The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 29, 1866.

on this line were progressing satisfactorily, and a
great portion of the land was in the possession of
the company. The directors regarded with great
satisfaction the success of the London, Chatham,
and Dover Company in obtaining the extension of
their line to Farringdon-street, City, and Victoria-
street, Westminster, and also to the principal lines
of railway north of the Thames. The capital account
showed that £23,925 had been received, and
£24,247 expended, leaving a balance of £323 against
[ the company.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-Aug. 28.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Frederick A. Daviss, a
well-dressed man, about 35 years of age, living at
16, Park-crescent, Stockwell, who had been appre-
hended on a warrant granted in the early part of
July by the Lord Mayor, was charged with feloni-
ously uttering on the 13th of April last a forged
bill of exchange for the payment of £479 6d., know-
ing the same to be forged, with intent to defraud the
governor and company of the Bank of England.
Mr. Charles Freshiield, one of the solicitors to
the Bank of England, who attended to prefer
the charge, said the prisoner, who had been
apprehended on the previous evening, was at
one time a partner in, or connected with, a firm of
long standing and high respectability, trading as
silk merchants under the name of Washington and
Daviss in .M ill street, Cheap side, in which his father,
now dead, was formerly a partner. The prisoner's
partners, as he himself alleged, though that was a
matter of dispute, were then Mr. Washington,
whose daughter, now dead, he married, and his
elder brother, Mr. Win. W. Daviss. In Sept., 1857,
the prisoner, in the name of that firm, applied to
the Bank of England for leave to open a discount
account, which was granted in the following month,
and afterwards he alone, in the name of the firm,
operated on that account. The bank from time to
time at his instance discounted bills' for them, which
were placed to their account. Mr. Washington had
stated that the prisoner was not a partner in the
firm, but his brother was, and that the firm con-
sisted of him (Mr. Washington) and the prisoner's
brother. The prisoner, however, made the applica-
tion to the bank, and he stated himself to be a part-
ner; and all the operations on the account opened
by him were by him, and the authorities at the
bank believed he acted as the managing partner of
the firm. That account was closed in Dec., 1853,
and, so far as the authorities at the bank knew, no
forgeries or irregularities had been committed in
connection with it. But in Dec.,1859, the prisoner
came to the bank and stated to the proper officer
there that Mr. Washington had retired, or was re-
tiring, from the firm, and that the firm was thence-
forward to be carried on in the name of Frederick
A. Daviss and Co. ; that it consisted of himself and
his brother, and that he wished the name of the
discount account to be changed. The name was
changed, and the account began anew in December
1839, was carried down to July last, and the sole
person who operated upon it was the prisoner. The
transactions in connection with it included, among
others, discounting bills by the prisoner drawn upon
many persons. One of these, to which the present
charge related, was drawn on April 4,1860, by F. A.
Daviss and Co., upon Messrs. J. Wreford and Co„
for £479 6cl , and discounted by the Bank for
the prisoner on his 'application, and the amount
carried to his credit. That fell due on the 7th of
July, but on the morning of the sth of that month
the prisoner waited upon Mr. Elsey at the head of
the discounting department of the bank, and asked
permission to take it up. But Mr. Elsey charac-
terised the application as irregular, adding that his
experience told him that it must be of evil import
to transactions of this nature if bills were allowed
to be taken up by the drawers before they became
due, and that where such a course had been taken
it often led to great irregularity, and to forged
bills being put into circulation. Mr. Elsey there-
fore very properly declined to allow him to take
up the bill. The prisoner had on that very day
got cash for a check drawn by him upon the Bank
for £479 6d., the exact amount of the bill which he

