The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-15 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 15, 1867.

at. the corner of a street, and contiguous to the east
end of the Hospital itself, three men, of whom the
prisoner was one, suddenly attacked him and.
pressed upon him. They began hustling
him, and the prisoner made a snatch
at his gold chain, to which his silver
watch was attached, and obtained posses-
sion of his watch, carrying it away with part of his
chain, which was broken in three pieces. The pri-
soner fled with the watch and he attempted to fol-
low him. One of the gang stopped him, and he
threw his arm out and struck him heavily in the
fac.3. The fellow was thrown, and he continued hi,
pursuit of the prisoner and called oat " Stop thief."
Ile missed the prisoner oil at once, and was looking
about. for him when a lady said there 'he is, and
pointed to a fore court in front of a house where
the prisoner was attempting to conceal himsif. The
prisoner ran away again, and he pressed him closely
until he was stoppel. Th, witness then identified
his watch and chain, which he valued at S guineas.
llenry Hughes, police sergeant, No. 30 K, said
that at 10 minutes pa-it, 12 lait night he saw the
prisoner running at full speed and follow° I him.
lle lost sight of him, and a lady sail here he is.
The prisoner emerged from a fore court and ran
Charlotte-street, Whitechapel, where he overtook
him and captured him. On the way to the station-
house the prisoner said, " I'll tell you where the
watch is ; you will find it within the railings of St.
Philip's Church." He locked up the prisoner, and
returned to St. Philip's Church, at the back of the
London Hospital, which the prisoner passed in his
flight. He climbed over the railings, and found
the prosecutor's watch and chain in, the church-
yard.
The prisoner made no defence, and he was re-
manded for a week. It was stated that his confe-
derates were known, and the police expected to have
them shortly in custody.

THE GREAZ FORGERIES ON THE LEEDS

BANK.

Yesterday, Mr. Thomas Edgeley, a merchant in
Sermon-lane, City, who stands eharged with forg-
ing bills of exchange in the name of the Maydan,-
peck Forest Company, so called, amounting to
£lOB,OOO and upwards, with intent to defraud the
Leeds Banking Company, surrendered to his recog-
nisances in £4,000 to answer the charge before the

Lord Mayor at the justice room of the Mansion-
house, and also the charge of conspiring with others
not in custody to defraud the same bank. It may
be recollected that a few days ago the defendant,
for whose apprehension a warrant had been out
since the middle of April last, voluntarily surren-
dered himself at the Bow-lane police station in the

city to answer any charge that might be made
against him, and that he underwent an examination
at the justice-room on the following day, when some
formal evidence was given, and was remanded until

yesterday.
Mr. Poland again conducted the prosecution ;
and Mr. Sleigh, as before, defended the prisoner.
Mr. Poland now stated the course he intended
to pursue, and read an agreement, dated Jan. 8,
1864, which was recently found among the papers
of Alfred Teale, lately a bankrupt, in reference to
the Maydampeck Forest Company. The agreement
purported to be made between Alfred Teale,
of Leeds, manufacturer, and Thomas Edgeley, of
the city of London, merchant. It recited that Jacob
Van Cleeff, late of Paris, and then of Maydampeck,
in Servia, stood indebted to Teale and Edgeley
and their partners in large sums of money for
goods sold and delivered, and for moneys advanced
and for interest and commission on the same, and
it was agreed that Edgeley should proceed to
Servia and obtain by way of security an assign-
ment of Van Cleeff's interest in a concession
of the forest and in a sum of £2,500 deposit money
in the hands of Messrs. Mullion and Co. That
assignment, it was recited, was only executed on
the 27th of March, 1863, and had since been held
for the mutual benefit of Teak and Edgeley. Van
Cleef having become a bankrupt in Paris, Teale
and Edgeley had agreed to endeavour to obtain
from the Servian Government the concession direct,

