The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—Feb. 20.

MANSION-HOUSE.—John Bali, who was remanded
some days since upon a charge of ha,vinz in his posses.
sion on four sever4l days some bars of gold, supposed to
have been stolen from two packages in their transit from
London to Paris in May last, surrendered in discharge
of his bail for further examination. The justice-room
was densely crowded by bullion dealers, railway officials,.
and others.

It will be remembered by many of our readers that at

last examination it was proved that tho prisoner had, on
four different occasions, sold bars of gold to Messrs.
Johnson and Walker, refiners, of Aldersgate-street, and
the detective officers, Haydon and Brett, stated chat if
time were allowed them they should probably be able to
prove that these bars formed .portions of a larger quan-
tity stolen from tWo packages, belonging re.pectively to
Messrs. Bult and Messrs. Abell and Co., bullion dealers,
in the City, in May last. The total value of the gold
then stolen was upwards of 15,0001.
Mr. Bodkin, instructed by Mr. J. C. Rees, attended on
the part of the South-Eastern Railway Company to con-
duct the prosecution ; Mr. Rees (of the firm of Wilde,
Rees, and Co.) attended on the part of Messrs. Lyon,
Alemand, and Co., bankers at Paris ; and the prisoner
was defended by Mr. Ballantine.

Mr. Bodkin, after having briefly recapitulated the
evidence given at the former examination, said he was
in a condition to show that the prisoner had sold a fifth
bar of gold to Messrs. Johnson and Walker for 751. odd
on the 28th of November last, evidence having already
been given that he had disposed of four bars to that
firm. The learned counsel then proceeded to call the
following witnesses :
Mr. G. F. Bolt said—l carry on the business of a
gold refiner and bullion dealer in Cneapside. On the
15th of May last I remitted to Paris a quantity of Cali-
fornian gold, consisting of 24 bars, and weighing 2,900
ounces. Most of it was below, and some few bars were
better than the standard.
J. Dawson, porter to the last witness, said he packed
the gold in a strong wooden box, which he delivered to
Mr. Chaplin, the carrier, who called for it and took it
away in a cab.
Mr. H. T. Abell, bullion dealer, of 1, Exchange-
buildings, snid—Oa the 15th May last I remitted a
quantity of gold to Paris, consisting of six bars, and
weighing 2,1251 oz. It was Australian gold, and was
packed in a strong wooden case, and merked "P D
184."

