The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-17 00:00:00

FORGERY AT THE BANK.

The discovery of a forgery on the Bank of England
for 8,000/. has been a matter of general conversation
since the event occurred; and as the chief party im-
plicated is a clerk in the Bank of England, it naturally
turns the attention of practical men to the working of
a system by which facilities are offered to persons
connected with the Bank to effect such extensive
frauds. It would be throwing a doubt on the cha-
racter of a body of the most deserving and assiduous
men, the Bank clerks, to suppose that because in one
case such a fraud has been perpetrated that others
will follow; but nevertheless it is quite necessary that
the Directors, in future regulations, should endeavour
to do away with the plan of identification by Bank
clerks, which, in the present case, has caused all the
mischief. The following is understood to be the
manner in which Burgess, the Bank clerk, and his
accomplice effected the fraud. The former, by his
intimate acquaintance with the Bank books, found
that a stockholder of many years standing, Mr. Wil-
liam Oxenford, of the Long Room, Custom-house,
had a large amount of money in Consols, and having
obtained leave of absence for a few days, it was during
this interval that the forgery was executed. Having
obtained this knowledge it seems he obtained a party,
his accomplice, to represent the bond fide holder of
the stock, and they proceeded to the Bank, and there
effected a transfer of 8,200/., Burgess identifying his
friend as a holder, and hence lulling suspicion. Directly
they obtained the stock, they sold it at the current
market price, and changed the notes they received
into gold, which in equal divisions of 4,0001. was de-
posited in a carpet bag, and taken away in aca by
the accomplice. It was not till the absence of Bur-
gess continued beyond his appointed time that a doubt
entered the mind of his fellow-clerks of the legitimacy
of the transaction, but when inquiries were made for
him and he could not be found, the matter was in-
vestigated and the result ascertained. The culprits
having had a week's start of the officers, there is every
reason for supposing that they embraced the oppor-
tunity for a Transatlantic trip, and up to the present
time no clue has been discovered of their retreat, al-
though rumours from day to day have been circulated
on the subject. So barefaced a fraud was never before
committed, and the Slack conspiracy, notwithstanding
its organisation was of a more complicated and inge-
nious character, was nothing to compare to the
effrontery with which this forgery was carried out.
The Directors of the Bank, it is understood, will in
future not allow clerks to identify, but strictly en-
force comparison of signature, and take the word of
the broker, who will be made to suffer the loss in
case of forgery or fraud following. It is said Bur-
gess was originally introduced into the Bank by two
of the Directors, who knowing his father to be an
honest, industrious man, felt inclined to serve him
and his family, and became sureties for the youth to
the extent of 1,000/. This amount, of course, they
will have to pay. The remainder will be made up
from what is tprmed " the Clerks' Fund," which is
specially raised by general subscription yearly, ac-
cording to the amount of salaries paid, for the liqui-
dation of such losses.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.

Susan Parry, 32, described as a widow, was in-
dicted for unlawfully concealing the birth of her ille-
gitimate child. There were two counts in the indict-
ment; the first charged that the infant was born dead,
and the second that it was born alive.

The jury returned a verdict of Guilty upon the
first count, and the Recorder having directed that the
verdict should be so especially entered, sentenced the
prisoner to be kept to hard labour for six months.
Some other cases were disposed of, but they were
of an uninteresting description, and the Court ad-
journed at five o'clock.
NEW COURT.

(Before Mr. BULLOCK and Alderman HOOTER.)
EMBEZZLEMENT.— William Burt was placed.at the
bar, charged with embezzling various sums of money
which he received as collector of the poor-rate for the
parish of St. John and St. Margaret, Westminster.
The first count of the indictment charged him with
having on the 18th of December received 2/. 12s. 6d.
by virtue of his employment as servant to the church-
wardens and vestry of the parish of St John the
Evangelist, which he did not account for, and on the
20th March a further sum of 11. 2s. 6d., and on the
25th March a further sum of 2/. 12s. 6d. There
were other counts charging him with having received
the money as a clerk.
Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Bodkin conducted the pro-
secution ; Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Iluddlestone de-
fended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner was employed to
collect the poor-rates of the parishes of St. John and
St. Margaret, Westminster, in 1843. It had been
discovered, in consequence of the money received not
having been paid in to the Bank, that there was some-
thing wrong in the accounts of the prisoner, and upon
inquiry it was found that he had received over 5001.
which he was unable to pay. The prisoner disap-
peared, but was discovered at Gravesend, and was
brought before the magistrates, when he said " he
was afraid it was but too true." It seemed it was
the duty of the prisoner to account for the money he
received every week after he received it, but in the
account which he handed in there was no credit given
for the sums of money mentioned in the indictment.
With regard to two of the sums of money the
prisoner owned that he received them, when his
attention was called to them, though he did not insert
them in the account.

