The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-16 00:00:00

THE WILLS FORGERIES

CASE.
•—(THIS DAY.)
CRIMIALT CH
SLACKE * trl'
At the sitting of the Court this morning the prisoners
Barber
eYin the dock to take'William Saunders, and
Lydiaand
Saunders, his
wife,Mrs• Dowere
r placed
their trial. upon the indictment charging them with the
-forgery of a will purporting to be the last will and testament .
of one Anne Slack.
There were, as in the other case, a number of counts vary-
ing the description of the charge. •
Mr. Wilkins, with Mr. Parry, again appeared for Barber,
and Mr. Greives for Fletcher.
Mr. ERLE stated the case for the prosecution. It appeared
that the father of Miss Slack died about the year 181.5, leav-
ing a Mr. Hulme as, one of his executors. The affairs were
hot wound up until 1829, when. Mr. Mime invested certain
property in the public funds in the name of Anne Slack, of
Smith-street, Chelsea, spinster; namely, 6,600/. in the Three
per Cents. Reduced, and 3,500/. in the Three per Cent. Con-
sols. It appeared that Miss Slack had the most unbounded
confidence in Mr.Hulme, who was her guardian,, and she drew
from time to time just what money she wanted. On the death
of Mr. Hulme she had to receive the dividends herself.
She was unaware, however, that the 3,5001. Consols stood
in her naive, and received the dividends on the
Three per Cents. Reduced only. The consequence was,
that no dividends were received on the Three per
Cent. Consols after 1832, and at the end of ten years both
the stock and the dividends which had accrued due
thereon, hut which she had inadvertently passed over,
were transferred into the names of the Commissioners for the
Reduction' of the National Debt, according to the ordinary
practice in such cases. On the 16th of March, 1843, a will
was produced at Doctors Commons, purporting to be that of
Miss Slack. On the 24th or 25th of March probate was ob-
tained, and the stock and dividends subsequently transferred
back into the name of Miss Slack ; and this will would un-
doubtedly be- proved to be a forged will. This part of
the charge he should be able to make peculiarly clear, be-
cause he should call before them Miss Slack herself, the
lady whose will this forged instrument purported to be.
After calling upon the jury to discharge from their minds all
that they might have heard before they entered the jury-
box in respect of this case, and to judge of its merits
only by the evidence which should be laid before them,
the Learned' Counsel .proceeded to lay before the jury a
short narrative of the ,circumstanees- connected with the
transaction, which would be proved in evidence before
them, and then went on to read the letters which Barber
had written to Captain Foskett, for the purpose of procuring
particulars relating to the executors under the will of the late
father of Miss Slack, and as to whether Miss Slack spelt her
Christian name with or without a final e. He next came to
the registry of the death of "Anne Slack, of South-terrace,
Pimlico," by the prisoner Fletcher, in -the name of "Ro-
bert Hart, of James-street, Commercial-road East." In ,
the first place, there was no such place as Soutkterrace,
Pimlie,O; there was a South-place, but no such person as
Anne Slack had ever lived there; neither was there any
such street,. as James-street, Commercial-road East, nor
could it be-dittovered that any such person as Robert Hart
had ever resided in that neighbourhood. It appeared, there-
fore, that a fictitious registry of a fictitious death had been
.brought about by the : prisoner Fletcher, in the 'manner
which he had mentioned. It had been, said, in another case,
that the register of a birth was no proof of birth—and cer-
tainly the registry of a death was no proof that the person
alleged to' have died was deceased. Fletcher had been
identified by the : registrar as' -the person. He should
also prove that the prisoner Lydia Saunders had lived in
lodgings in the name of Emma Slack;' had been disguised
:by a profusion of , ringlets of very light coloured hair, and
constantly wore her bonnet and boa in the house. But
that, notwithstanding the lightness of her ringlets, the hair-
brushes were found to be tilled With hair perfectly black.—
(Laughter,) While in these lodgings she was visited by
Fletcher, and by her sister, Mrs. Dorey, and her identity would
S
be
~proved beyond a doubt.. After the transfer, Mrs..aunders went back no more to the lodgings at which she
'had been living as Emma Slack, but went to her sister,.
Mrs. Darcy, and subsequently, after being seen with a 'large
sum of money in her possession, returned home to Bristol.
At the Bank she had passed as Emma Slack, the sister and
executrix of
,Anne Slack, represented as deceased. The
Learned Counsel then went through a history of the circum-
stances attending the examination of Barber at the Mansion-
house, and the subsequent implication of Fletcher, after he
had-been produced as the person who: had introduced Emma
Slack ; and after some further observations, left it for the jury
to say whether-Barber had a guilty knowledge of, and was a
participator in, the acts of the other prisoners.
Mr. Seaton, from the Prerogative-office, produced a will
.purporting to be that of Anne Slack ; also the copy of an
affidavit, the original of which was at the Stamp-office.
Cross-examined by Mr. WuJusrs--Was present at the
*Mansion-house when Mr. Barber was first taken. Barber
expressed a wish to proceed with the case at once without
counsel. Mr.-Clarkson cautioned him, but he said he would
rather go on, :as he had nothing to fear, or words to that
effect. - . •
• Mr. W. G. Bennett produced the original affidavit filed at
the Stamp-office, from the Prerogative-office, and a copy of
the will.
Mr. Wm. mee, Chief Accountant of the Bank of England
—ln 1829 there. were standing in the B books, in the name
of Anne Slack, of
,Smith-street,- Chelsea,' the two sums of
Cent. Consols. They were bought' in on the 23d October,
6,629/. 17s. ThreeperiCents. Reduced, and 3,500/. Three per
1829. The dividends on the Three per Cents. Reduced were
paid to Ardern Hulme, Esq., by virtue of a power of attor-
ney ; and the dividends on the Consols were paid to the same
party by a power of attorney. The dividends on both stocks
were received by Mr. Hulme, up to 1832. I knew Mr.
Halme. In consequence of the non-receipt of the dividends
live spoken of, after 1832, on the Con Sols, the sum of
3,500/. Threc.per Cent. Consols was, on 6th July, 1842, trans-

erred into the names of the Commissioners for the reduction
of the national debt, that being after the lapse of the period
of ten years.
Cross-examined by Mr. WluUNS—Persons are ordinarily
called upon to identify others coming to transfer stock at the
Bank.

