The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-20 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-July 79.

MANSION- FIO USE —0 tto Frederick Homeyer,
dt=solibed as of Wolgast, Prus=ia, merchant, was
hrought up oa a 'charge of forging two bills of
for corn to the value of 3,7501.
Mr. Mullein, s t) the Ba,ukers' Protection
Coaunitte, appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Beard, of BAsinghall-str,3et, for the imisoner.
Too prsonor bring entirely ignorant of the Eng-
lish language the proceedit.gs wt re conducted
through the medium of an interpreter.
Mr. Mull-ns having b7iefly opeu,d the case, the
folloaiog witnesses were examined :
M. Rudolph Rrna.ndo Tie,dtntn—l carry on
business as a merchant at Newca.stle-on-Tyne, and
know the prisone-, who chilies on business as a
merchant at \Volgasf, in Prussia. On the 12th of
Jane 1 received from him a letter, dated the 9th of
June, of which the translation now put in is -a.
correct c ,py. The letter was signe Iby him.
Mr. Mullens—l will read that letter, which is
as follows :

" Wolast, June 9, 1858.
" During the spring I had the pleasure of seeing your
traveller with me, and in consequence of the conversa-
tion I had with him I am rather inclined shortly to con-
sign a cargo of wheat to you. I theref )re beg to ask for
how much and at what date you will open for me a
credit in London. I hops so-n to have a more lively
c'...rrespondenca with you here."
Ex:mination resumed—l an3wered that, and
received from the prisoner the !alter now put in,
dated the 26th of June, in which was included a
duplicate bill of lading. The paper now produced
is a correct translation of that letter.
Mr. Mullens read as follows :
" Wolgast, Jane 26, 1858.
"In answer to your favour of the 12th I have made
up my nand to consign to ycu the 8,320 sheffels wheat,
shipped by the vessel Anna, Captain Ki.:ll, for which I
take the liberty to make use of your kindness to draw
2,4001. on your account on the Union Thank of London,
at two months' date, requesting you to give due protec-
tion to these draug'ats. The losurar.ea you will please
effect there at the premium stated. I trust I shall find
a good market with you, as fay shipments have been
sent to your quarter.—With. special esteem,
" OTTO F. IIOMEYEIt."
Examination resumed--I received that letter at
Newcastle-on-Tyne. Iu coneequence of something
which I heard I had occasion to send my clerk to
Wolgast with the bill of lading, and he has not yet
returned. In con equenco of that letter I gave in-
structions to my bankers at Newcastle, and received
from them a notice of acceptance. The paper pro-
duced is a translation of that which I received from
the bank, and the signature, "Otto F. Homeyer,"
on tho back of the o:iginal, is the prisoner's hand-
writing. I rec:Aved some communication from my
bankers with reference to the letter of the 26th of
June, which refers to having drawn upon them for
2,1001. The six bills produced are awn in the
prisoner's hendwriting.
Cross-ermined by Mr. Beard—Before I was in
business fur myself I was in an office where I lead
opportunitiei of seeing the prisoner's handwriting,
but I never saw him write. I knew him personally
before this transaction, but I bad never had any
previous transactions with him.
By Mr. Mullens—l had called upon the prisoner
t vice at Wolgast—once while travelling for another
house, and once since for my own. I have spoken
t) him SiV.C3 he was in custody. I saw him this
morning at the station. I a,stiecl him whether he
had forged a bill of lading, and he told me he had.
I did not show the bill of lading to him. I asked
him why ho had done it ; and ho said to pacify
other houses to whom he had to ship wheat. He
said they had pressed him se much that he had done
it in desperation. I asked him what he had done
with the bills, and he said he had sent them to Ber-
lin for discount. He further stated that he should
have been able to send me my cargo of wheat. I
also asked him whether he had forged any bills of
lading at Antwerp.
Mr. Mullens—You need not g) into that.
By Mr. Beard—All this conversation took place
at the police-station iu presence of the officer ; but
there was no one who could speak the prisoner's
language besides myselfat the time. The officer did
not caution me, or make any suggestion while I
was questioning the prisoner in this way.
Mr. Mullens said he should not have elicited the
fee's of the conversation if Mr. Beard had not raised
aq
handwriting.uestio
question as
sto the identity of the prisoner and
his
Edward Warr—l am clerk to Messrs. Lotenger
and Son, Newcastle. In the year 1856 they were
brokers to the ship Anna, Captain Kell. I know
Captain Kell, and have seen him write. Ido not
believe the signature "T. Kell," on the bill of
lading produced, to In his handwriting,
F. Myerni—l am clerk to Masers. Bischoffsheim
and Engelbart, who are the London correspondents
of the Berlin Di-connt B ink. On the 29th of June
we received a ht-er from that bank enclosing the
six bills produced, and requestin; es to get them
disci;unted. Thera was also enclose] a bill of lading,
'which we were to give up upon the acceptance of
the bills. We presented the bale at the Union
Bank, and ihey were accepted.
J. Hawkswortb, clerk ia the Union Bank of
London, produced a letter dated as follows :
“Wolgagt, June 26, 1858.
"To Union Bank of London.—For account of Messrs.
Tiedemann and Ca., in Newcaqh-, I took free to
value upon you (4ix bills for 4001. each enumerated) in
firsts and seconds to coy_own order, at two months' date,
and I beg you will give prompt protection to them for
acc)unt of said friends. "Wi h este, m,_
" OTTO P. HOMEYER."

Jarvis, detective—l took the prisoner into cus-
tody on Saturday, at the St. Kathazine's Steamboat
Waarf, end called in the assistance of Jos. Kantor,