The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-28 00:00:00

in'ALLICI-ENC.V..-,.Sept. 27.

GUILIJHALL.-7-Thornas Stowell, the informer,
was summoned before Sir R. W..Carden to answer
the charge of Conspiring With others not ivatodv
to cheat and defraud Messrs. Lockhart any"
manufacturers, of Kirkaldy, in See:: .- inns,
-land, of goods
Whan
alleged
the to have been obte'-
...wed under false pretences.
- .
• case wag called on Stowell applied for
ati adjournment, as he had only received the sum-
late on the previous night, and was not pre-
pared With counsel to defend. him.
Mr. Lewis, jun., for the prosecution, objected,
inasmuch as he feared that any adjournment would
only he giving Stowell and his accomplices time to
get out of the way, and so frustrate the ends of
Justice.
Sir R. W. Carden said the application was ass-
reasonable one.
Mr. Lewis said he was preparaf, +- into the
case at once. If Stowell Is-
b: it custody his
t;
go
application could rm 4:, ' een
coon entertained with-
the diffiee'
out the case beiw- .
6
near/ His client would solve
•
—any at once by giving Stowell into cus-
tody.
Stowell was then taken to the police-station,
where the charge was entered in the regular form,
and when he returned he found his counsel, Mr.
Tindal Atkinson; had arrived, and asked for per-
mission to sit near his counsel, instead of being
placed in the felons' dock, and his request was ac-
ceded to,
Mr. Lewis having stated the facts of the case,
Louisa Dodgson deposed to the prisoner having
taken an office at No. 4, Angel-ccurt, Throgmor-
ton-street, about the 20th of July last, in the name
of " Thomas James Stevens," and to his having
the name of " T. J. Stevens and Co." painted up on
the doorpost. He occupied the room about five
weeks, and then went away without paying the
rent, and witness never sew llm after, She lever
'
kneW him iu any other name than Stev-
Mr, Moses Gregory, a Memehest, ‘ing.
warehouseman,
at 84, Minorio4 4ald—Al/".!,, two days before the
0,91 qt August last f)..,r,
re'.:son called on me, but not
wtth samples, and. '
the next day the prisoner, I
think; came ty himself. He said his name was
Stevens, that his office was at 4, Angel-court, Throg;
Marton-street, where he carried on business as a
general merchant, and that he had a parcel of
sacks or bags which he wished to dispose of. The
person, who appeared to be Stevens's clerk, showed
me a sample, but I do not think the prisoner did.
There were three different sorts of sacks, and I said
I would look at them in bulk, and if we came to
terms would buy them. On the following day he
brought the sacks, and left them with me to exa-
mine, and when he came again on the 13th I agreed
to buy the whole parcel, 600 in all. The price I
offered was 200 at sd. each, 200 at 7d. each, and
200 at 9d. each, which he accepted. The price of
the 600 sacks amounted to £l7 10s., which I paid
to the prisoner, and he made-out the invoice pro-
duced and signed the receipt at the same time in
my presence, in the name of "T. J. Stevens." I
had only known the prisoner about six weeks or
two months, but I certainly never knew his name
was Stowell. He has brought me other goods of a
similar description.
Cross-examined—As far as my memory serves
me I bought the goods in bulk without seeing a
sample first, and according to my judgment I gave
a price for them, one that would leave me a fa;se
profit. I got a very small profit on some of 43,,,em.
I bought them believing I was dealing with re-
spectable parties, or I should not have kought them
at all. I think I gave the current inarket price for
such goods. I should think £34, the price charged
by the manufacturer to Stevens, a very stiff price.
By Sir R. W. Carden—l have had only one
other transaction with Stowell besides this. The
goods I bought on this occasion consisted of sacks.
Stowell was introduced to me by an agent, but
whose name Ido not recollect. The baleh did not
appear to have been opened. They were in the
same state in which they had been sent out by the
manufacturer.
Sir R. W. Carden—And does it not strike you
that the difference between .£?4, the manufactu-
rer's wholesale price, and. £l7, the price you
bought them for, is very extraordinary ?
Witness--I do not think I got them remarkably
cheap. Those I bought at sd. each I sold for 7d.;
those at 7d, for 9d. ; and those at 9d. for 11d.
Mr. Jas. Birrell, agent to Messrs. Lockhart and
Sons, of Kitlealdy said—On the sth of August last
I called at the office, 4, Angel-coUrt, Throgmorton-
