The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-14 00:00:00

Skeytes. They were indicted for conspiracy to-
gether to subject a person named Havers to the costs
of certain legal proceedings, without his knowledge or
consent, by entering an appearance for him in a cer-
tain case of Gordon v. Havers, without his knowledge,
and also for conspiring to induce a person named
Fogg to make a false affidavit of the service of a writ
of summons, and other proceedings in a case of
Gordon v. Havers.
Mr. Thesiger, Mr. Clarkson, and Mr. Bodkin, con-
ducted the prosecution. The defendant Spiller, who
is an attorney, conducted his own defence. The other
defendants did not appear.
The prosecutor, Mr. Havers, is a tanner, carrying
on business in Bermondsey, and also occasionally
dealing in corn. In 1840 defendantjGordon had pur-
chased some acorn of Havers, and had given a pro-
missory note in payment, which, however, he had not
taken up when it became due. Before the note be-
came due Gordon asked Havers to sell some bricks
for him, which Havers consented to de, and several
thousands of bricks were accordingly sent to be dis-
posed of by Hervers for Gordon. Hervers sued
Gordon on the note, and Gordon set up as a de-
fence that Hervers had purchased the bricks,
which Hervers denied. At the trial Skeytes, an-
other of the present defendants, was called to prove
this set off. The Jury, however, returned a ver-
dict for llevers for the amount of the bill. Gor-

don was soon after arrested at the suit of Hervers
'and kept in prison until he had paid the debt and.
costs. On his liberation from prison, Gordon deter-
mined to be revenged upon Hervers, sought out a
person named Fogg, a man sunk in the lowest depths
of poverty, and, by bribing Fogg highly, he induced
him to enter into his schemes. Fogg declared his
readiness to swear to the service of a wait on Hervers
without serving him so, that, to use Gordon's own
expression, " Hervers might be snapped up in j udg-
ment," witout having any notice that proceedings
were pending against him. Fogg and Rogers, who
had introduced him to Gordon, thereupon went to Mr.
Garry, and instructed him to issue a writ in
an action of debt against Hervers for the re-
covery of the bricks. Mr. Garry told them
that an action of debt would not be, that the action
must be in trover, and that a demand must previously
be made, which demand Mr. Garry drew up, and
which was served upon Havers by Fogg. Mr. Garry
was no further employed in the transaction, but the
parties went to the defendant Spiller, who issued a
writ which was given to Fogg, who made an affi-
davit of service, without having ever served it. The
same trick was played with regard to the declaration.
All the proceedings were conducted without Havers
knowing anything about them. Judgment was
signed against him by default, and a writ of inquiry
before the Sheriff was issued and delivered to Fogg, who
swore to the service, Skeytes having been previously
sent to ascertain that Hervers was at his country
house, in order to prevent the possibility of Hervers
proving an alibi. The writ of inquiry came on for
hearing before Mr. James, the Secondary, when
Skeytes was called on as a witness ; he swore that
the bricks were in Herver's possession, and a verdict
was entered for Gordon for 8621. Aca sa was im-
mediately issued, and Hervers was arrested, and an
application was made to Lord Denman to discharge
him. On that occasion Gordan told Fogg that he
must make an affidavit to meet the affidavit of Her-
vers. Holt, the clerk of Spiller, preseuted an affidavit
.ready engrossed, to Tegg, for his signature. Fogg
signed the affidavit at the desire of Holt, but
he was too ill to go to the Judge's Chambers
whereupon Holt endeavoured to induce a man named
Humber to take the affidavit, signed by Fogg, to go to
the Judge's Chambers, to state that he was Fogg, and
to swear to the affidavit. Humber refused to do this,
and Fogg was subsequently taken to the Chambers in
a cab, and swore to the affidavit. Fogg was the
principal witness, and his evidence was fully corro-
borated in all its material parts by other witnesses.
On his cross-examination by Spiller, Fogg distinctly
admitted that Spiller had been kept in ignorance of
his (Fogg's) proceedings throughout the matter ;
that he (Fogg) had always told Spiller that the writs
had been duly served, as he had understood it was in-
tended that Bpiller should be kept in the dark.
Mr. THESIGER stated that Spiller had given up to
the prosecutor all the papers connected with the case,
and had withheld no information that it was in his
power to gice. _ _

The defendant Spiller addressed the jury, and con-
tended that the evidence of Fogg, so far from impli-
cating him, completely exonerated him ; and with re-
gard to his connection with Holt, he begged to state
thal he had dismissed Holt long since.
Lord DENMAN interrupted him in the course of
his address, for the purpose of intimating his opinion
that there was no case against the defendant Spiller.
The Foreman then said the Jury regret that Mr.
Spiller should have been so mixed up with parties of
the character of those who have given their evidence
here to-day. but they find him Not, Guilty.
The defendant, Holt, who was in Court, was called
forward and asked what he had to say in his defence.
Holt stated that he was quite taken by surprise, as
he had understood that it was not the intention of
the prosecutor to offer any evidence against him, and
therefore he had not instructed Counsel. He had in-

strutted Counsel on an indictment for subornating of
perjury, to take a technical objection to the indict-
ment, but on the present occasion he had been taken
completely by surprise.
Lord DENMAN—AII this had better be brought
before the Court by affidavit.
Defendant Holt—Your Lordship does not order
me to be detained now ?

