The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-27 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.—(THIS DAY.) ti
OLD CO Cni7:
(Before Mr. Justice ERSKINE and Mr. Justice MAULE.)
FORGERY.—Edward Bannister, 39, and James
Campbell, 29, were indicted for feloniously having in
their possession 100 forged Bank notes, for 500/. each,
well knowing the same to be forged ; and also for
having possession of an engraved plate of a Bank-note.
The prisoners pleaded Not Guilty.
The Attorney-General, Mr. Adolphus, and Mr.
Clarkson conducted the prosecution.
Mr. Bodkin defended Bannister, and Mr. Ballan-
tine defended Campbell.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL having stated the case
to the Jury, said, the indictment was framed under
Act 1 Wm. IV., cap. 66 ; and he begged to inform
the Jury, that the prisoners stood in no danger what-
ever of their lives. By the 12th section, it was en-
acted, that any person who should purchase, or re-
ceive, or have in his possession any forged instrument
knowing it to be forged, should be deemed guilty
of forgery, and the party in whose posses-ion
the instrument should be found was bound to show
that he had a right to have it in his possession. The
Learned Gentleman then proceeded to state the facts
of the case as they afterwards appeared in evidence,
and then called the following witnesses :
John Roe—l am a police officer. In consequence
of information I had received I went to Bannister's
warehouse, in Grocers' Hall-court. I found the two
prisoners there. I found a quantity of what appeared
Bank of England notes open on the desk. I gave
them to Mr. Freshfield. The prisoners were standing
near the desk. I found an engraved plate in the
hands of Campbell. I searched prisoners and found
several good notes, and 6/. 10s. in gold on Bannister.
Igave them alsoto Mr. Freshfield. The notes and plate
produced are those I found. The three notes produced
are some of the good ones I found. Isaid to the prisoner
Bannister, " Halloo ! what are you going to do with
these ?" After a moment or so, he said, "I was not
going to do any thing wrong with them." I then
searched the desk, and found a quantity of papers,
among other things the agreement produced. Ban-
nister then said, " I intended to give them to hawkers
as a kind of an attraction." I asked Campbell who he
was. He said he was a servant to Mr. Bannister.
That was all that passed ; I then took them into
custody.
The agreement to engrave an exact representation
of a bank note bet Ween Bannister and Hardwick and
Co. was put in, and read. It was signed J. Collins.
Cross-examined by Mr. Bomene—l had been in
communication with the engraver three or four days
before, and knew the plate was progressing. I knew
the notes and plate were at Bannister's, and it was by
agreement with the engraver that I went there. I
found several commercial papers there.
By Mr. BALLArTINE—I -searched Campbell's pre-
mises, and found nothing connected with this matter.
Joshua Freeman—l am an inspector of bank notes
in the Bank of England. One of these notes is a
genuine note ; the other is not. It does not purport
to be signed by a cashier. With that exception it is
a resemblance word for word of a Bank of England
note. It would mislead any person if it bore a signa-
ture. The plate produced is not the plate of a ge-
nuine note. I should say it was the plate from which
this note was struck. The paper is nothing like the
Bank of England paper. It has no water-mark. It
might mislead a person.
George Webster Collins—l am a copper-plate
printer. I have a partner named Isaac Hardwick. We
carry on business in St. Mary-axe. My partner has
engraved flash notes. In the month of September the
prisoner Campbell came about engraving a note. He
asked if we could engrave an imitation of a bank note.
My partner showed him the one produced, and asked
if it was something like that he wanted. He said " Yes,
only on better paper. The flash note I showed was on the
Bank of Engraving. I agreed to engrave a plate for
a guinea, and five shillings a thousand for printing
them off. He told me he came from Mr. Bannister,
Grocers-hall-court. He said he applied to me through
buying one of those notes of a hawker. He called
again in about a week, and my partner served him.
I was called in by my partner. He then asked me,
if instead of putting Bank of Engraving, I could put
Bank of England. I told him we could put any thing
that was required, but that, as they were strangers,
they must leave a deposit. He said the object was to
send the notes to New Zealand. He left, promising
to go and consult Mr. Bannister. He called again on
Monday, Sept. 19, at Mr. Hardwick's, by appoint-
ment. Mr. Hardwick was there. I was called down,
and we all then went to the office together.
He said he had come to give some orders, and
produced Mr. Bannister's card. I said, to engrave
it well I should want 50s. He said if it was done
nicely he would not be particular. I agreed to take
1/. deposit. He said whatever was done must be done
by Friday, as he was going to leave Mr. Bannister to
go to New Zealand. I next saw him in about half
an hour. He wrote the draught of an agreement. I
made two copies of it. I signed both. He signed
one, which I retained. He promised to call again,
and bring a note to be copied. I communicated to
Mr. Bush, the solicitor to the bankers, what had oc-
curred. Mr. Hardwick accompanied me. This in-
terview took place before Campbell came back with
any genuine note. Campbell returned at half-past
two o'clock, and brought two notes, a 101. and a .5/.
