The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-29 00:00:00

LEE SUN, LONTiON, WEDNESDAY:

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-April 28.

MANSION-HOUSE.---Mr. Wm. Cockburn, a
newspaper proprietor, appeared before the Lord
Mayor, in answer to a summons which charged him
with having unlawfully and maliciously written,
printed, and published, a certain false and defama-
tory libel of and concerning divers persons trading
in the City under the firm and title of " The Bank
of London."

Mr. Bodkin, instructed by Messrs. Tyrrell,
Paine, and Co., solicitors to the Bank of London,
appeared for the prosecution.
The defendant had no legal adviser present, and
the hearing of the case was adjourned for half. an
hour, for the purpose of enabling him to procure
the attendance of his solicitor, who, however, did
not make his appearance during the proceedings.
Mr. Bodkin, in opening the case for the prosecu-
tion, said—My Lord Mayor, I appear before you,
instructed by the Bank of London, to make an ap-
plication that has been almost too long delayed.
This is a question not affecting the particular bank
in queat'on. But your lordship, and subsequently
a jury of the City of London, will have to say whe-
ther a system, base and unfounded in its nature,
carried on with peitinacity, the object of which is
to extort money from gentemen of character and
station, engaged in commercial enterprises of
great moment, is longer to be tolerated in a city
like London. It is known to 3 our lordship that this
case ccmes before you in consequence of the taking
into custody by one of your officers ofa lad, a child,
who was carrying about the City a placard similar
to these now before you. The lad could only be
considered an innocent instrument in the hands of
other persons, of some of whom we have informa-
tion which will induce me on this occasion to con-
fine the evidence that I shall lay before you to just
enough to justify the remand of the defendant, be-
cause we shall apply for process which will secure the
attendance here of another person, against whom we
have a charge of conspiracy to make, and the charge
then will be against that other person, whose name is
—, and the defendant, of wickedly conspiring by the
publication of false, defamatory, and malicious mat-
ters, to injure the credit of the Bank of London, on
behalf of the directors of which I to-day appear. In
order that you may understand this matter, it is
necessary that I should remind you of a case that
occurred just before you came into office, which was
inquired into by your predecessor, and in the course
of which it appeared that this person, of the name
of claimed to have some right or title to the
appellation =of "The Bank of London;" that he had
firet thought of the advisability of a bank in Lon-
Jon, to be called " The Bank of London," without
any knowledge at all that such an idea had occur-
red to any other individual. The gentlemen with
whom this bank originated formed and established
it, and I am happy to say that it is enjoying the
confidence of the public, and doing an amount of
business exceeding that of any other joint stock
bank during the time it has been in existence. It
haS been established ; but still, if a system of this
sort be permitted to go on uncontrolled, there is no
establishment of a commercial kind, where credit
is so importint, that can hope to outlive attacks of
this kind. , The person whose name I have men-
tioned imagined that he had some claim upon the
score of this pretended or real fancy of his own of
calling an institution the Bank of London, and he
brought an action against the directors of that bank
upon the subject of this claim. That action entirely
faded, the court holding that he showed no rightor
title whatever to maintain it. Ever since that time
attacks have been made upon this bank, and a per-
son was brought here who was considered by the
directors to have been an agent or an instrument
in the hands of these parties, and he was commi-
ted by your lordship's predecessor to the Central
Criminal Cum t, where he was indicted for attempt-
ing to extort money by threatening to make dis-
closurE a supposed to be capable of affecting the cre-
dit-of the bank. Upon the occasion of the trial
a course ofiproceeding was t ken of which, whether
right or wrong, I must take the so'e responsib:lity,
because the directors were no party to it ; but
it appearing to me th it lie was a young man who
had probably been mislel by other?, and he, through
his counsel, expressing contrition f.>r his m;scon-
duct, and promising not to repeat it, I did nut
press the charge against him, And he was permitted
to go at large. From the time of that trial those
annoyances have commenced and continued, and
at !ast they have arrive 1 at such a pitch that it is
necessary to put a stop to them. In a publication,
called the Joint Stock Companies Journal, articles
have appeared from time to time, with the sole
object of attacking and maligning this bank and
the individua'a who compose its di•erthon. I will
not trouble your lordship by going through them,
but will call your attention to one dated. the 18th
inst., which 'was being hawked about the City when
this lad was taken into custody. It appears that
there had been an article in a newspaper called the

Atlas, observing upon th's bank, and upon an ap

plication being Made to the publisher of that paper
by letter, t•ig-tied by Mr. Frith, a gentleman who
holds the oflice.of vice-chairman of the bank, that
paper very prory.rly inserted his letter, and made a
recantation awl apology for the errar that they had
beau led into in the obJervationq they had made.

