The Sun.
London, England, 1850-10-18 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

John Stevenson, alias Price alias Williams, alias
Johnson, alias Willis, alial Wilson, alias Wilkinson,
who was remanded from la st Friday, by Alderman
Sidney, on the charge of obtaining various sums of
money from several respectable firms, undes fraudu-
lent pretences, was again placed at the bar, for fur-
ther examination, before Alderman Hooper, relative
to that and a great number of similar charges.
The depositions taken on the former examination
were then read over, and thu following additional evi-
dence adduced :
Edward Rea examined--I am a chemist and var-
nish manufacturer, and carrying on business at 115,
Wardour-street. I know the prisoner. He came to
me in February last, and represented that he could
make a peculiar oil from mangold wurtzel. He
showed me a sample of oil, which he said he had pro-
duced from that article by is process he had discovered.
He could make it at an expense of from threepence to
fourpence per gallon. He said he did not know the
value of it, or what purpose it could be applied to.
He said he was a tutor in an establishment, and his
means were therefore very limited. He wished me
to enter into an agreement to provide an apparatus
for the manufacture of the article in a wholesale

way, and to share in the profits. An agreement was
accordingly drawn up between us for that purpose,
and on signing it I paid prisoner a deposit of
91. 103. He then undertook to make the remainder
of the apparatus himself, and to put it together, and
make the experiment at my house. About a fort-
night after this he brought a large parcel packed
close and tightly sealed, which he said formed parts
of the apparatus, and was particularly anxious in
cautioning me that it was not to be opened until he
was ready to commence operations. I paid him at
that time a further sum of 15/. to 251. I cannot re-
collect the precise amount, as I paid it by a cheque.
I never saw prisoner afterwards until the present
moment. Prisoner said he would bring a blacksmith
the next day, to assist in putting up the apparatus.
Finding, however, that I could hear nothing more of
the prisoner, I opened the parcel he had left, and
found it contained only an old tin can worth about a
shilling. I then inquired at the address he gave me,
at Alpha Cottages, Brixton, but could obtain no in-
formation of the prisoner there.
Alderman HOOPER—Did you not try any chemi-
cal experiments with the sample he left, to ascertain
what it was made from ? Witness—l did not analyse

it ; but I think it was a compound &I ; there was a
strong smell of copaiba about it, but it looked very
like olive oil. I, however, had my doubts witn re-
spect to the prisoner's ability to make it at such a
trifling expense. I never heard of oil being extracted
from mangold wurtzel. lie gave me the name of
Charles Johnson.

Cross-examined by the prisoner—I sent to Alpha
Cottages, and no such name was to be found. I ad-
vanced the money before I made any inquiry into
your general character.
Orlando 'idler, of 4, Thornhill-place West, Is-
lington, said—l carry on business at 29, Cowcross -
street, under the firm of " James Crease and Sons,"
colourmen and varnish manufacturers. I believe
prisoner is the party that came to me in April, 1849,
under the name of Wilkinson. He brought a sample
of a bright red colour in powder, which ho said he
had discovered in a course of galvanic experiments,
by mere accident. He said he did not know what it
was, or what was the value of it, but he could produce
it at an expence of not more than sixpence per lb.
He was unwilling to sell the process, but proposed
that we should manufacture it, and give him a share
in the profits. Ho then represented that the apparatus
required could be purchased at a very trifling expense
compared to the enormous profit to be derived from
the manufacture of the article wholesale. After some
negotiations, we at length agreed to advance a sum
not exceeding 301., for the purchase of the necessary
apparatus. We had no agreement in writing, and a
few days after this arrangement he sent in
some parcels wrapped up in brown paper and very
carefully sealed. The porter produced a bill for '
• 191. 10s., and a note from the prisoner requesting me
to pay it, as he had purchased all the principal parts
of the machinery he required to carry out his plans
with. He gave his address 18, Arlington-street,
Camden-town, and observing that he had not been near
us fur some time, we instituted inquiries in Camden
Town, but we found he had never lived there. My
partner paid the money to the porter, who gave him
a stamped receipt, signed " Charles Wilkinson." Pri-
soner cautioned me in his note, that the parcels he had
sent were not to be opened until I sfts.v him again ;
and shortly after, he sent more apparatus, end a note
requesting me to pay the enclosed bill of 101. 10s. I
however declined to pay any more, unless I could
see the prisoner, who never showed himself again to
me. But even then we had no suspicion that we were
being duped. The porter professed to know nothing
whatever of the prisoner. I ultimately opened the
brown paper parcels, which I found contained several
small sheete of zinc, rolled u 2, and some zinc pipes.
I should say they are worth about 3s. 6d. or 4s. I
never saw prisoner again until now.
The letters received by these witnesses were here
put in and examined and compared with others received
from the prisoner, and were identified by several par-
ties, who were present at the last examination, and
gave their evidence, as the handwriting of the pri-
soner.

Daniel May, of the City detective force, said when
prisoner came to the station on Thursday, the 12th
of the present month, he said he lived at 4, Marl-
borough-road, Oil Kent-road. I made inquiry, and
ascertained he had lived there about eighteen months,
in the name of John Stevenson. Previous to that I
found he had been living at 32, Ernest-street, Ber-
mondsey, in the same name. He was ;a clerk in Mr.
Prince's patents office, at Charing-cross, from 1840 to
1942, and since that he hss opened a patent office in
Earl-street, Blackfriars, on his own account. After
that he lived in Drury-lane, where he represented
himself as an engineer, and practised the present
game. On Friday last, as I was conveying prisoner
from this court to the Giltapur-street Compter, he
said it was poverty that made him do it. He was I
starving, and he saw it was an easy mode of getting
money, and he was driven to it. As for Mr. Floc-
ton, prisoner said be thought him a perfect, gentleman,
and he wished to pay him back what he hat had from
him. I told prisoner that he had had frequent op-
portunities to do so had he felt inclined. lie replied
that he was aware of that, and said that " money ob-
tained in this way never does any one any good."
Prisoner—l mean to say that whenever I have had
opportunities of filling situations honourably I have
done so. But when I find myself out of employment,
and my means exhausted, my wife and children for
twelvemonths with nothing more than a blanket to
cover them, and on the verge of starvation, I could
no longer hesitate upon the course I have since
adopted. I hope, your Worship, if you are going to
pass sentence on me, that you will be kind enough to
order me solitary confinement.
Alderman HOOPER—I am not about to pass sen-
tence upon you, I think that duty will devolve upon a
higher tribunal. I shall, however, be under the neces-
sity of remanding you, in order that we may have
time to go into any other cases that may be brought
against you.
Prisoner—l assure you they are all similar cases.
Alderman HOOPER—There seems to have been a
regular system carried on to defraud the unwary and
trusting tradesman.
Prisoner—There was no system, your Worship, it
was all the same thing.—(Laughter.)
Alderman HOOPER—Then we'll call it an organised
system of plunder.---The prisoner was then remanded.