An
advertisement to that effect was published, but it
was a hoax. He was not there, and could not tell
whether the ticket-holders were there. He kept the
office for three years. In the loan business he had
not rejected more than five applications out of 170.
He had been the " Loan Company" for three months.
In Si. loans 41. 14s. was advanced, a year's interest
being deducted, and the borrower had to pay the costa
of the inquiries as to the security. In the present
case there was another security beside the prisoner
It was a person named Taylor. The prisoner was
given into custody before the first instalment of the
loan was due from Hill. He was given into custody
on the Friday evening, and the first instalment would
have been due on the following Monday.
Re-examined—The parties who held his tickets had
been quite satisfied with what he had done. He had
given them 100 per cent. on the money they had
placed in his hands. For instance, if be received 51.
from a person he had returned 101. It was his inten-
tion to liquidate the whole of his liabilities. He should
obtain the 4,6001. owing to him at Tattersall's, if he
could clear up his tickets. He had no doubt he
should receive it.

Michael Ryan proved the advance of the money to
Hill, and the signature of the prisoner to the pro-
missory note.
James Bull stated that be was a rent collector, and
lived at No. 4, Belvidere-place, Cambridge-road,
Bethnal-green. The prisoner lived at No. 3. The
prisoner never paid him any rent. None was due, for
he only entered upon possession of the house at Mi-
chaelmas last. Was confident he had never given him
any receipt, and that the prisoner had not lived there
for fourteen months.

Police-constable Brown, 421 K, said he took the
prisoner into custody. When Mr. Dwyer asked him
to produce his receipts he said he could not as his wife
was out, and she had them. Did not hear him deny
that he had ever shown receipts to Mr. Dwyer, but
he might have done so.
Mr. PAYNE then addressed the jury. He said the
prisoner had got into his present situation through
serving a friend who had taken him in, and that he
was a man more sinned against than sinning. The
Learned Counsel then proceeded to comment in a vey
strong manner upon the prosecutor, and the facts which
had come out in his cross-examination, and in refer-
ence to betting-offices, he said they were the greatest
curse that ever befell this country, for to them thou •
sands, not only individuals, but families owed their
ruin, for men who possessed ample fortunes had lost
every penny, and reduced themselves and those who
were dependent upon them to beggary and ruin, by
only one half-hour's speculation upon the Derby, at
these pests of betting-offices. The prosecutor had
talked about having paid 100 per cent. to those who
held his tickets ; but, though he had paid 101. each to
those who had put 51. in his hands, and so on, he no
doubt owed them hundreds, and of all persons in the
world he was one of the last who should have pre-
ferred a charge of fraud like the present. The pri-
soner, unfortunately, had become surety for Hill, but
he had been asrested and charged with conspiracy to
defraud actually before the first instalment was due,
so that the prosecutor had not waited to see whether
the money would be repaid by the security or not.
The DEPUTY-JUDGE, in summing up, told the jury
that in his opinion the case was tolerably clear, if they
believed the prosecutor's evidence ; so far as the evi-
dence went, there appeared nothing to show that he
was a person not to be credited on his oath.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. PARRY said there were, as the Court were
aware, indictments against three other persons for this
same offence, and against a fourth, named lon, the
grand jury had found a true bill for forgery, and that
case would be sent to the Central Criminal Court for
trial. He did not know, therefore, whether the Court
would at once pass sentence on the prisoner, or defer
doing so until the other persons were tried; but if
the Learned Chairman thought of sentencing the pri-
soner at once, he had to say, that from information
the prosecutor had received there was no doubt but
that the prisoner was one of a number of persons who
systematically practised this plunder on loan- offices,
and he was well known to several of those institu-
tions. A more mischievous system of fraud could not
prevail.
Inspector Brannan said he knew the prisoner.
For the last three or four years he had been the con-
stant associate of skittle sharpers, and persons who
imposed upon the public by fictitious and plausible
stories.

Mr. PAYNE desired to know why Brennan inter-
fered in the matter. He bad done so without any
solicitation.

Mr. PARRY said Brennan was very properly dis-
charging his duty as a public officer, and he was not to
be censured for so doing by Mr. Payne.
The Inspector said such attacks, ifcontinually made
upon the police, would have the effect of deterring
them from fully performing their duty to the public,
but would not as far as he was concerned.

The DEPUTY-JUDGE said Brennan was quite right;
The COURT sentenced the prisoner to six months
imprisonment.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
James Donnell, aged 18, and Ellen 111•Carthy, aged
12 years, were charged with having been concerned
in working an illicit still.
The LORD MAYOR—The case is perfectly olear; It
is evident that the little girl was concerned in the
offence, not only from the condition in which her
clothes were, but from her anxious advice to the male
prisoner to " run." It is, I regret to say, my duty
to commit her, as well as the male prisoner, but I
request that she may be taken before the ladies who
so humanely inquire into the cases of, and administer