I believe the notes produced are the notes. When he
brought the notes I called his attention to the differ-
ence between a 51. and a 101., and asked which I was
to copy. He said he would consult Mr. Bannister, and
call the following morning. He received a shilling as
his commission for the order he had brought. I said
are we not running great risk ? He said no ; I know
what I have done, I am no fool. He said if
I got it done nicely, Bannister would not
be particular to a pound or two. I found him
at the office, on my arrival on Tuesday morn-
ing. He said, instead of a Si. or 10/. note, we were
to make it a 5001. note. He said we were running no
risk, because they were not to be signed, and he
wished me to take the whole management. He called
the following morning, but the- proof was not ready.
I afterwards saw him watching our premises, and
went up to him and again asked if we were not run-
ning a risk. He said, no ;it was all right. Shortly
after I saw Roe, the officer. Up to that moment the
copper had not been touched. Ido not engrave my-
self, I employed Mr. Ash to execute the plate. I
went to Grocers' Hall-court, and saw both prisoners.
I told Campbell I wanted a note to compare, as he had
refused to leave one ; and he said, go, and I will fol-
low. He arrived at the office immediately after I did,
and produced a 51. note, which is the top one of the
two here. The plate corresponds with that, except
that it is for 5001., instead of for Si. I gave the note
to Mr. Ash, and told him to take his directions
through the prisoner Campbell.. I did not hear what
those directions were. Mr. Ash afterwards went with
me to Mr. Bush. While the plate was in progress, it
was taken by me and Mr. Ash to Mr. Bush's, and
then to Grocers' Hall-court, to the prisoner's ware-
house. Both the prisoners were there. Bannister
saw it. I told him the plate was getting on nicely,
but that the price was too little ; it ought at least
to be fifty shillings. He said that he could not
give that, and that he would have his sovereign
back. Campbell said, " I have promised him, if he
does it nicely, you would not be particular to a few
shillings." I said I would get it done, and trust to
his generosity. On the Friday morning, the plate
-was complete, and some impressions struck off. I
took one to Roe, the officer, and another to Bannister.
Bannister said they were of Do use to him, unless we
could produce the water-mark. I said it was
impossible. My partner said we would use our
endeavours, and I said, "Nonsense; he might
as well ask for a bank note itself." I left, and then
returned and told him he could put the water-mark
in after. He said he was glad I had returned, as he
was thinking of sending Campbell to the Mayor
about us. I told him a would do the best I could,
and let him have 100 by five o'clock. The plate had
no numbers. The numbering was to be done by hand;
and the notes were be numbered progressively. I got
100 notes struck, and my partner took them to
Bannister at five o'clock. I had then apprised the
officer that I had taken the notes. Bannister said
these are no use at all—the numbering won't do, and
you promised to put in the water-mark. He pro-
duced one of the agreements. I said I had not pro •
mised the water-mark. I had done the best I could.
I pressed for payment. Campbell said he believed
Collins had done his best, but if it had depended on
Hardwick it would not have been done at all. While
they were viewing the notes I left.
Cross-examined by Mr. DOANE—I should not have
engraved the plate or taken any of the impressions
but for the authority I had from Mr. Freshfield and
Mr. Bush.
By Mr. BALLANTINE—I believe we have issued se-
veral thousands of flash notes.

Isaac Hardwick—l any the partner of the last wit-
ness, and was present at several meetings between
him and the prisoner. I have heard my partner exa-
mined. lie has stated the truth.
Frederick Ash—l am an engraver, and was ap-
plied to on Wednesday, Sept. 21, by the witness
Collins, to engrave an imitation of a Bank of England
note. objected to do' it. He said he had the authority
of Mr. Bush, but I refused unless I had the authority
of Mr. Bush myself. (The witness then corroborated
the evidence of Collins, as to what passed on different
occasions between the witness Collins and Hardwick,
and the prisoners, relative to the engraving of the notes.)
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. BODKIN addressed the Jury for the prisoner
Bannister, and contended that the circumstances as
given in evidence not only did not rove, but abso-
lutely negatived, the charge laid in the indictment—
that the prisoners had knowingly and wilfully pur-
Was it likely,
chased and had in their possession any forged notes.
if they had intended to act felo-
niously, that they would have been so indiffer-
ent as to the
sahOsooll.uetaeicyh atos troefulsleiggtioe fotrk
possession 'of these 100 notes for
a e possession of them,
few shillings, and