The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-09-03 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-YESTERDAY.

EXTENSIVE CASE OF PASSING FORGED AMERICAN BANS
NOTES.
Yesterday, Larkin Leigh, chief mate of the American ship,
St. Mark ; Wm. Henry, the second mate ; and Wm. Pierce,
the steward of the same ship ; were placed at the bar (they
having been remanded from Friday), on a charge of having
passed off, or having been accessory to passing off, forged
notes, to Messrs. Lthl and Co., exchange brokers, No. 19,
Waterloo-road. As the evidence given on Friday was recapitu-
lated, and some additional evidence of very considerable
length adduced yesterday, when the examinations were for the
most part taken de novo, it will be sufficient to furnish the
principal portions in this stage of the proceedings.
Mr. Thos. Luff said, in effect, that he first saw the pri-
soner Larkin Leigh (the mate) about a fortnight ago, when
he called at the exchange-office, and asked him if they ex-
changed New York money. The reply was in the affirma-
tive, and the prisoner left the place. Witness had before
seen him standing on the bows of the St. Mark. On the 19th
of August the steward of the St. Mark (the prisoner Pierce)
brought him a 20-dollar bill, of the North River Bank, of New
York, to be cashed. This was exchanged. On the 24th of
August a bill of similar tenor and amount was brought by
the same individual, who said it was from the mate, Mr.
Leigh. This, too; was exchanged. • The sum of £3. ls.
was given for the first, and £3. for the second. A similar
note was received from the second mate (Henry) on the same
day. He said he had brought it from the first mate, and he
received £3. -On the 26th three others were brought by the
prisoner Pierce, steward of the St. Mark), and were also
cashed. They were all for twenty dollars, were all of the
North River Company, and was also stated to be from Mr.
Leigh. The first three were paid away in the course of busi-
ness to Messrs. Robinson, of Waterloo-road. He received
seven bills in all, one of them from the steward of the Mem-
phis. On Thursday evening he heard they were forged, and
went to the St. Mark and enquired for the steward, but did
not see him. The second mate (Henry) said he had gone
home sick. On his return to the office he found the steward
of the Cambridge had come with another similar note to get
exchanged, and his partner Mr. Durandu had it in his hand.
He (witness) said it was forged. The mate of the Cambridge
said he had received it from Pierce for his watch which he
had sold. He and his partner then went to the St. Mark.
The second mate asked him if he knew that his steward had
been passing bad notes in his name. Mr. Leigh replied, that
he knew nothing of it, that the steward had, he believed,
left the ship with his things, and that he had not authorised
him to pass any bills. They afterwards went to the steward's
house in Jordan-street, as directed by the steward of the
Cambridge, and found a little sack. Witness asked him if
he knew that the notes were forged, and he stated that he
was sorry : he had-received them from the mate of the ship.
They all went on board the St. Mark, and there found the
mate Leigh. The steward said they had come about the
bills which they said were bad. Leigh saidhe knew nothing
about them. The steward said, " You know you have a lot
of linen, and a lot of chintz, which you bought with the
same kind of money. Witness did not recollect that the
mate made any reply. He gave the mate and the steward
into custody,—also the second mate who had passed one of
the bills, which he had said he got from Leigh. The three
notes paid away were indorsed with the name of the firm.
On the others witness had written the name of Mr. Leigh.
They had since examined the running margin of the notes.
The words " Two Dollars " were continued round them ;
but these had been generally erased, though some of them
were still visible. (The notes were shown.) In the centre
of a vignette was a circle or shield, on which a figure (2) had
had been engraved ; but this was nearly erased. On each of
the two circular portions of engraving on each side of this,
the figure two had also been engraved ; but on these the
figures 20 engraved on thin paper had been substituted. Below
the vignette, the word " Two, ' between the words " pay"
and " dollars" was covered in like manner by the word
" Twenty" in smaller letters suited to the space. Alto-
gether the forgery is most ingenious and well calculated to
deceive those not well acquainted with the notes of the
bank. The signature at the bottom of L. Kipp, was genu-
ine, and it appeared is signed to notes under five dollars—all
above that amount having the signature in full of Leonard