wished to take up, and he told Mr. Elsey he had
come furnished with the money to take it up. Mr.
Elsey, however, still declined, the prisoner went
away, and the authorities at the Bank saw no more
of him. The bill, which became due on the 7th of
July, was presented and dishonoured, and Mr. Wre-
ford, one of the firm on whom it was drawn, would
explain to the Court the reason why it was dis-
honoured. On Monday, July 9, a warrant was
obtained for the prisoner's apprehension and placed
in the hands of Sergeant Spittle, a very intelligent
officer, who had ever since been endeavouring to
arrest him. The result was that the prisoner was on
Monday evening apprehended in a place of seclu-
sion, where he passed under the name of Richards.
Those were the fac:a. There were, he (Mr. Fresh-
field) was sorry to say, other charges against the
prisoner which would require investigation, but
into them he did not then propose to enter.
John Spittle, examined by Mr. Freshfield, said
—1 am a detective officer, and produce a warrant
signed by the Lord Mayor, which was placed in
my hands on July 9, for the apprehension of the
prisoner. I heard that he had places of business in
the city, but I did not find him at any of them, and
I have been looking for him ever since. The cir-
cumstances under which I arrested him were these.
Yesterday afternoon, about, 0 u'elock, accompanied
by two other officers, Brett and Feast, I went to 16,
Park-crescent, Stockwell. 1 entered the house and
inquired, or rather said I had come for, Mr. Daviss.
A woman who answered the door denied him. I
afterwards searched the house, and in a back bed-
room on the second floor I found the prisoner. I
addressed him as Mr. Daviss. He said that was
not his name. I told him I believed it was, that my
name was Spittle, and that I should have to arrest
him on a charge of forgery. He again said his
name was not Daviss, and he mentioned some other
name as his, which I believe wes Richards. I then
brought him down stairs, and in his presence asked
the landlady whether he was not Mr. Daviss. She
did not answer, and I told the prisoner I should
take him into custody whether he said his name was
Daviss or not. He then said that was his name.
We then brought the prisoner outside the house,
and there I showed him the warrant, which he read.
I read that portion to him relating to the charge,
and asked him whether he had read it. He said he
had. I afterwards, accompanied by Brett, brought
him to Bow-lane police station, and on searching
him there found a gold watch and chain, a locket,
and other articles. I asked him where his check
and pass books were. He replied at the house of
Mr. Rucker, at Lewisham. I went there, and in a
drawer in a bedroom I found the check-book pro-
duced.

Mr. Morgan, who appeared for the prisoner, asked
the witness if he was instructed to ask those ques-
tions of him ?
Witness--I chose to ask them.
Mr. Morgan—ls that your general practice ?
Witness—l adapt my practice according to cir-
cumstances.
Mr. Morgan said that practice smacked of the
Inquisition.
The Lord Mayor said the officer went there for the
cypress purpose of apprehending the prisoner, and
he thought he had acted properly.
Mr. John Fradgley, principal of the drawing-
office in the Bank of England, deposed that Messrs.
Washington and Daviss had a drawing account there
from October, 1857, to December, 1859. Frederick
Augustus Daviss was the person who acted on that
account. Mr. Washington's name was never
furnished in that account. Witness did not know
the prisoner. The account was closed in December,
1859, and a new one opened in the same month in
the name of Frederick A. Daviss and Co. He did
not know under what circumstances it was opened ;
the gentleman in the department who could speak
to that point was now absent on holyday. (Shown
a bill.) Witness held that bill to flie'eredit of the
account of Frederick A. Daviss and Co. on the 13th
of April last.
The bill was put in and was as follows !
" X-179 6s. " London, April 4 1860.
" Three months after date pay to our order four, hundred
and seventy-nine pounds and six shillings—value received.
DAVISS AND CO.
"Messrs. John Wreford and Co., Aldermanbury."
(Copy acce
Jtances.)
" 35, London and County. no. Wreford and Co."
(Endorsed.)

Fredk. A. Daviss and Co."

Witness continued—He had reason to know that
that bill was then discounted for the firm of Fre-
derick A. Daviss and Co. On the sth• of July the
prisoner brought the check produced to be cashed,
and it was cashed on that day in the drawing office
of the Bank of England. (The check, which was
put in, bore date the sth of July, 1860, and pur-
ported to be drawn on the Bank of England, by
Frederick A. Daviss and Co., for £479 Os., and was
payable to bearer.) Tbat check was paid at the
counter in banknotes.
Mr. Freshfield said the checkbook belonging to
the prisoner contained the counterfoil of that par-
ticular check.

