The Sun.
London, England, 1835-12-25 00:00:00

COMMISSION OF LUNACY.

A Commission of Lunacy was held yesterday at the
Gray's Inn Coffee-house, before Commissioners PHILLI-
MORE, WINSLOW, and BLUNT, to inquire into the state of
mind of an elderly gentleman named John Benison.
Mr. HOGGINS, in support of the Commission, stated that
Mr. Benison, in the early part of his life, was a solicitor ;
but on receiving his patrimonial estate, he quitted the pro-
fession, and travelled to various parts of the Continent. On
his return to this country, he took a house at North Bank,
Regent's Park, where he resided till the close of last year.
About that time he exhibited an aberration of mind, and he
was then, by the advice of a physician, removed to Rich-
mond, and from thence to a friend's house at North Parade,
Chelsea. During his residence at both those places, he ap-
peared to be labouring under unsoundness of mind.
Dr. Lambe, of Highgate, had been acquainted with
Mr. Benison 25 or 30 years. In July, 1832, witness at-
tended him on the occasion of his having received a severe
fall. He then resided at North Bank. Up to that time
he was in a sound state of mind. He had allow on the
head from the fall, which had produced a serious wound,
and caused considerable injury to the brain. The illness
was attended with some aberration of mind, but he reco-
vered from it. In the spring of 1833, he visited at wit-
ness's house, and remained there three months. He then
seemed to have a constant irritation of the brain, and his
spirits were depressed. He attended principally to his own
affairs about that time ; and in July, 1834, he drew a check
upon Messrs. Childs, his bankers, for 4001., the purport of
which witness certified in a written certificate. Mr. Benison
was capable of understanding. Witness saw him on Mon-
day last. He was then perfectly insensible to every thing
around him. He seemed to know witness, but that was
the extent of his knowledge. Witness considered that his
mind was unsound, and that he was not in the slightest de-
gree able to manage his own affairs. The disease had been
comity, on slowly and gradually. During the whole of this
year he had been perfectly incompetent to manage his own
affairs. From the commencement of 1834, witness did not
consider that Mr. Benison had been capable to manage his
own affairs. _ _

This assertion that Mr. Benison had been unable to
manage his own affairs since the commencement of 1834,
led to some inquiry by the Jury why Dr. Lambe had signed
a certificate, which sanctioned the payment of Mr. Beni-
son's draft for 4001., in July, 1834, when he knew that he
had been in an unsound state of mind since the commence-
ment of that year.
Dr. Lambe explained that in some part of the day Mr.
Benison was better than in the other part. The check fur
400/. was intended for a member of Mr. Deoison's family,
and the circumstances under which it was drawn were of a
delicate nature.

A Juror asked Dr. Lambe how he could consistently
swear to the truth of the certificate, written in July, 1834,
when he knew that Mr. 'Benison had laboured under un-
soundness of mind from the commencement of that year ?
Dr. Lambe said that the check was read to Mr. Benison
before he signed it ; he knew the amount it was for ; he
knew that it was drawn in favour of his sister, and he said
he hoped it would answer her purpose. He (Dr. Lambe)
could therefore swear to the truth of the certificate.

Vv
Dr. Dowler, and Mr. J. Smith, surgeons, of Richmond,
confirmed the preceding evidence.
Mr. Benison was then introduced to the Commissioners
and Jury. A few very plain questions were put to him,
but his mind appeared to be so completely gone that he was
incapable of understanding them.
The Jury returned a verdict, finding that he was of un-
sound mind, and that he had been in that state since the
Ist of January last.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.

A young man named Thomas Leonard, who, it is said, is
respectably connected; was brought before the LORD
MAYOR, charged with having committed forgeries.
Mr. Bush, the solicitor to the Committee of Bankers,
attended for the prosecution. He stated that Messrs.
Stuckey, the Bankers of Bristol, received on the Ist of
September a letter, of which the following is a copy, con-
taining a bill purporting to be the acceptance of Mr. W. F.
Geach, of Pont-y-Pool, Monmouthshire, solicitor, whom
they knew, for the sum of nineteen pounds.
" London, September 1, 1835.

- .
" GENTLEMEN,-1 should feel obliged by your discounting
the inclosed acceptance for 191., and after you have deducted
interest, &c., please to inclose and forward by return of post
a check or an order on one of the banking-houses in this city,
directed as under, and you will oblige, Gentlemen, your obe-
dient servant, "THOMAS BAKER."
" Thomas Baker, 116, Fore-street, Cripplegate."
" August 24, 1835.
" Two months after date pay to my order 191. value re-
ceived, " W. WILLIAMS.
" Accepted, W. F. Goad], Pont-y-Pool. Payable at
Messrs. Stuckey and Co.'s, bankers, Bristol."
The bill was discounted at Messrs. Stuckey's ; after
which other attempts were made, which, however, did not
prove successful.
Mr. John Stuckey Reynolds, of Haverstock-hill, Hamp-
stead, deposed that he was a partner in Messrs. Stuckey's
banking house.. He received advice in London on the 2d
of September that the bill for 191. had been discounted.
Mr. Thomas Greenway, of Pont-y-Pool, Monmouthshire,
clerk to Mr. Geach, solicitor, had known the prisoner four
or five years, and was well acquainted with his hand-
writing, having often seen him write. Witness believed
the aavementioned letter and four others produced by Mr.
Bush to be in the handwriting of the prisoner.
Joseph Dismes Minson, cashier at Curtis's, paid the
check on the 3d of September in a 10/. note, No. 1,058,
July 3, 1835 ; a 51., No. 10,729, July 3, 1835 ; and
31. 15s. cash.

Mr. Greenway never saw writing more like the pri-
soner's than that in the check.
Jacob Korn, a broker residing at No. 76, Turnmill-
street, Clerkenwell, said that the prisoner took a lodging
at his house about six months ago in the name of Leonard.
About two days before Bartholomew fair the prisoner
asked him for change of a 101. note, and said' that he
would pay what he owed witness out of it. Witness pro-
cured change for 'the 101. note now produced. The pri-
soner left his house on Monday fortnight in debt 6/. While
in witness's house the prisoner received several letters which
appeared from the post mark to come from Pont-y-Pool.
John Parker, landlord of the Turk's Head public house,
Turnmill-street, Clerkenvvell, changed a 101. note for the
last witness, whose name he wrote upon it. Witness never
before changed a note for him.
The wife of Korn changed the 5/. note No. 10,729 for
the prisoner, and wrote his name on the back of it.
Mr. Bush said,
that on the 18th of September the pri-
soner wrote another letter to Messrs. Stuckey, signed
Thomas Thomas, inclosing a bill for 1401., and calling
himself a hop-merchant, of No. 68, St. John-street, Smith-
field. The bankers, however, refused to discount that bill,
and returned it. On the sth of December, the prisoner
wrote to Messrs. Jones and Blowitt, bankers, at Newport,
Monmouthshire, as Mr. John Jerran, requesting that they
would have the goodness to forward by return of post a
check or order on a London banking-house, for the amount
of a promissory note for 46/., drawn by Mr. Kenrick, and
endorsed by Andrew Williams. The firm, however, dis-
covered that the bill was a forgery, and sent it to Mr. Jer-
ran. Again, on Dec. 11, the prisoner wrote to Messrs.
Stuckey, to discount a bill for 34/., addressed to Thomas

Morgan,--122.; Lower-Thames-street, where soon aftewaras
the prisoner.was apprehended. .
Roe, the officer, apprehended the prisoner at No. 122,
Lower Thames-street, a coffee-shop, where he (prisoner)
called for. a letter.
The prisoner was remanded.