Od the suns day appears the Joint Stock Com-
panies Journa!, dated the 18th April, and in which
this article :—" An article which appeared in
the last numict: of our excellent contemporary, the
Atlas, has, it seeing, raised the bile of the Board
of Directors of the Bank of London. The Vice-
Chairman, as he calls John Griffith
Frith, Esq., has addressed a letter to the Times
in defence of the moral charact,,r of his colleagues
in the direction, and of the chairtman, Sir John
Villiers Shelley, in particular. In our impression
of the 4th inst., we gave it as cur opinion that the
Bank of Loudon could not much longer afford to
treat milli° opinion with contempt; the letter above
referred to, which will be found in another column,
is a clear proof that our opinion was sound. Those
who are familiar with the circumstances attending
the antecedents of the Bank of London, which

have from time to time appeared in this journal,
can now form an opinion whether the parties
whose moral conduct has been denounced in
our columns are, or are no, capable of helping
themselves t-) the funds of the bank in the Manner
announced by the Aras, namely, Tilett the direc-
tors received advance, and were debtors to the
Bank of London, and the free ,11.';i2 of the names to
whom such advances' have been made at once at-
tests the public opinion that such a practice is radi-
cally unour:d.' The article from whence we quote
the ab.,ve goes on to ass-rt what we have over and
over again asserted—' That the men who se k t
become directors, in order to avail themselves of
their position to secure facilities of credit, denied
to them on their owu intrinsic meths, are not the
men to be retained in posi..iens of such command-
ing influence ;' and further, that confidence would

be felt, in fact, greater confidence cannot exist
whilst a baronet and a country gentl-man holds
the post,' and that it is time ' that a man of com-
mercial position was sought and a cared as chair-
man.' " It then goes on—" The worthy vice-chair-
man of the Bank of London r,pudiates and utterly
denies the above assertion respecting his col-
leagues." That is, that they help themselves to
the funds of this bank,. "but we belong to that'un-
sophisticated class of individuals who cling to the
old-fashioned axiom, that where, there is smoke
there must be fire.' Does any one in his senses
suppose that the respectable parties connected with
the Atlas newspaper would gratuitously have in-
serted so damaging an accusation with-cut having
good and solid grounds to justify them in drawing
public attention to the circums ances alluded to I
The public will do well to place in juxtaposition
the two assertions—tha one emanating from a pub-
lic journal, the dire::tors of which have a duty to
perform and an interest to maintain, and on
that account no doubt feel themselves justified
in holding up to scorn and contempt the conduct
of such as would endeavour t) impose on pub-
lic credulity. On the other hand, we have
the denial of an interested party, one whose,
public conduct and moral character is on trial,
and whose interest it is to prevent by every means
in his power the transactions of the board of direc-.
tors becoming known to the public." That is, in
reference to Mr. Frith's letter, which is in the same
paper, and which I will now read. This is ad-
dressed to the editor of the Times:—

" Bank of London, Threadneedle-street, Aug. 16.
" Sir,—A statement having appeared in the columns
of one of your weekly contemporaries (the Atlas) to the
effect that the directors of this bank are debtors to the
back, that they became directors in order to avail them-
selves of their position to secure facilities of credit denied
to them on their intrinsic merits, and connecting the
name of Sir J. Shelley with the statement, with the evi-
dent intention of leading the public to infer that he is
indebted to thia bank, I beg the favour of your afford-
ing ins the 'opportunity for the instant contradiction of
so false and injurious a statement.
" Sir J. Shelley is not indebted one shilling to this
bank ; on the contrary, the bank has a considerable
balance standing to the credit of his account ; and, with
respect to the unworthy motive attributed to the other
directors in joining the board, the beat reply will be that
no director of this bank has or 6ri have an advance upon
anything but first-class bills of exchange, or upon such
convertible security as would be readily taken by the
Bank of England or by any London banker.
" Sir John is not in town to-day, but I have felt it
due to him as a gentleman, arid also to the bank over
which he presides, to lee no time in contradicting so
unwarrantable a statement.—l have the honour to be,
sir, your very obedient servant, (Signed)
" JOHN GRIFFITH FRITH, Vice-Chairman."
No man living, I apprehend, can doubt that the ex-
tracts which I have read from the article are libel!ous
in the highest degree, and that no comm.ereill estab-