Mr. John Green Elsey—l am principal of the
discount.office in the Bank of England. I know the
prisoner quite well. In the early part of this year
the Bank discounted several bills for him drawn by
Frederick A. Daviss and Co. The bill of the 4th of
April last for £479 6s. was discounted for the firm
on the 13th of April. It fell due on the 7th of July.
On the sth of July, when the bill had two days to
run, the prisoner applied for leave to take it up. I
told him it .was a most irregular transaction to
apply to take up a bill before it way due, drawn
upon so respectable a firm of London merchants as
that of Messrs. John Wreford and Co., and I de-
clined to let him have it. Ho said he was prepared
to pay the money, but I still declined. That was
the, only bill we held on that day which purported
to bo drawn by Frederick A. Davies and Co. or
Messrs. Wreford, and the prisoner distinctly men-
tioned that particular bill.
Mr. SamuelWreford-1: am a partner in the firm
of Messrs. John Wreford and Co., merchants, of 17,
Aldermanbury. We have had small tranactions,
during seven or eight years, with Messrs. Wash-
ington and Co., who almost invariably paid in cash,
but we have had no transaction whatever with the
firm of F. A. Daviss and Co. I have looked at the
bill of exchange (produced) for £479 6d. That bill
purports to be drawn on our firm; it is a forgery;

the acceptance was not written by me, nor by any
of our firm, nor was it authorised to be written.
We never had such a bill. It was presented to our
bankers, the London and County Bank, and they
immediately refused it, knowing it was a forgery.
I don't know the prisoner.
Mr. Freshfield said that was all the evidence he
had at present to produce. If the prisoner's solicitor
wished him to be remanded he (Mr. Freshfield)
should not object. A remand would be necessary
at any rate until the clerks in the Bank now absent
on leave could return to supply links wanting in
the evidence.

Mr. Morgan did not object to a remand, but he
trusted the Court would order that the prisoner's
watch, a gold locket, and other things might be re-
turned to him.

Mr. Freshfield said, as far as the Bank of Eng-
land was concerned, anything that was not essential
as evidence in the case might be restored ; but he
was bound to say that the prisoner was a mer-
chant of London, and had property, and he
(Mr. Freshfield) assumed a fiat in bankruptcy would
be issued against the prisoner in the interest of his
creditors.

Mr. Morgan thought it was premature to talk of
a fiat in bankruptcy at present. The articles he
asked to have restored were the prisoner's gold
watch, a gold locket which had belonged to his
wife, and some other personal ornaments.
The Lord Mayor said, under the circumstances,
he should at present decline to make any order for
their restoration.

The prisoner was remanded until this day (Wed.
nesclay) week,

SOUTHWARK.—Mr. Thomas Goodwin, a
gentlemanly-looking young man, a vocalist, en-
gaged at the Floral-hall, Covent-garden, and Miss
Charlotte St. Clair, a ballet dancer of the Italian
Opera, were charged with stealing a gold chain,
value £3 175., the property of John Woodall.
Mr. Woodall said he was a saddler, and resided
at No. 76, Upper Stamford-street, Blackfriars-road,
in which house Miss St. Clair and her mother had
. apartments. Since Friday last the young lady
and her mother had disagreed, owing to the marked
attentions paid to the former by the prisoner, whom
the mother believed to be a married man, and wit-
ness was spoken to on the matter, but on Friday
the daughter called him into the apartments and
told him that her mother had threatened to cut
her throat with a razor she had in her pocket.
Witness induced her to give him the razor, and he
undertook to ascertain who and what the male
prisoner was. Accordingly he found that he was
engaged as a singer at the Floral-hall, Covent-
garden, and an arrangement was made that he
should meet them at witness's house on Monday
evening. The male prisoner attended according
to promise, and was introduced by the female
prisoner to her mother, witness and his wife,
and a bottle or so f wine passed among
them. A dispute, however, ensued, and wit-
ness's wife took her gold chain from her
neck and threw it at him, with an angry word or
two. He put the chain in his pocket until the
storm blew over, when he passed the chain over the
prisoner's shoulders towards his wife, and he had
every reason to believe at the time that she took it.
A few minutes afterwards the chain was missed,
and Mrs. Woodall, having declared that she had not
received it back, a search took place in the room and
about his wife's dress, but it could not be found. A
policeman was called in and the prisoners were
given into custody. After that witness found the
chain on the table covered with Mrs. Woodall's
petticoat, and he felt inclined to think one of the
prisoners must have put it there when the police-
man was sent for.

Mr. Edwin, who appeared for the prisoners, said
that it was a most unjustifiable charge. His clients
were highly respectable young persons, and ;would
not be guilty of such a dishonest act. Mrs. Woodall
had words with her husband, and having partaken
rather freely of the wine threw the chain where it
was found, and the prosecutor in his passion gave
the prisoners into custody.
Mr, Burcham asked if there was any other evi-
dence against the prisoners ?
Mr. Woodall replied in the negative ; his wife
would not attend.