street, in consequence of a communication front my
principals, with samples of sacks of three different
prices. I saw a person there (not the prisoner
Stowell) who represented himself as Mr. Stevens.
I had left the patterns for them to look at on the
day previous, and when I called again Stevens
handed me a written order for 600 bags, which he
said were required for potatoes to be imported from
Hamburg, and that if they suited they would give
a much larger order next time. I forwarded the
order to Messrs. Lockhart and Sons, and on the
12th of August the goods arrived at the Irongate-
wharf. The terms agreed upon were cash in a
month with 21 discount. On the 17th of the same
month I went to the office in -Angel-court, and
found the' door locked and the office to let.• I
then went to Irongate-wharf, and found the goods
sere gone. I then went to No. 16, Bear-lane, an
office kept in the name of Richardson and Co., and
the clerk informed me that Stevens and Richard-
son had gone out together. I went to a house in
the neighbourhood, where I found Stevens, and
asked him for the money or the goods. He said
the goods were in his warehouse in. Thames-street,
and on my desiring to see if they had been sent
right, he said it was too late, as the.warehouse was
closed for the day and the man had gone home with
the key. 'He then appointed to meet me the next
day. He produced a bill tor £4O 125., which he
said they had received from a country customer,
and said he would give it to me if I would give him
the difference in cash between that amount and the
price of the goods, but I said. I had not enough
money to do so. Up to that time I had never seen
anything of Stowell. I proposed to Stevens to go
out and haVe a glass of, ale, so that I might intro-
duce Moss' the deteCtive officer, to him ; after which
we went back to Angel-court, where Moss told
Stevens he must either pay the money or give up
the goods. Stever s said they could have the goods
immediately. Moss then told Stevens that he had
know him thr years, and also knew that he was not
Stevens, as his right name was Joseph Clarkson.
He at first denied it, lnit afterwards admitted the
fact, and then appealed to a foreigner who was in
the room to give up the goods, but he refused to do
so until Stevens came. Moss then left with Clark-
son, and returned:shortly after with Stowell,- who
said the goods were shipped or about to be shipped,
and that he could not pay the whole of the money.
After some discussion he gave me .£5 in cash, and a
promissory note for £29 12s. at. 21 days, which on
falling due I presented, and it was dishonoured. I
had not the slightest knowledge at the time that the
goods had been sold in London at 50 per cent. below
cost price. The bill was drawn by me on Thomas
Stowell, and made payable at hits residence, 24, St.
George's-road, New Kent-road, Southwark. I have
seen him several times since atahis private house
and elsewhere, and he has promised to pay me, but
he has not done so. Stevens and Co. still occupy
the office in Angel-court, although it is to let.
They have also another office in the same name at
No. 12, Circus, Minories. Stowell gAse me that
address. -(-'34 12s. 6d. is a reasonable charge for
the goods in question, and it is, the regular trade
price for such goods all over the country.
Sir R. W. Carden—Did you make any inquiry
about Stevens and Co. ?
Witness—Yes ; but not until after they, got the
goods._

Sir H. W. Carden—That is not the usual way of
doing business.
Witness—No, sir; but my suspicions were not
aroused till afterwards.
John Mos z. city detective, was the next witness
examined. He had had to make a great many in-
quiries in connexion with the parties charged, and
held a warrant for the apprehension of one of them.
They are all connected. Stowell said he expected
£l,OOO worth of grapes from Hamburg, and that
as soon as he got them he would pay Mr. Birrell ih
full. Thera was a foreigner in the office, and it
was believed that these parties were connected with
others carrying on the same system at 40, Broad-
street-buildings, under the name of Palmer and Co.,
Wallis and Co., and a host of other commercial
aliases. If the prisoner were remanded he had no
doubt but that there would be other charges against

After some discussion Sir R. W. Carden decided
upon accepting two sureties in £25 each, and
Stowell's own ree9gnisances in £lOO, to appear on
Mondaynext. _ _

Stowell, not king prepared with hail, was then
removel, and ultimately conveyed in the prison van
to Novgate.