Star.
London, England, 1822-12-09 00:00:00

. •

TIME

Hew suift the plutons Time puts on,
To urge his flight away!
To-day's soon yesterday; anon,
To-morrow is today !
Titus days, and weeks, and months, and years,
Depart from mortal view ;
♦s sadly, through this " Vale of Tears,"
()w journey we pursue!
Yet grieve not, Nan, tbat thus he flies,
Ile hastes thee to thy rest;
The drooping wretch that soonest dies,
auonekt with the blest!

OLD BAILEY SESSION&

put to the bar to take
Saturday, John Wait was
his trial on an indictment, charging him with forging
and counterfeiting a certain power of attorney for the
sum of £2189. 17s. Id. and uttering the same with
the intent to defraud the Bank of England.
Mr. Serjeant BOSANQUET having stated the cir-
cumstance; of the case as they afterwards appeared
in evidence, proceeded to call his witnesses.
Francis Field, a clerk in the Bank of England, pro-
duced the ledger of that Establishment. On referring.
to that book, he found that there was there entered
a credit to John Wait and John Cox for £2,189
17i. Id. 3 per cent. Consols. It was entered in
July, 1818, and was placed to the joint names of
those persons.
• John Underhill, a stock-jobber, deposed, that in
September, 1821, he received a letter from a person
of the name of Wait, at Bristol. The letter pro-
duced was that letter. In consequence of that letter
he 'made application in the regular course to the ,
Bank of England, for a power of attorney. He re-
ceived that which was now produced, which was
filled up, all but the signatures and attestation. This ,
he sent down to Bristol, directed to Mr. John Wait.
- John J. Jeffrey served the notice, of which a copy
was „produced, en the prisoner, on the 22d of No-
vember, 1822. This was a mice calling upon him to
produce such letters as he had received from the last
witness, respecting the power of attorney alluded to.
Mr. Underhill, in continuation, stated, he directed
• his letter, enclosing his power of attorney, to John
Wait, No. 5, Wilson-street, Bristol. On the 17th of
September, 1822, he received a second letter from
Mr.. Wait, enclosing a power of attorney, which he
believed was the same he had previously sent down,
and which was now produced. He carried this
power of attorney to the Bank the same day, and
requested to act upon it, but was not permitted. In
consequence of what passed at the Bank, he wrote
an the same day to Mr. John Wait, directed as before.
Cross-examined.—He could not positively swear
that the power which he received per post from
Bristol was the same lie had sent down to Mr. Wait.
The prisoner was a stranger to him.
Re-examined.—When he applied in the first in-
stance in September, 1821, for a power of attorney,
he wrote his application on paper as was customary,
and put it in a box appointed for that purpose. The,
paper produced contained his instruction, and it was
in consequence of that he received the power which
be afterwards for warded to Bristol.
Mr. Field again called.—He looked at the power
produced. He filled it up on the 24th of September,
1821. It was filled up tram the instructions recog-
nized by the last witness, as having been the same
which he deposited in the box of the Bank of England.
William Drury deposed that lie lived at Birming-
ham, and was formerly in the service of the prisoner,
from the 20th of June, 1818, till the latter end of
May, 1819. During that time he was in the habit
of seeing him write. The letters produced were, in
his belief, the writing of the prisoner.
In cross-examination by Mr. Serjeant PELL, wit-
ness said he believed the body of both letters to be
the hand-writing of the prisoner, but his opinion was
mainly founded on the signatures. He did not know
why the prisoner had dismissed him from his service.
Robert Sherlock had also lived in the service of
the prisoner for eight or nine months. He knew his
hand-writing, and believed the two letters produced
to hive been written by him.
In cross-examination, witness said there had been
something between him and the prisoner, respecting
a note which was in the till. The prisoner said the
same note was not in the till in the morning which
was there the night before. Witness quitted Bir-
mingham in consequence of an error with the Excise,
which he afterwards settled.
Re-examined.—After the business of the note, the
prisoner wished witness to continue with him, and
gave him a character to his next employer.
John Hall, a glass merchant at Bristol, deposed
that he knew the prisoner, and had been acquainted
with him 40 or 50 years. In the spring of 1821, the
prisoner called on him, and asked him the name of
his broker, as he said he had 1,2001. or 1,4001.
stock to sell. Witness mentioned the name of the
witness Underhill.
In cross-examination, witness said he always be-
lieved the prisoner was a man of good character.
William Shepherd, a stationer residing in Bristol,
said that he knew the prisoner, and understood that
he lived in Wilson-street, Bi istol. In the latter end
of the year 1821, the prisoner came w him and asked,
him to be a witness to his writing his name to a
power of attorney. He came into his shop, and asked
witness to fill up a blank with the words 22d Oc-
tober, which he did. There was an attestation to the
power. Prisoner directed witness to write the words,
" The above-named John Wait." Saw the prisoner
sign the deed a Mr. Davis was in the shop at the
time. After the power was signed it was returned
to the prisoner. Mr. Davis witnessed it as well as
witness. The power produced was the same wit-
nessed by witness.
In cross-examination, witness stated that he did
not add the name of John Cox to that•of John Wait,
when he wrote the words—" the above-named John
Wait: He only attested the signature of John Wait.
He did not recollect saying before the Magistrates of
Bristol that he believed the words " John Cox" were
of his hand-writing, although he did not remember
writing them. He' did not believe the words—
John Cox" were his hand-writing, although they
were like it. . •
Examined by Mr. Justice BAYLRY.—Never saw any
John Cos execute that deed ; nor did ever see John