Mr. Burcham observed that as far as he could make
out from the statement of the prosecutor, it appeared
that he, his wife, and the two prisoners Ns ere en-
joying their wine together, and suddenly the har-
mony was disturbed by the two former breaking out
into a quarrel, and the chain in question was flung
from one to the other and disappeared for a short
time. The complainant then suspected, without
the least shadow of reason, that the prisoners had
taken the chain, and gave them into custody. All
ho had to buy Wll.B that they were discharged, and
left the court without the least imputation on their
character.

Thomas Wright, a tailor, residing at 14, Amelia-
street, Old Kent-road, was charged with attempt-
ing to hank and drown himself.

The prisoner, after being suitably lectured by his
worship, was discharged, and quitted the court with
his wife and one of his children.

LAMBETH.--Robert Search, the son of a butcher
in King's-place, Walworth-road, attended, for the
second time, to answer to a summons charging him
with grossly and wilfully torturing a cat. The
witnesses called in support of the summons proved
a case of barbarous crdelty. They swore that on
the day mentioned in the summons the defendant
caught a " stray" kitten, cut holes in its ears,through
which he passed strings, and hung it up by the
latter, so that all its weight was supported by those
parts of the ears through which the strings had
been put. This, however, was not all. The de-
fendant poured " turps," or turpentine, down its
eats and different parts of the body, so that the poor
little brute screamed piteously from torture and
agony. When allowed to run away, it fell into the
hands of a respectable woman, who treated it with
such kindness and humanity that, notwithstanding
the brutal nature of its tortures, the kitten has
recovered.

Mr. Dixon, one of the ushers, described the state
of the unfortunate kitten to be such when the sum-
mons was applied for that the Magistrate recom-
mended its destruction, to put it out of misery.
Witnesses were called on the part of the defen-
dant, whose testimony contradicted some of the
stronger portions of the charge, and
Mr. Norton, in passing sentence, observed he was
glad that it had been so, or he should have felt it
to be his duty to send the defendant to prison with-
out a penalty. There could be no doubt, however,
that improper cruelty had been exercised, and for
this the defendant must pay a penalty of 20s.
The penalty was at once paid.

GREENWICH.—James Culley, a police con-
stable (No. 131) of the M or Rotherhithe division
of metropolitan police, was charged with stealing a
silver watch and guard from Emmanuel Wooffen-
den of Hales-street, Deptford.
The prosecutor said---I am a miner, and reside at
Doptford. A fortnight ago last Sunday I had been
to see a friend at Rotherhithe, and on my return to
Deptford at 2 o'clock in the morning I missed my
way. I was perfectly sober, and shortly afterwards
met the prisoner near the waterside. He was in
his uniform at the time, and I asked him if he could
tell me where I could lie down for an hour or two,
as I was both sleepy and tired. He said the likeliest
would be in one of the boats by the river side, and
he pointed one out to me and went to the boat,
where he left me and I fell asleep. I awoke about
4 o'clock, and walked about the streets for ten
minutes, and on feeling for my watch I missed it
from my fob pocket, and the guard from around
my neck. 1 then went back about a mile and met
the prisoner. He said, " Good morning," and asked
whether I had rested well. I replied, " Yes, but I
have lost my watch ;" to which the prisoner re-
marked " that it was a bad job," and took my name
and address, and asked me the number of My watch.
I told him I could not tell the number exactly, but
gave him what I thought the number was. The
prisoner then asked me to go to the station-house,
and we walked up the street and back again, when
he met a watchman belonging to the Commercial
Dock Company, and remained talking with him
about a quarter of an hour. The prisoner then
said to the watchman that he wanted to go, and
when he had got about 30 yards from us I men-
tioned my suspicions to the watchman that the pri-
soner had got my watch.
Robert Altura, a watchman in the employ of the
Commercial Dock Company, confirmed the prose-
cutor's evidence in chief, adding that the prisoner re-
mark ed to the prosecutor, " I thought you knew I
had got your watch, and that was the reason you
did not leave me."

Inspector Reding said—The prisoner is a police-
constable under my charge, and was on duty at the
place named on the morning in question. I first
heard of the robbery last Friday night, through a
sergeant of police, and on the following day I went
and saw the last witness.

The pricomer declined making any defence, and
Mr. Maude committed him to Newgate for trial.

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STATE OF THE CURRAGiI CAMP.