lish nicht can carry on business with ordinary safety, if
such publications- can be for a moment tolerated.
Now this affects to be the criticism of a person who
is one of those public instructors that claim the
right, I suppose, of expressing their opinion upon
everything and upon everybody. We go to Somer-
set-house to find out who is registered as the pro-
prietor of this publication. There is no entry what-
ever there of any owner at all, or of any proprietor.
We go the place where it is described as being
printed, and we there find a carpenter's shop, and
no account of the printer and publisher. Wo then
find that the defendant, who appears to be the
most active person in the dissemination of these
libels, has bean himself often to the bank in ques-
tion, soliciting, begging, and entreating that they
would give him the employment of inserting adver-
tisements in his newspaper, as he termed it, on ac-
count of the bank, and to pay him whatever was
usual for such insertions. His applications were re-
jected ; the bank would have no connexion at all
with either him or his publication. He has then in-
serted, without any authority from them, their ad-
vertisements, and that they could not help. When
he found Lis attempts to obtain money from them
unsuccessful he descended to the meanness of try-
ing to bribe the clerks at the bank by offering to
give them tickets for the theatres.
Defendant (interrupting)—l must call the gen-
tleman to order ; that is not so.

Mr. Bodkin—l am not stating a single circum-
stance that I am not in a condition fully to prove.
They afterwards resorted to the mode of getting
this paper printed and brought into the City, where
they employed these wretched toys to offer them
for sale to all the banks and mercantile houses in

Lombard..street. Boys were also sant with placards
similar to the one I hold in my hand, to stand at
the door of the bank, and to infest the public streets
and thoroughfares of the metropolis. A great many
people (and I was one of them) thought that this con-
duct might betreated withcontempt, but public credit
is so remarkably delicate a subject, and there are so
many persons who unhappily at the present day in con-
sequence of thefa;lureofbanking establishments, are
alive to the most contemptible suggestions against
tl.e credit of any 'such establishment, that it has •
been endeavoured at last to put down by the strong
arm of the law a system which is infamous, and
which it would be a disgrace to any civilised coun-
try if their laws for a moment permitted it to con-
tinue. That is the case which I now propose to
establish. With respect to Mr. —, -as our evi-
dence against him has only just reached us, I can-
not go into the charge of conspiracy, but I shall
prove sufficient to justify your lordship in calling
upon the defendant to find bail fir his appearance
on a future day, and then I hope to have Mr.
here for conspiring with the defendant to extort
money from the back.
Frederick Simms was then sworn, and said—l
reside with my father, at 25, Holler-street, Clare-
market. lam 13 years old, and have been in the
employment of the defendant from 9 to 12 months.
My wages were 3s. per week. The defendant lives
at 38, Clarendon-street, Kent-street, Borough.
Yesterday I was carrying a placard swung over my
neck, when I was taken iuto custody. Tne defen-
dant met me by appointment at the Royal Ex.
changed and told me to walk up and down Thread-
needle-street till he saw me again. He gave me at
tke same time about a hundred copies of the Joied
Stock Companies Journal, and told me to go into
all the banks in Lombard street, and try to sell
them ; but I did not go into the banks, not liking
to do so. I gave the defendant ss. 10d. that I had
received from the sale of the papers. They were
dated the 18th instant. The journal is printed s.t
Mr. Muir's, 274, Strand. I used to take proofs
from the compositors to Mr. Lawson's at 51, St.
Mary-axe. Mr. Graham, in New-street-square,
was the printer of the journal at one time. Mr.
Lawson, after correcting the proofs gave theta
to me to return to the printer. The defendant,
whom I used to sea at Mr. Graham's, gave me
orders to take the proofs to Mr. Lawson. I was La
the habit of delivering copies of the paper at the
different ba'iks and insurance offices. I told the
defendant that the London Joint Stock Bank did
not want any more papers, and would not pay for
them ; and the following morning he toll me to
leave them without being paid for them, and I did
so. I have seen the defendant speaking to Mr.
Lawson in the street, but I have not seen them a
good deal together.
Joseph Rogers—l live at No. 0, Plough-court,
Whitechapel. The defendant came up to me at
the corer of Threadneedle street, and offered me

a quantity of the numbers of the Joint-Stock Corn-
panics Journal of the 18th inst. to sell, and told
me he would give me a halfpenny for each copy .1
sold. I objected to a halfpenny as being too small
a remuneration, upon which he agreed to give Die
a penny. I 801 l copies in Gracechurcla street, Fen-
church-sitreet, and round the Bank. I was selling
the papers when an officer took me into custody.
Mr. Bodkiu here asked for a remand.