Kip Mr.
p.
Durandu stated that he had received one of the 20.
dollar notes from the steward (Pierce), and had written Mr.
Leigh's 'name upon it. He corroborated going on board,
&c., with his partner.
Edward Thompson, the steward of the Cambridge (a man
of colour), said that he knew the steward of the St. Mark,
having called on him. He (witness) told him he had a watch
to sell, and Pierce proposed to sell it for him to the mate,
Leigh. This was agreed to, and be (witness) received for it
the 20-dollar note which he had taken to be exchanged. He
mentioned that he had received it from the steward of the
St. Mark.
Capt. Chapell Vernam,:of the St. Mark, spoke to the pri-
soners, as belonging to his ship, in the capacities stated.
Leigh had never sailed with him before. Henry had been
with him three voyages. On the day after leaving New York,
when they were taking the sun, the mate told him he had
found in his quadrant case 200 dollars, which he thought he
had lost. He said it was in bills. Witness said he was a
fortunate man, and asked him if the bills were good. The
reply was, that they were ; that they were of the North River
Bank. The prisoner Pierce had complained of being ill the
other day, and witness believed he was so.
Wm. Goodman, a seaman, said that, on one occasion,
when he wanted to borrow some money, the mate, Leigh,
told him he had some counterfeit dollars, half-silver, which
he might have, as " they would pass amongst the girls." He
said the girls were not such fools, as they bit their money,
and would not have them. He said he would sell them for
50 cents each. He said a young man had left them in his
possession at New York, and had not returned for them.
Witness afterwards saw some of them in the possession of a
sailor named Sharman. He saw none of them in the posses-
sion of Leigh.
John Sharman, a seaman onboard the St. Mark, said, that
on Saturday morning last, he found 24 counterfeit dollars in
the back-house, on a shelf. They were wrapped in green
baize. He had heard that a suspicion had arisen, that they
were in the ship, and searched for them.
[These dollars, which had been given to the captain and by
him to a police-officer, were here produced. They were very
coarse, uneven counterfeits of Spanish dollars, of stained
whitish hard metal.] The prisoner Leigh had previously
denied all knowledge of them, or the notes exchanged at Luff
and Co's.
One of the constables, who searched the ship, said that
Leigh had made no objection to his chest being searched.
The steward had said that the dollars would be found in it,
but none were found there.
Police-constable Ainsworth identified the notes handed to
him. He found in Mr. Leigh's room on board several pieces
of cloth, and a basket of china—(produced.) The pieces were
of poor calico, wrapped outside with linen, so as to represent
the whole to be of the latter material.] These were found in
Leigh's chest, which was open.
The statements made by the prisoners on Friday were then
read.
Leigh denied having any communication with the steward
on the subject of any note or notes.
Henry, (the second mate,) said the mate Leigh had given
him a £2O note to cash for him, and that he knew nothing of
its being bad.
Pierce, the steward, entered into a long statement which
tended to throw the entire culpability upon the mate Leigh ;
of whom, (by his account,) he was merely the dupe. A great
portion of his statement was corroborated by some of the
other witnesses. He spoke on Friday to the mate finding
the notes in his quadrant case, and the conversation that
passed between him and the captain. He went on to say
that the mate had brought the linen and china on board
here, and paid for them in bills similar to that described ;
that he had commissioned him to buy the watch for the mate
of the Cambridge, for a similar note ; that he had employed
him (Pierce,) from time to time to exchange the notes at
Messrs.- Luff and Co's : that he had for his trouble, given
him one of the bills to buy what he liked, saying, he would
divide with him ; that he had bought a guard chain, and the
stock he then wore, and that the mate had kept the chain,
and given him the stock. He also said, that the mate had
offered the bad dollars to the seaman. Yesterday he added
to his statement, an account of one of the dock-gate-men
coming on board when the mate was absent, and asking him
and Mr. Pierce, if the captain had left any money for him ;
that this was mentioned to the mate on his return, and that
he said it was not a payment the man came for, but sonic
money he was to get exchanged for the mate.
Mr. RUSHTON here said that he regretted he had, for the
ends of justice, been obliged to detain William Henry, the
second mate, so long. But there was not the slightest im-
putation on his character with respect to these transactions.
He was then discharged.
The captain of the ship expressed his concurrence in the
opinion of Mr. R. as to Henry.
The witnesses were then bound over to appear against the
prisoners at the next assizes in March.
They were not, however, finally committed, there being
some additional testimony to be brought forward this day.
Both prisoners, it was understood, would be committed; but
it is not improbable but that the steward will be received at
the trial as an approver.
ANOTHER CASE OF STABBING.
A man named P. Gallagher, was placed at the bar, charged
with this too-prevalent offence. The evidence, however,
was incomplete. From what • was stated by inspector Oak-
ley, and some police officers, it appeared the prisoner had
been cohabiting with an abandoned woman named Mary
Maxwell, in a cellar in Slater-street, Toxteth-park, and that
early on Sunday morning a quarrel had arisen between them,
and he had stabbed her with a clasp knife. The woman was
attended from the Southern Hospital, by Dr. Baylis, who
found her dangerously wounded, and she was still in a criti-
cal state. The point of the instrument, it was found, had
penetrated between the ribs, just below the inferior angle of
the shoulder blade, and wounded the lungs on the left side,
so that for a time the inspired air escaped from the wound.
Hopes are, however, entertained of her recovery. It fur-
ther appeared, that she had at first accused Gallagher of
stabbing her ; but, afterwards, having probably been tam-
pered with, denied it. Mr. Rushton, however, ordered
that he should be remanded until the woman could attend.
It is lamentable to reflect that this is the third case of stab-
bing that has been attended from the South Disponsary
within the last three months.

