The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-13 00:00:00

RACING FIXT'

Doncaster Spring l7
Shrewsbury 17
Salisbury l9
Ludlow ..19

Chelmsford
Beverley, Hull, and E.R 8
Hungerford
Ascot 14
Manchester l5
Hampton 22

0 CT,

OBER.

Richmond
:4 I
Bedford 8 1

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.)

OLD COURT.

(Before Mr. Justice Crowder and Mr. Baron Channel
THE WAGNER FORGERIES.

Andrew Foster, hatter ; William Wynn Bramwell,
dealer; Robert Humphreys, jeweller; and William Wagner,
agent, were charged with fraud.
Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Sleigh, and Mr. Giffard conducted the
prosecution on behalf of the Bankers' Association for the
Prevention of Fraud and Forgery ; Mr. Metcalfe defended
Foster ; Mr. Doyle defended Bramwell ; Mr. Tindal Atkin-
son defended Humphreys ; and Mr. Ribton appeared for
Wagner.
The principal witness examined this morning was
William Whitehead Chandler, who said—l am a prisoner in
Newgate. I was convicted at last sessions of several charges
of forgery, on my own confession. I know the prisoner Wag-
ner, and became acquainted with him in about May, 1857—it
might have been April. I know a man named Horton Bate-
man. They occupied a house in York-buildings, Adelphi,
for some time, which Wagner rented. " Bateman and
Co., Law, Parliamentary, and General Stationers," was
painted on the blinds. I was clerk to them from Septem-
ber, 1858, till the day I was apprehended, on the Ist of
February last. In November I saw the cheque (produced)
on Messrs. Drummond for £440, purporting to be signed by
George Wilton Chambers. I saw it in York-buildings.
I had previously seen a similar cheque for a like amount.
This was brought by a man named Kirk, and I knew it to
be a forgery, It was given to Wagner. Several copies
were made by myself and Bateman in Wagner's pre-
sence. I made the forged cheque :now in question. I
know a man named Jones, who used to come continually
from October last. Bateman and Wagner made an
application to Jones to find a man to cash the cheque,
and he found one accordingly—a young man named
Glendinning, and an arrangement was made in the presence
of Wagner that Jones should advertise, and I wrote an
answer to meet me at the Sabloniere, Leicester-square, and
I met him, walked some 200 yards with him, and gave him
a cheque in a pocket-book. Bateman and Wagner were
watching my proceedings. I told him to go to Drummond's
and present it, and I returned to York-buildings. Jones
brought the £440 in bank notes within half an hour. I
went out to meet Wagner and Bateman, who had missed.
Jones, but did not succeed, and returned and found them at
the office, and we all went, into the City together and the
notes were changed ;,ong for £4O, by Bateman, at Vaughan'.,
bullion dealer, and I took one to Knightsbridge for £lOO, and
got Scotch notes for it. When all were changed Wagner gave
Jones 110 sovereigns to be divided between him and Glen-
dinning. I had £7O, and Wagner and Bateman the rest. The
cheque brought by Kirk was returned, with the mark " No
effects" upon it. I had an uncle in Poland-street. Mr.
George Whitehead and he banked at the Union Branch,
Argyle-place, and the prisoners had from me the informa-
tion of the balance he had in his pass-book. Glendinning
was sent for it, and Wagner received and brought it to
York-buildings, and the next day I saw the cheque now
produced for £250, dated Ist December, 185 E, on the
Union Bank. Glendinning was to present the same, and
Bateman to be at the bank with a cheque of his own for
£5, he keeping an account of his own there. Soon after
Bateman came to York-buildings with the news that Glen-
dinning was in custody, and Wagner came in shortly after-
wards. Mr. Whitehead's pass-book, which up to then had
been in the back office, was thrown behind the fire, and
we all entered into a subscription for Glendinning's de-
fence. A brief was prepared at York-buildings, and a
woman was to be employed to convey the money and the
brief to the attorney employed, and I afterwards heard that
this had been done. I recollect a proposition was made for
a loan by a person named Croker, and Dr. Jones was to be
security to Bateman and Co. Dr. Jones wrote, and his
signature was copied to the cheque produced, but I do not
recollect by whom. I think by a Frenchman. I changed
the notes obtained for the cheque, which was for £250, in
the City, at Massy's, and gave the notes to Wagner, re-
ceiving £4O for my share. Humphreys was engaged in
this transaction, and the rest of the money was divided
between them. The cheque for £375, produced, on the
City branch of the Union Bank I know to be a for-
gery. The £3OO note produced is part of the proceeds
of that forgery. I know it by my own handwriting on it. I
saw Bateman go into the bank for the cash, Wagner and I
remaining outside. Bateman, on coming out, gave me
some Bank of England notes, which I changed at Spiel-
man's, Lombard-street, for French money, part paper and
part gold ; one of these notes was for 1,000 francs, and
Bateman, I believe, changed it for English money at
Smart's, who gave the £4O cheque produced, and he gave
that cheque to Wagner, Bateman having in our presence
made a copy of it. It was made upon tracing paper.
Shortly afterwards a blank form of cheque for the forgery
was brought to York-buildings by Humphreys. It had no
stamp upon it at the time. A die was made at
York-buildings by us all in plaster of paris and
afterwards in metal, and that was used for stamping
the cheque in question. It then represented a
cheque for £270, purporting to have the signature
" Edward Kneller Smart," and an arrangement was then
made with Jones, who said he knew a person named Bram-
well, who was in charge of an empty house, and he would
present it, and to protect him, a letter should be written to
him from some one in the name of Wilson, about taking
the house. The letters produced were those written for the
purpose. (Put in and read). The first, dated Jan. 9th,
1859, and the second, Jan. 20th, professing to enclose a
cheque for £270, and saying the writer (Wilson) would call
for the balance, over £2O, for the fixtures of the house, which
had been asked for. There was, however, no cheque sent.
I posted one of these letters, I believe the last, and Jones
the following morning met Wagner near the Nelson
Column, where Bramwell was td pass, in order that Wagner