and to prosecute the exploration of the forest. For
that purpose, and to continue the works without in-
terruption, it was agreed to mist; the necessary
funds by draughts of A. Tetale'and Co. on Thomas
Edgeley and Co., at six months, and to
remit the proceeds to the manager, Mr.
Dinelli, to pay for all purposes of the
business as required. Under the direction of
Thomas Edgeley ships were to be chartered to bring
the timber to this country, or to any other part which
offered greater encouragement, and it was arranged
that the proceeds, after deducting freight and all
charges and commissions, were to be paid over to
the Leeds Banking Company in a separate account,
and to be applied in the first instance to the due
payment of the draughts of Teale and Co. on Thos.
Edgeley and Co., and next to the reduction pro
rata of the debts due to Teale and Co. and Edgeley
and Co., and other expenses connected with the
forest. The agreement, of which that was the sub-
stance, was signed " Thomas Edgeley and Co."' and
"Alfr
Teale."
John Grant, who had been a clerk and then a
partner of the defendant at one • time, was
called and proved that the agreement was signed
by the defendant and by Alfred Teale. It
was in witness's handwriting, with the exception of
a trifling alteration by Edgeley, and witness made
several copies of it. After that agreement was signed
witness opened an account in the ledger of Edgeley
and Co. It was healed " Maydampeck Forest Com-
pany. Joint Account. T. Edgeley and Co. and A.
Teale and C 0.," and witness kept the account. The
first entry, which bore date the same day as the
agreement, referred to an acceptance done July 11,
of £966 45., and it represented a bill drawn by A.
Teale and Co., on either Edgeley and Co. or Watts
and Co. There were various other entries down to
Aug. 24, when a Renewal Joint Account was begun
and extended from July 4 to Aug. 24. That had re-
ference to bills drawn to take up acceptance on the
original transactions. There were on the other side
various entries of cash received from Teale. That
was, in fact, a joint account of transactions between
Edgeley and Co. and Teale and Co., and ought to
have been kept privately. The gross amount re-
ceived by way of discount on those bills was over
£30,000 in round numbers on the two accoants.
The sums forwarded to Servia were stated in a se-
parate ledger. They were remitted to a banker
there. To the best of his belief, over £ll,OOO was
sent to one Frolich, a banker in Servia, as the pro-
duce of bills discoiinted for the Forest Company by
the Leeds Bank. Witness heard of Van Cleeff's
bankruptcy. That was in 1863, to the best of his
belief Edgeley and Co. were in the habit of receiving
with goods, and creditingvancieeff
hi
bills from Van Cleeff, some of them being endorsed
by Edgeley and Co., Watts and Co.,.and Teale and
Co., and the times of their becoming due were
entered in the bill book. There was an account
kenpit Vandweibthitinngertain Cleeffbills .lie
handwriting. Edgeley and Co. were iu the habit
of taking up Van Cleeff's bills, to which they or
Watts and Co. were liable. Ile could not say what
amount of Van Cleeff 's bills was taken up after the
latter became bankrupt. lle took them up at various
notaries, and went early in the morning to avoid
protesting, if possible. Before they were presented
they were taken up. As certain bills became due
others of the Maydampeck Forest Company were sub-
stituted in their place, signed in the first instance by
Dinelli, the then manager of the Forest, and in the
next by Devilliers, who succeeded him. Mr. Edge-
ley kept letter-books taken by a press, and witness
last saw them in October last. Those books could
not now be found. There was a ledger with a lock
to it, which was also now missing. The signature
of Devillers to the Maydampeck Forest bills was an
imitation by the defendant of the handwriting of
Devillers. On one occasion he saw the defendant
write the name " E. Devillers" to one of the May-
dampeck bins; that was some time in 1864. Wit-
ness afterwards reminded him of that, and the de-
fendant said "It's all right. Grant, keep your own
counsel."
By Mr. Sleigh, for the defence.--It was a com-
mon thing for the defendant to sign Deviller's name
to the bills, and he did not think it out of course,
knowing the close intimacy that existed between the