The following sketch of the state of the camp at
the Curragh is supplied by Saunders's Newsletter.
Rifle matches had taken place there on Friday and
Saturday, the Earl of Carlisle being preSent on the
latter day :
" The attention of the visitors to the Curragh
Camp on Saturday could not have been attracted
by the state of the ground on which the tents
which had been occupied by the 4th Light Dra-
goons were still standing, Even after two fine
days the mud was partially dried, Though the sun
was shining brightly, and the wind blowing
freshly from the west, there was still sufficient
water and mud in and around the tents to show
what must have been the discomforts and hardships
attendant upon life under canvass'in the locality in
which for weeks past several fine regiments have
endured the rain, which fell without intermission.
It was easy to see that the accounts of sickness and
distress which came up from the Curragh had not
been exaggerated. In the neighbourhood of the
tents a person could not have walked without

literally sinking up to his knees aievWy-;tei.
The space hollowed out inside each tent appeared
to be a pool of water ; the canvass was stained a
dirty yellow colour; the ground, torn up by
horses' hoofs, appeared to be even worse
than a marsh—it seemed, in fact, not unlike a
newly ploughed field after a week's incessant rain.
On this mud, which under the hot sun was gradu-
ally becoming hardened at the surface, rugs, large
cavalry cloaks, and here and there articles of cloth-
ing were streaming slowly in the sunshine, in which
they were being dried. A glance at the nature of
the ground was sufficient to show any person of
ordinary intelligence that the results were just
those which might be expected to take place after
a week's rain. With characteristic prudence the
tents had been pitched in a hollow, which might
advantageously be converted into a receptacle for
the surface drainage of the camp. The men did not
suffer one-half so much from the torrents which
penetrated the canvass covering from above as from
the slush and mud upon which they had to he. If
the visitors began to talk with soldiers about the
camp, he at once heard from men who wore medals
and clasps that they had not suffered greater hard-
ships from wind and weather in the Crimea than
the men of the Light Dragoons, who had only left
the camp a few days ago, had undergone during the
past fortnight. It is strange, when one considers
that there were many other places at the Curragh
where the tents might have been far more advan-
tageously pitched, that no precautions were
taken to prevent the results which have been
described. A body of the Grenadier Guards
were under canvass on the highest point of the
rising ground on which the encampment is built.
They had, at least, the blessing of walking on terra
firma, instead of wading through a miniature bog.
The earth under their tents was comparatively firm,
but, of course, the rain soaked through the canvass,
wetting their uniforms and bedding, which were on
Saturday put out to dry. The scarlet coats were
dyed of a nondescript hue, and the soldiers looked
as weatherbeaten as if they had just retarned from
a long campaign. It is too much to expect men to
pay for their kits, and at the same time to place
them unnecessarily under circumstances in which
their uniform must be worn out or destroyed in a
few weeks. There is, however, some pleasure in
knowing that steps are being taken to remove the
men into more comfortable quarters. After a
month like the past at the Curragh the soldier may
well sigh after the luxury of any provincial bar-
racks, however ill-built or uncomfortable."

COUNTRY MARRAYS.

LEEDS, AUG. 28.

The business doing in wheat is still on a small scale, but
where sales are made 3s advance on last week's prices were
realised. Barley unaltered. Beans and oats held for ra-
ther more money. Other articles do not vary in price.
The weather has again become showery.

LIVERPOOL--AUG. 28.

There was a fair attendance of millers and dealers at
this morning's market, but an inactive business doing in
wheat, and prices are fully as dear. Flour in slow sale at
late rates. Beans and barley have each advanced on the
week. Indian corn rather more freely offered at about the
prices of this day week, the general price for mixed Ameri-
can and Ibralia being 34s 9d per 4801bs, Galati 355, and
white 395. Oats and oatmeal the turn dearer.

NORWICH CATTLE—AUG. 25.
The show of store cattle to-day was considerable, and
trade was on the whole rather dull at about former prices.
Scots, 4s to 4s 6d ; shorthorns, 3s 6d to 4s 6d ; Irish, 35
to 4s 6d ; Devons, 4s Od to 4s 6d (estimated weight when
fat).
Fat beasts a small show. 8s 6d to 9s 6d per stone.
Sheep—There was a large supply of sheep in the pens,
and sales extremely slow.
Fat sheep, 9s Od to 9s 6d per stone ; prime, Os to Os.
Pigs—A fair supply. Store pigs, 25s to 355; fat pork,
Gd to Ss Gd per stone.