WOOD V. IRON.—The City of Glasgow is a wooden steamer,
of 200 horses' power : the Royal George is an iron steamer,
of about 260 horses' power. For the satisfaction of those
interested in the doings of wood and iron, it has been re-
quested to give a statement of the last trial between the City
of Glasgow and Royal George. These vessels both arrived
here on Sunday, and, after making allowance for the actual
difference of start, the difference in speed is found to be some
fifteen minutes in favour of the City of Glasgow.

PORTRAIT OF THE REV. H. M`NEILE.—In consequence
of the dissatisfaction of several of the Rev. H. M'N's friends
with the former engraving from his portrait, by T. C. Thom-
son, Esq. R.H.A. it has been re-engraved by Mr. Cousins,
at the express desire of the painter, and we have no doubt that
the plate will fully realise the expectations of the most san-
guine. The original painting and a proof of the new plate,
will be exhibited at the Liverpool Academy, when a com-
parison may be made by the friends of the rev. gentleman.—

'See Advt.
EMPLOYMENT OF BOYS AS SHIPKEEPERS.—It will doubt-
less be known to many of our readers that a bye-law, relating
to the port, requires, for security against depredation, fire,
or other accident, that every vessel in the docks shall have a
shipkeeper on deck during the period between two hours
before high water and two hours after ; this precaution being
especially necessary at a time when ships are entering or
moving out of the docks. Captains of vessels who neglect
to comply with this wholesome regulation are from time to
time summoned to appear at the police-office ; and of late
the attention of the magistrates has been directed to the fact
that the respondents to the charge are many of them mere
boys, who tender an excuse that they did not waken, or that
they fell asleep, being unable to withstand the duty im-
posed uron them of watching for four hours during the
night, after a fatiguing and long day's work in the discharg-
ing, load ❑g, or general business of the ship. Mr. Rushton,
though 1: ider the necessity of fining for the offence, has made
the sum, in such cases as low as possible,—knowing that the
poor bo: themselves have generally to pay it out of their
wages ; but he has not failed to express his strong reprehen-
sion of the practice of requiring boys after labouring ten or
twelve hours to take the responsible duty of ship-keepers
during the night a practice the more discreditable, inasmuch
as it is resorted to, merely to serve the trifling expense of
fresher hands. The more respectable firms of the port do
not, we feel assured, sanction a system, which is at once op-
pressive to the boys so employed, and dangerous to the
general safety of the ships and property in the docks. Yes-
terday, Mr. Rushton expressed his determination, if it were
persisted in, to hear the captains or owners alone, in reply to
complaints, and fine them is large amounts, on the first
being proved.