The defendant said he was neither the printer
nor the publisher of the newspaper, and that a

great deal that Mr. Bodkin hafstated had nothing
whatever to do with the ease. He was a news-
paper went and a canvas;er for advertisements,
and had been in the habit of sJuding the news-
papers out for sale by regular newsvendo. s.
The Lord Mayor reminded the defendant that
the time had not arrived for his defence, and ad-
vised him to consult his solicitor before making any
further statement.
The defendant was then called upon to enter into
his own recognisances in the sum of 1001. to a.ppeis
ou a future day, which he did and left the court.

GUILDHALL.—Mr. Abbott, a fruiterer, in
Gracechurch-street, applied t 3 Alderman Hum.-
phery for his advice. He complained that, having
inves;te.l about 30i. in the Metropolitan and Gene-
ral Benefit Building society, whose office is in
Fenchurch-street he gave notice about eighteen
months ago to withdraw it, and notwithstanding
repeated applications since, he had not been able
to get his money back.

Alderman Ifumghery directed Mr. Roe, the
summoning officer of the court, to inquire into the
matter, and in consequence of an application made
by him to the society, Mr. White, the secretary,
atttnded yesterday, with the view of explaining
the cause of the delay in paying Mr. Abbott's
cla;m.

Alderman. Humphery—Now, Mr. Abbott, just
sta'e your complaint in the presence of Mr. White.
Mr. Abbott—l deposited about 301. with, the
Metropolitan and General Benefit Building Society,
and upon apply.ng to withdraw that amount about
seventeen or eighteen months ago, I was told by
the secretary that 1 a0u.141 have it in a few weeks ;
but I have not yet been able to get it. •
Alderman Humphery—Well, Mr. White, what
is the reason you did not pay Mr. Abbott's claim ?
Mr. White—This is an enrolled mutual society,
and the rule,, which have been certified by Mr.
Tidd Pratt, do not allow any one member to claim
any advantage over the others. The complainant
wants his money out of his turn, against the rules
Which have been made for tho guidance of the
members ; and his •claim cannot, therefore, be
entertained until there are funds to enable us to
pay him off. This society is in the same position
as many others that have been suddenly called
upon to repay money that had been advanced by
depositors.
A' chrman Humphery—What is the total amount
of subscriptions you have received iu this society ?
Mr. White—About 20,0001., and during the last
twelve months the society has paid out about
2,0001. td members, and Mr. Abbott will receive
lus money, withinterest, in due time ; but there
aro 84 on the list before 'him, and that number
will require about 1,1001. to pay off.
Alderman numphery—What interest do you
pay ?
Mr. White-51. Be. 6d. per cent., which is equal
to 5 per cent. for 13 months instead of 12. Some
of the claims lately paid off amount to 3001. and
4001. each.

Alderman Humphery—Can the members with-
drat when they like
Mr. White—Yes, sir, but when so many mem-
bers withdraw at one time they must take the funds
at hand as far as they will go, for it would not do
for us to borrow money while the rate is so high,
and pay 7 or 8 per cent, for it to repay money for
which we are only getting 5 per cent.
Alderman Humphery—Well, Mr. Abbott, if you
bare to wait for your principal, you get your inte-
rest upon it.

Mr: Abbot—l have never had any interest yet.
Mr. White—The interest is added to the princi-
pal, so that when the funds will permit it he will
be paid in full. Mr. Abbott's claim is only about
331., inclu'ling interest, and as soon as the rate of
money is easier we shall borrow money and pay him
off.

Alderman Humphory_What security have you
to offer in borrowing money ?
Mr. White—Mortgages and title deeds held as
security for loans to members in the shape of ad-
vanced shares.

Alderman Humphery—l do not understand this
balance-sheet you have produced. Perhaps you
will explain the items. How much do you owe ?
Mr. White—Our liabilities on the Ist of January
were about 4,0001., and we have security by mort-
gage to the amount of 13,0001. representing the
shares advanced. We only owe 4,0001. to mem-
bers, and 6,0001. to bankers, solicitors, and others
for loans.
Alderman Humphery—But do you part with
your mortgages for these loans, or what security do
you give, for bankers will not lend money without 7
• Mr. White—We retain all the mortgage deeds in
our own possession, and our directors borrow money

upon their notes, joint and severa 1, for which they
are 41 personally responsible.
Alderman Hu mphery—Ho w raw • members have
withdrawn from the society? _ _

Mr. Wh;te—About 306, and v. To have paid as
much as 6,0001. in that way.
Alderman Humphery—Have you. money enough
to pay off all the members ?
Mr. White—Certainly not, sir,
rowing.
Mr. Martin (the chief clerk)—Are y ou in a posi-
tion to realise your securities mad . pay all the
members ?