fight see him. I afterwards returned to York-buildings,
and Wagner and Bateman came in about 12 o'clock, and
Jones followed, and said an officer had been seen to go to
Bramwell's house with him from the bank. A doubt was
raised, and Wagner said Jones and Bramwell were conspir-
ing to rob him of his regulars, and he would go and see for
himself, and Jones agreeing, he went with Wagner to re-
connoitre the house, and on his return he said he had seen
a strange man smoking a pipe at the window.
Cross-examined—Many robberies I have perhaps been
concerned in, and, with ,Wagner's suggestion, have been
robbing the bankers as much as I could. I have not been
yet sentenced, though convicted. I make this known because
I think it for the best. I do expect a mitigation of punish-
ment, but cannot say what will be done in my case.
The case was proceeding when we went to press.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
Anthony Gattenby and William Vale were found guilty
of unlawfully conspiring together to obtain of Edward Gar.
renton the sum of £5 with intent to defraud.
Vale was sentenced to 18 months, and Gattenby to 6
months, in the House of Correction.

THIRD COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)

Henry Humbury was found guilty of feloniously cutting
and wounding Charles Humbury with intent to do him
some grievous bodily harm.. He was sentenced to two
months' imprisonment.

It appears by the accounts from Vienna that the
unsecured creditors of the banking-house of Arnstein and
Eskeles are likely to receive but a very poor dividend,
some of the best assets, to the amount of nearly £400,000,
having been pledged to the National Bank. The losses will
fall principally upon the connexions of the establishment
throughout the Austrian provinces. In London the firm
have no unsecured debts of any importance.:l
FIRE IN DRUItY-LANE.—Last night, between the
hours of nine and ten o'clock, a..fire broke out in the pre-
mises belonging to Mr. Andrews, a wholesale toy dealer,
54, Great Wylde-street, Drury-lane. It appears that Mrs.
Andrews went to the upper warehouse to get some 315
and whilst
a customer, taking with her a lighted candle,
selecting what she wanted some light e
igoaskailakerile
e the
candle, and in the course of a few Millit" the- wilt)ll as the
upper warehouse became enveloped in flames, "wth landing. The fire was not extinguished untilupper
warehouse was burned out, d the roof off,
and the lower part
of
athe building and the-contents severely ortaied by
w