Mr. Chaplin, of the Spread Eagle, Gracechurch-street,
carrier, said--On the 15th May last I called at Messrs.
Butt's for a packet of gold, which I took away in a cab.
On the same day. I received a box of gold from Messrs.
Abell and Co. I took the two boxes to the Sou h-
Eastern Railway terminus at London-bridge, and de-
livered them into the hands of the servants of that com-
pany. I saw them put on the scale, but did not see
their weight taken.
Mr. J. Rance, a clerk in the employment of Messrs.
Abell, said he packed six bars of gold in a box, which
was delivered to Mr. Chaplin on the 15th May last.
E. Scanlan, a porter belonging to the South Eastern
Railway Company, said he assisted in carrying the two
packages fronts the cab to the railway station, and weigh-.
ing them. They were afterwards put into an iron chest
and sent off by the mail train.
Mr. E. Cox, a clerk belonging to the railway com-
pany, said—l checked the weight of the boxes at the
scale with the weights in the invoices. One box was
marked " L 577," and weighed 2 cwt. 2 qrs. 15 lb. ; the
other was marked " P D 134," and weighed 1 cwt. 1 qr.
16 lb. The iron chest was locked after the boxes were
put into it, and it was then placed in the train.
Mr. J. IL Major—l reside at Boulogne, and am
agent to the Messagerie Generale. On the morning of
the 16th May iast I received three boxes, two said to
contain gold bars, and the third gold coin. They came
by the steamer Lord Warden, from Foestone. The
gross weight of the two boxes at the Custom House was
190 kilogrammes. The boxes remained at the Custom
House about four hours, when they were taken to my
office, and forwarded on to Paris. Whilst at my office
the boxes were not locked up. They were not out of
my sight, but were placed in the office, where business
is transacted in front of the desk. It is impossible that
anybody could have meddled with them whilst they
were in my office.
M. Pierre F. Heznard, clerk, in the employment of
Messrs. Lyon, Alensa,nd, and Co., bullion dealers, Paris,
was examined through the medium of an interpreter,
and said—On the 16th May last I opened a box at our
establishment, marked " L 577," and found it to contain
16 bags of lead, and 13 ingots. The box had come by
railway from Boulogne.
M. Chae.emagne Everard—l am partner and cashier
in the house of -Packer, Dufour, and Co., bankers at
Paris. A box marked "P I)" arrived at our establish-
ment on the 16th of May, and was opened upon the 18th,
in the presence of a commissary of police, whose attend-
ance I requested in consequence of having heard that
a box of geld consigned to another firm had been plun-
dered. On opening my box I found it to contain 17
bags of small shot, and no gold. The shot was shown
to several persons, and proved to be of English manu-
facture, as were also the bags containing it.
Mr. E. Syrett, clerk to Messrs. Johnson and Sons,
assayers, of Basinghall-street, said —We keep a box on
our premises in which gold, intended to be assayed, is
placed. On the 2911 ult. I found in that box a paper
containing two small parcels of gold. It is usual when
metal is left to be assayed, that the name of the persoh
selling should be written upon the paper. I find the
name of Douglas upon the paper in question. The
assay of gold was about a carat better than the standard.
Mr. J. Johnson, jun.—Ay attention was callel by
the last witness to several pieces of gold that were sent
to us to be assayed. The name of D iuglas was written
on the piece of paper enclosing them.
Mr. G. It. Johnson, father of the last witness, said—
The parcel spoken of by my son was brought to our
house on the 29th ult., and was delivered back on the
31st. I did not take notice of the person to whom it
was delivered. (A. card with the name of Douglas en-
graven on it was shown to the witness.) This card I
think was given to me by a party who called upon me
on the 28th, and who brought a bar of gold to be as-
sayed. After an assay was cut off the bar was returned
to the party, and on my asking hirn his name, he gave
me the card you have just shown me.
Mr. James Johnson, of the firm of Johnson and
Walker, gold refiners, Aldersgate-street, said—l have
already spoken to some purchases I male of the prisoner
of gold, and I find I have made an additional purchase
of him on the 28th of November. I then bought of him
25 oz. 15 dwt. 12 gr. of gold, for which I paid 781. ss.
9.1. Its quality was 4 carats 2 grains worse than the
standard. Oa the 31st ult. the prisoner came to our
shop, when I paid him 921. 18s. 2d. for a bar of gold.
On that occasion he showed me a piece of paper, which
I found to contain four or five small pieces of gold. I
looked particularly at the paper, and noticed that the
quality of the gold was marked on it, as well as the name
of Douglas, in pencil. There was also the name of
"Johnson and Sons, Besinghall-street," stamped on the
paper. I should say that the writing was Messrs. Joh-
nson's. The prisoner said, " I may as well burn this" (the
paper), and ho did so. The witness then-identified two
501. notes which • he paid the prisoner, and which,
amongst others, were found at his (the prisoner's) house
by the officers.
Mr. J. D. Sutcliffe—l am a gold refinerin Long acre.
On the 28th ult. I purchased 27 oz. 7 dwts. of gold of a
person, for which I gave 1071. 15s. The prisoner is
not the person of whom I made the purchase. This wit.
news also identified three Bank of England notes fel.
501., 201., and 101„ found by the officers at the prisoner's
house, as having been pail by him to the prisoner.
Mr. J. Rutherford, clerk to Mr. Denham, gold re-
finer, Barbican—On the 28th ultimo I bought a bar
of gold of a person, not the prisoner, for 1031. 13s. 2d
I gave the seller nine 101. and two 51. Bank of Eugland
notes. (These were also found by the officers at the
house of the prisoner.) The person who brought the gold
gave me his card, with "Douglas and Co." on it.
J. Brett, City detective officer—On the Ist inst. I
searched the prisoner's house, and found there all the
bank-notes produced to-day, numbering 18, except one,
which was a 101. note, and was found by my brother
officer Haydon.

Mr. G. F. Alcock—l am a refiner, in Cox's.court. I
remember a person bringing me a bar of gold on the
29th ult, it is my belief that the prisoner is the man
who brought it. I told him I did not assay gold, and
referred him to Johnsons, the assayers. I noticed that
an assay had been taken from the corner of the bar.
When ho asked me to assay it I said, " Wby do you
want it assayed again ? It has been already assayed."
He replied that that assay had been made for hi
OWII
private use. I should say the bar weighed about 26 oz.
or 28 oz. I think it was Australian gold. It was very
clean, and very nioely melted. I had nothing to do with
the gold.
Mr. Bodkin—lt is only common jiistico to Messrs.
Johnson and Walker, and the other gentlemen, that .1
should state that they have given every facility to this
investigation.
Mr. Ballantine applied that his client might be ad-
mitted to bail ; upon which Brett, the detective officer,
stepped into the witness-box, and said—l hold in my
hand a certificate of a true bill which was found against
the prisoner on the let of March, 1841, fur receiving a
gold watch of the value of 18/. The prisoner had been
remanded three or four times at the Greenwich Police-
court. lie was committed on the charge, but admitted
to bail, himself in 2001., and two sureties in 1001. each,
and has never surrendered.

In answer to Mr. Bahan ine, the witness stated that
the prisoner bad been living in the house he at present
occupied, and had passed by his right name several
years.
The Lord Mayorrefused to take bail, and subsequently
evidence was given by a man who was a metropolitan
policeman in 1841, to the effect of the charge of having
received the watch, and to the facts stated in the certifi•
cats obtained from the Clerk of the Peace of the City of
London, and the prisoner was remanded on the former
charge; and committed for trial on the letter.