Counsel, on behalf of the prisoner, admitted the
facts, but contended that the offence did not amount
to embezzlement.

The points raised having been ruled against them,
Several witnesses were called, who gave the pri-
soner a good character for honesty and integrity up
to the present charge.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, but recom-
mended him to mercy on account of his previous
good character.—Sentence was deferred.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(YESTERDAY.)
CLERKENWELL.

Edward Reynolds, a greengrocer, was charged with
furious driving, whereby a horse, value thirty guineas,
the property of Mr. John Bell, a livery-stable keeper,
was killed.

It appeared that on Saturday night the prisoner
was driving along the Holloway-road at a furious
pace in a one-horse cart, when the complainant's driver,
who was driving a similar vehicle, saw him coming to-
wards him, and called to him to get upon his own side
of the road. The prisoner took no notice, and the left
shaft of his "drag" penetrated the chest of Mr:tell's
horse, and the poor animal fell down dead. The pri-
soner drove on, but was soon after taken into custody
by a policeman.
The prisoner was fined 121. and the costs, o 4 three
months imprisonment in the House of Correction.
We have been requested to acknowledge the receipt
of the following sums by the magistrate at this Pourt
for the relief of Charles Sinunons, whose case ap-
peared in The Sun of Friday last :—" D. 1, p.,
11. ; "H. M. C.," Is. ; " Postea," 1/. ; " 1/. ;
" Lawyer's Clerk," 11. ; " J. C.," 2/. ; "W. L,'," 1/. ;
and " Q.," 11. In additions to these sums, Simmons
had requested the Reporter to state that he has him-
self received, at his own lodgings, 6, Pearson-street,
Kingsland-road, 41.55. 6d., in various sums, froth be-
nevolent ladies and gentlemen who refused aleave
any name, and for all of which he is deeply grateful.
It will be gratifying to the donors to hear that] upon
strict inquiry, Simmons's character and condition
fully justifies and deserves the humane exertions that
have been made in his behalf.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
A respectably-dressed French woman, named Adele
Dupier, was charged before Mr. Maltby with having
robbed her employer to a considerable extent. '-
It appeared, that the prisoner was shopwoman to
Mr. Ignace Van Bever, importer and retailer of
French shoes, 42, Burlington-arcade. The prose-
cutor had taken her into his service for the second
time in the early part of the summer, since which
time he had missed a great many pairs of shoes,
which were in no way accounted for to him. In
order to ascertain the exact amount of his loss he re-
solved on taking stock, when he found bgtween
eighty and ninety pairs unaccounted for. Van Bever
had some slight suspicion of his shopwoman, and he
questioned her upon the subject, when she admitted
that she had pawned some shoes, and told prostcutor
that he had told her to do it. This he denied, and
gave her into custody. It, ha.d, since been found out
pawned, for 117
that upwards of 140 pairs naa been

of which she had the duplicates. On the 29th of
August, twenty-nine pairs were pledged, the dupli-
cates of which were found on the prisoner when
searched at the station-house.
The prisoner, on being asked what she had to say-
to the charge, stated that in the same arcade, No. 54,
lived one Rebecca Cook, who kept a shoe-shop, and.
and who had been shopwoman to Van Bever, and he
now looked upon her as a rival, and was anxious to
get her away. For that purpose he had persuaded
her (the prisoner) to pawn the goods, for all of which
he received the money. He further told her, that
if anything should happen, she was to say that Re-
becca Cook had persuaded her to pledge the shoes,
and had received the money. Van Bever further
promised, that by acting upon his instructions she
would not only be held blameless, but would pro-
bably reap some advantage at a future time. She
solemnly declared that Rebecca Cook never received
any money at all from her, neither did she know
anything of the transaction. Van Bever received all
the money, the produce of the shoes, and it was on
his account they were pledged.
The prosecutor denied this statement entirely.
Mr. MALLTBY observed that it was a case that re-
quired further investigation, and he should therefore
remand the prisoner until V'ednesday.
QUEEN-SQUARE.
_