-without bor-

Mr. White—No sir. The money is i all let out
and well invested, but we cannot at pi .esent 0311 it
in because it is lent to members for a b arm of years
and we cannot coerce them•into paym e nt, and that
is the reason we are obliged to borr, ) w to pay off
these claims.

Alderman Humphery—Well, Mr. A.bbott, I am
afaid I cannot assist you in getting your money.
Mr. White says you shill be pai I with. interest, but
you must wait patiently until your tura comes
round and they have the funds.

Mr. White-131r. Abbott knows th rules have
been sanctioned by the 'members, 4I: ad this case
ought never to have been brought here ..—The par-
ties then withdrew.

MARLBOROUGH- STREET.—Ja: a Les Harriso
described as a gentleman, was charged / rith ringing,
bells iu Jermyn-street.
The constable on duty saw the do. *fondant and
four other gentlemen ringing the d,i ferent door
bells in Jermyn-street. He succeeded I; a taking the
defendant, who was ordered to enter it 'to his own
recognisance to keep the peace for oue i nonth.
Frederick Thompson was chargel w tth embezzl-
ing considerable sums of money lad): nging to the
Ottoman Club, 14, Regent-street.
The prisoner was olerk to the dal 3, and he was
charged with receiving ono amount f from the mar-
kers of the billiard rooms, and payin g over to the
manager a less sum than he received.
Remanded till Tuesday.
From Mr. Peter Pickwick, the half of a 51. note
has been received for the poor-box. ,

LAMBETH. —Alfred Strickland, a chemist,
'No. 13, BolinAroke-rosy, Walwort; h-rofid, and
who is a married man with a family, was brought
befora Mr. Elliott on a charge of i e .decently. as-
saulting William Rider, a boy of 14 y oars.
Remanded.

WANDSWORTH.—Miss Susam Lah Phillips,
the daughter of a declared lunatic, ws a i summoned
before Mr. Ingham, as the owner 4: f a field in
Wandsworth in which a fair is ususl/ y holden on
Whit-Monday and the two following d ays, without
lawful authority.
An attorney attended on behalf of .TV liss PhiMO,
as the committee of her father's propel •ty.
Mr. S. Fenn, the superintendent of the V divi-
sion, said he was directed by Sir Richa rd Mayne to
proceed against the defendant, for tl e purpose of
obtaining his worship's order against the holding
of the annual fair on Whit-Monday and the two
following days. The fair was held in a field ad-
joining the ralway station, and the occupier was
the defendant.

The attorney said Miss Phillips ' was not the
occupier. The field was let to a mat named Cox
for the whole of the year, with the ex ;eption of the
t;lrae days during the holding of th e fair. The
occupation ceased at that time, and /vas again re-
let when the fair was over.

Mr. Fenn said he had seen Miss Phillips, and
she had told him that she did not it itend to offer
any opposition to the fair now bein g held. She
also said that an offer had been made to her for the
holding of the fair, and she was glad . that she had
received the information in time. S 1 to further said
her father Wit 3 a lunatic, and that las' t year the fair
was conducted by one of their own au .en.
Mr. Ingham asked the attorney t i he had any
proof to show that the fair was lit d.d by lawful
authority?
The attorney said he wished to el :plain that a
commibsion of lunacy had been he ld upon Mr.
Phillip, who had been declared a :lunatic. The
daughter had been appointed by tb o committee,
and the question would ,arisa whetht :r his worship
had the power of making the order„ without the
consent of the Lord Chancellor.

Mr. Ingham said that would c,el:tainlv raise a
doubt as to the legality of an order
The attorney begged to be uncr( trstood that he
did not oppose the suppression of the fair. The
committee was placed in an awkwayi I position. She
had rendered one account in whi' i appeared the
sum of 551. for the holding of this fair. If it was
now abolished, that sum would be deficient in the
next year's accounts, • and the Lord Chancellor
would say that she ought not to :hi ave disposed of
the property without his cousen';.. The luna'ic
might recover and would say that I L's property had
not been disposed of to the best „a, ivantage. He
(the attorney) had books to show t h at the fair had
beeti held for the last 100 years, artCt
.was formerly
held in the High-street.
Mr. Ingham said he should dismi st r the summons,
and the police could apply to the La rd Chancellor.
Mr. Fenn was afraidthere was not sufficient time.
The summons was accordingly dis. missed. •