Lord DlNMAN—.Certainly not.
The defendant Holt having said he was desirous to
meet this case on its merits bowed and left the floor of
the Court.

Lord DENMAN then summed up the evidence, and
;he Jury returned a verdict of Guilty against Gordon,
[Jolt, and Skeytes.

STATE- OF TRADE.

(From the Manchester Guardian of this day.)
MAxcunsna.—The market has become considerably
more quiet during the last few days,—a fact for which
the advanced period of the year may perhaps suffi-
ciently account ; business being generally inactive on
the near approach of Christmas. Yesterday the de-
mand for all descriptions, both of goods and yarn,
was limited ; and a slight tendency to a decline of
price was manifest in some counts of yarn, and in
nearly all descriptions of goods, except 40-inch shirt-
ings, the manufacturers of which are so generally
working to order, that very few goods are brought on
the market. The actual decline, hewever,_was very
slight, and was by no means submitted to,' us€,he bulk
of the spinners and manufacturers, who ge9,olAlly hold
with confidence for a revival of activity in the market
after the Christmas holidays.
ROCHDALE FLANNEL MARKET, MONDAY, DEC. 12.
—The demand for flannels is rather abating, and some-
what fewer have been sold at former hrices. The coarser
qualities have met with the most ready sale. Very
little has been done in the wool market, on account of
the dealers attempting to obtain an advance in prices ;
buture r
sinartehinsotthaebylehtaovaeinveotits,uwcictzoeeduetdo,
bastatihneinmgamnounfaecy-
or their goods.
A

NEIV WAY TO RAISE THE WIND.—We call
-----
,ne attention of our able contemporaries of the daily
!Dress to a new and ingenious system of extortion
lately sprung up, and now being practised by some
" Chevaliers d'lndustrie," most successfully, and to a
very considerable extent. A real or pretended claim
for a large amount is made against some company
that has been dissolved within the Statute of Limi-
tations, the names and addresses of all the share-
holders are obtained, and where threats of
legal proceedings have failed numerous actions
have been commenced. The demand,vary-
ing from 500/ to 2,0001.,
frightens, the poor defend-
ant, who, rather than run the risk of an action,
(so und
ien
sfied asthe
and
so law re
ignorant
issptehcetinvig jetimoin-
tstockcom-
panies
usually,
asto
the proceedings of the company he has so unfortu-
natelyor
taken a few shares in), compromisesfor. o
100/. Thus, by the assistance of an unprincipled at-
torney, an enormous sum may be raised. If, how-
ever, the defendant is determined not to be imposed
upon, and resists, the suit is most frequently aban-
doned. We give these hints to our friends now, be-
lieving that where any plaintiff has been proved to
have been guilty of this system of extortion, even if
he had a just claim, he would put himself out of court
by his own irregular proceedings.—Raihray Magazine.
A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.—About eight o'clock
on Saturday night last, the utmost alarm prevailed in
the town of Abingdon, Berkshire. It appears, that a
short time previous to the above hour, the Cheltenham
van, on arriving near the market-place, unhappily
broke down, and the body, with its contents, falling
against a small house on the road-side, did consider-
able damage to the frontage, and the unfortunate
driver of the van very narrowly escaped being
killed on the spot ; as it was, he sustained a
dreadful fracture of the thigh, together with other
serious injuries, and lies in a very deplorable state.
Several articles of various descriptions, which the
van had contained, were strewed about the
road, and before they could be removed, a tandem,
driven by two Oxonians at a rapid rate, came in col-
lision with the heterogenous mass, and an upset was
the consequence. The driver fortunately escaped un-
hurt, but the groom, who was seated behind, was
thrown with considerable force to the ground, and
when picked up, it was discovered that his right arm
was fractured between Zhe elbow and shoulder joints.
The vehicle having got entangled with the wheels of
the van, was shattered to atoms, and the shaft horse
much injured. A few days previous to the above, a
female lost her life near the same sport, by being
driven over by two persons driving tandem; they,
however, have hitherto managed to elude detection. :
ERRATUM.—The amount paid per share in the
Protector Life Assurance Company is only 11: instead
of 2/., as it has been quoted inadvertently for some
time past in our list.