Catherine Stuart, a powerful dissipated-looking
woman, about forty-five years of age, was charged
with the most revolting cruelty to three young
children.
In consequence of the representations made to the
Magistrate, a warrant was granted for the prisoner's
apprehension in the middle of last July, but as she
had absconded on learning that proceedings were
about to be taken against her the constable was un-
able to effect her capture until Saturday night, when.
he found her in a state of intoxication.
William Cooper, a hairdresser, residing at Broad-
way, Westminster, stated that the accused and a.
very hard-working man, named Tyler, had taken
apartments in his house about a twelvemonth ago,
representing themselves Ito be man and; wife, with.
three children, but he had since ascertained that
they were not married and that the children were
by Tyler's wife, who had been dead some years..
They had not been in the house many weeks when.
the screams and cries from the rooms occupied by
Tyler left no doubt that the children were being-
very brutally treated ; and as this continued day
after day, and was generally when Tyler was from,
home, witness thought it is duty to communicate
it to him. The man said he was not aware that
there was anything wrong, and he would see about
it; but, although witness had occasion to again
point out to him the cruel treatment the children.
had received, it was continued, and even occurred.
more frequently than before. On the 18th of July
witness heard violent screams proceeding from the
room, and on going up stairs heard the girl Clarissa.
Tyler, who was thirteen years of age, faintly exclaim,
" Oh, mother ! ob, mother !" and then there was a
heavy noise like something falling. Witness.
knocked at the door, and inquired what was the
matter, when witness replied from within, that if he
had anything to say he must say it to Mr. Tyler.
In about an hour after this Clarissa Tyler came down
stairs, and bore evidence of the cruel treatment she
had just received ; her head and face were very much
swollen, and the blows she had received about the
eyes were so severe that she was nearly blind. Wit-
ness questioned the child, who after much hesitation,
said that her mother (the prisoner) had repeatedly
jumped upon her while she was in bed, and had then
beat her with her fists until she was nearly insen-
sible. Her mother had told her, that if she men-
tioned what had occurred to her father, she would
jump upon her until she killed her. Witness, con-
sidering that the lives of the unfortunate children
were in jeopardy by such a monster, made an appli-
cation at this Court, which led to the present prose-
cution.
Mr. BURRELL inquired what was the prisoner's
conduct to the other children ? Witness replied--
Uniformly most violent and cruel ; she would take
them by the hair of the head, and dash them from one
end of the room to the other. He had frequently
seen the poor children with their hair literally pulled
off their heads.
Mr. BoaaeLL—Did you ever remonstrate with her
on her cruelty ? Witness—l have, and told her that
I should consider it my duty to make the authorities
acquainted with her conduct, and that she might
depend upon it, if she still continued to treat these
poor motherless children in that way, she would have
to answer for it.
Mr. BURRELL—Do you know whether they had
proper food given them ? Witness—l am shocked to
say that the poor children were fed upon paunches,
such as are given to dogs.
Mr. BURRELL (with surprise) —" Paunches ?"
Witness—Yes, Sir, sheep's paunches. The woman
has a son, who is assistant to a butcher, and he used
to bring them to her.
Mr. BURRELL, who, in common with others in the
Court, appeared much shocked, said—Do you know
whether the man left money with this woman to pro-
vide his children with wholesome and proper food?
Witness—Yes, he did; but that, Sir, was all ex-
pended in gin, and as the paunches cost nothing they
were cooked for the children.

Mr. BUILRELL—IS there any act of violence which
has occurred in your presence ? Witness—The pri-
soner flung a saucepan of boiling water over Clarissa
Tyler. Although I did not see it absolutely thrown,
I saw the poor creature directly afterwards. The
girl ran down the stairs in great agony, and there
was a succession of bright red stripes down her face
and neck, where she had been scalded with the boiling
water.

Mr. BuRRELL—Where is the child ? I should wish

examine her.

Witness—The child has been taken

this morning to the prisoner's mother's, as it is sup-
posed, and is kept out of the way. lam rather sur-
prised at the conduct of the father of these poor
children, who has absolutely, since she has been in
custody, supplied her with refreshment at the station_
Mr. BURRELL asked the prisoner what she had
to say?

Prisoner replied, that there was not a word of truth
in it. It was all through spite, because there was
some rent owing. She wonld not deny that she
might have struck the children in a somewhat im-
proper manner.
Mr. BuaRELL—It is most extraordinary, if inno-
cent, that you should have kept out of the way this
length of time. What do you say to feeding these
poor children upon paunches ? Prisoner—lt is not
true.

Mr. BURZELL—You have also heard it stated that
you threw a saucepan full of boiling water over Cla•
rissa Tyler.
_ _

Prisoner—l don't mean to say I might not have
thrown water sometimes at her, but not boiling water.
Mr. Cooper produced one of the children, a poor
emaciated little creature, said to be, as we understood,
seven years of age, but not having the appearance of
much more than half; those years. He said that the
child, if examined, would state that paunches had been
given to them as food, and could also speak to the
violence. There were many other acts of cruelty
which could be substantiated. It was a question in
his mind whether the man was not in some respects
culpable. _ _ _

Mr. BURRELL observed, that this was an extraor-
dinary and very cruel case, and he should call upon
the prisoner to find good bail for her appearance
when the girl Clarissa Tyler could be produced. They
might succeed in bringing her forward to-morrow,
and he should, therefore, remand the prisoner until
then.—She was sent to prison.