By Mr. CiREAVES—Books are published by the authority of
an Act of Parliament of unclaimed dividends, and the date
when the first unclaimed ►.ividend became due. .

Re-examined by Mr. Entz—But not of the amount of
stock upon which they are due.
Mr. John Slack—l reside at Abbot's Langley, in Herts. I
knew the late Mr. Ardern Hulme. My father's name was
George Slack, and he left property. Mr. Mime acted as exe-
cutor under my father's will, and guardian to my sister and
myself. He died in 1832, up towhich time he had continued
to act as guardian to my sister. The document produced is
in the hand-writing of .Mr. Hulme.
Cross-examined by Mr. Wiuuss—My sister had an income
besides the funded property. Her income was handsome.
She had more than SOU, 4001., or 5001. a yean, independent of
the 3,500/. Consols which lay dormant. I cannot answer the
question whether she is an intelligent person or not.
By the COURT—She was not accustomed to business.
Mr. George Beaman, surgeon, of King-street, Covent-
garden—l was executor to the late Mr. Hulme, and produce
a book relating to the affairs of the Slacks, which had been
kept by Mr. Hulme. There appeared a settlement of ac-
counts, balanced and signed by Miss Slack.
Miss Slack was then called, and was accommodated with a
chair. She appeared exceedingly nervous. She stated—
Mr. Huhn('- was my executor and guardian. After his
death I received my own dividends. I was not aware that

_ .
I had 3,5001. Three per Cent. Consols. I -did not
receive any dividends on that stock until after this
inquiry began. In 1827 I was living in Smith-street,
Chelsea, in the family of Mrs. Leek. 1 paid foi my board
and lodging there. In 18.30 I left Mrs. Leek, and went to re-
side with my sister's husband, Captain Foskett, and have
lived with him from that time to the present. The signature
of Anne Slack to the will produced is not in my handwriting.
I did not give any person authority to make this will or to
sign the name.
Cross-examined by Mr. Wmxrxs—My age is thirty-
seven. I never had an interview with Mr. Barber at all.
I was taken in a cab to the office door, and Captain Foskett
went .in and left me in the carriage. That occurred
only once. Captain Foikett informed me, when he came
out, that some moneys had been discovered belonging
to a Miss Slack, of Chelsea. This writing has been shown

to me several times, and does not resemble mine in the
slightest degree. My writing is a neat running hand, and
this is a stiff upright hand,
Mr. William Christmas—l am clerk in the Bank of
England. I filled the situation of Librarian at the Bank.
My position enabled me to become acquainted with facts
relating to unclaimed dividends. I am at present under sus-
pension. lam acquainted with Fletcher. I 'recollect giving
him information in 1839 respecting 3,500/. stock standing in the
name of Anne Slack, and subsequently gave him the descrip-
tion which was in the books of the Bank, namely, " Smith-
street, Chelsea." Fletcher afterwards showed me a letter ;
possibly two months or more after the last inquiry he
had made of me. He stated that it was to satisfy me as to
the identity of the person whom he had found out who
claimed the stock. The letter produced is that which he
brought me—l think it is: 1 compared the signature
'with the power of "attorney in the books of the Bank.
After having done so, I saw Fletcher again. I told him
that I believed there was something in the style of the
11 writing like it, but that it`was a younger hand—meaning
that the letter was in the younger hand. Fletcher, after a
considerable time had elapsed, told me that the yrobate of
the will was lying in the will office. I had cautioned him
that he must be very particular of the identity of the parties,
and Fletcher said that he was quite satisfied that he was right.
In a few days he called on me, and said he had come to make
me a remuneration for the information I had given him, He
said the stock had been transferred and sold. He gave me
1001. in gold. I have returned it to him since he has been in
custody.
Cross-examined by Mr. GREAVES—I have been 50 years in
the service of the Bank, and have given information to other
persons besides Mr. Fletcher relating to unclaimed dividends.
I have told Mr. Freshfield of all the persons to the best of my.
recollection. I have never received 1,0001. for such informa-
tion ; it may be 5004 but I will swear it is not 1;000/. I gave
the 1001. back to a messenger sent from Fletcher by me. I
am suspended now. I did not volunteer the information I
gave to Mr. Freshfield unfortunately; it was in consequence
of something that had been said of me that I gave the infor-
mation. I was asked to acknowledge all I had done. I
admit that I prevaricated at first.
The following witnesses were next examined, adding no-
thing material to the facts :which have already frequently
come before the public in the worts from the Mansion-house
examinations :—Mr. John Apsley, a clerk at the Abbots
Langley Railway station, his wife, and Captain Foskett, who
married-the sister of Miss Anne Slack.

• The trial was proceeding when we went to press.
[All the prisoners:were accommodated with chairs. Bar-
ber, however,' stood, and continued from time to time to
make copious note's; the others sat down, and appeared
greatly dejected.]