The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELTIG-' _ENCE—Nov. 20.

E GREAT FRAUDS IN THE
LEATHER TRADE.---FURTHER ARRESTS.—In the
course of the morning a telegram was received
from Spittle, the detective officer, who went down
to Northampton with warrants to apprehend se-
veral persons alleged to be implicated in the
gigantic conspiracy disclosed in the bankruptcy of
Messrs. Poole and Bryan, to the effect that two of
the accused were in custody, and would be up
early in the afternoon. Sir R. W. Carden, there-
fore, waited until three o'clock, when Inspector
Hamilton, the chief of the City Detective Depart-
ment, accompanied by Spittle, brought in
Mr. James Cook, a tanner in a very extmnsive
way of business, at 25 and 2G, Birmingham-street,
Walsall, and George Billingham,. a furniture
broker and general dealer, of 17, Horse-market,
Northampton.

The charge registered against the accused was
having committed—Mr. Cooke, on the 12th of
November, and I3illingham on the 27th of October
last—in their examination in the Court of Bank-
ruptcy, wilful and corrupt perjury.
Mr. Van Sandau appeared for the prosecution,
Mr. Goldring for Mr. Cooke, and a gQntleman from
Mr. Waldron's office for Billingham.
Mr. Van Sandau said—ln this case, sir, I charge
the defendants with conspi•ting with the bankrupt
Poole, and also with coremitting perjury.' I might
make 50 different assignments of perjury, but I
shall content myse2if with one for' the purpose of the
present examination.

Mr. Goldring—l submit, sir that the defendants
are entitled to know the specific allegations upon
which the charge of perjury is founded, or they
they will not know what they have to answer. Mr.
Cooke is a gentleman holding a highly respectable
position .at Walsall, employing hundreds of work-
men, and I think it was a very harsh proceeding to
take him upon a warrant, when, if a telegram had
been sent to him he would have attended with
pleasure. It is a question infinitely beyond money
to my client. It is a question of reputation to him.
His character is at stake, and yet without any
notice he is taken from Walsall by the town police-
man, locked up for several hours, and brought to
London upon this charge.
Mr. Van Sandau—l am not prepared to state all
the assignments of perjury, but for the present I
rely on the following allegation :—The defendant
Cooke was examined on the 12th of November
before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn, and said—
" The only dealing which I have had with the
bankrupts was the purchase I made of Mr. Poole
on or about the 9th or 10th day of duly last. The
purchase that I then made was a quantity of mis-
cellaneous goods consisting of patent calf skins, calf
kids, men's boots and shoes, wax calf skins, vamps,
goloshes, and silk thread." There is also another

portion upon which I assign perjury. Cooke said
further—" Tile amount of the invoice was £3OO.
I paid Poole the £3OO on the following day. That
was after the goods were delivered or just about to
be delivered."

The following passage from Cooke's examination
was then read :—" The crisis in the leather trade
commenced on or about the 3d of July. I was then
in London. I returned home in apprehension that
I should lose a great deal of money in Northampton,
but I hoped in some decree to clear myself from loss
by picking up goods cheap in Northamptonshire,
and I consequently directed my agent, Mr. Thomas
Chapman, of Kingsthorpe, if he thought any per-
sons were going wrong, and likely to sell goods
cheaply, to let me know, and I would immediately
come to Northampton."
The specific allegation of perjury against Billing-
ham, referred to the following part of his examina-
tion in bankruptcy before Mr. Commissioner
Evans :—" I have some knowledge of having seen
James Jeffs, the carrier between Hartwell and
Northampton. He never brought goods to me or
for me to Northampton. I was not at the house
of the bankrupt Poole on the night of Sunday, the
19th of August, nor was I at the bankrupt Poole's
house on the morning of Monday, the 20th August
last. I did not on the morning of the 20th August
last accompany Thomas Beard to Hartwell. I was
at Hartwell on the evening of the 19th of August,
and on the morning of the 20th of August. I shrpt
at Hartwell on the night of Sunday, the nth of
August."
Mr. Van Sandau said these points of Billingham's
evidence have already been negatived by the
evidence of Beard and Woodford. I therefore
now ask for a remand until Friday, when the
whole case will be brought before the Court.
With regard to Mr. Cooke, I understand he is
a person of substance, and I have, therefore, no
objection to sufficient bail being taken for his
appearance, and on the next occasion I pledge
myself to produce sufficient evidence to establish
these charges, and ultimately to convict the ac-
cused upon them.
Mr. Goldring—Mr. Cooke is a merchant of great
respectability at Walsall, hut this matter has
come so suddenly upon him that he is not pre-
pared ,with bail, and I have, therefore, to ask you
to accept his own recognisance.
A similar application was made on behalf of
Billingham.
Mr. Van Sandau objected, and said—lt is very
important that the defendants should be present
on the next hearing of this case, and with regard
to Mr. Cooke I will show that he never bought
any goods of Poole on the 11th of July, that no
goods were delivered in that month, that he never
paid him any money, and that, in fact, the whole
of the alleged purchase was fabricated to cover
the removal of the goods on the 16th of August,
and so defraud the creditors of the bankrupts.
I will ;also show Cooke's evidence in bankruptcy
to be a tissue of falsehoods from beginning to end.
Sir R. W. Carden—l wish to make it as light
as I can for bota defendants, but I must have
one surety in £lOO for Mr. Cooke, and his re-
cognisances in 1200, and half those amounts for
Bellingham,
After some further discussion, the defendants
were remanded until Friday next.