Star.
London, England, 1828-10-09 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Tuesday Joseph 1111101•94. for whom a reward of 2001. was offered
by the Committee of Bankers for the Prevention of Frauds and
Forgeries, was apprehended by John Forrester. the city officer.
From the moment the extensive forgeries upon the firm of Curtis
and Co. were detected, the Committee have been indefatigable in
their endeavours to bring the offender to justice. F.xpense was no
'natter of consideration; parties were sent off in all directions;
the most scrutinous examination of all suspected correspondence
took place, and the Members of the Banking-house themselves
took an active part in the pursuit of Hunton. Up to Monday'
evening, all search was ineffectual. Mr. Curtis, the son of Sir
William, went off post-baste to Calais. accompanied by Mr. Cope,
the City Marshal, who had received inforinstioo that a person
whose appearance corresponded with that described in the reward
bills, was at one of the hotels, and it is believed that they have gone
on to Paris after the person described. On Monday night Mr.
Gates, the Solicitor to the Committee of Bankers, succeeded in
obtaining a clue to the retreat of Hunton, and dispatched his chief
clerk and John Forrester to the neighbourhood of Portsmouth.
Upon inquiry at the Post Office, they learned that a little man,
named Wilkinson. had called there for letters from London. They
learned, upon further inquiry, that Mr. Wilkinson had sailed in the
Leeds packet for New York. but the vessel was detained by adverse
winds. They hired a boat, and reached the Leeds packet at St.
Helen's, about ten miles from the shore. They took with them an
officer of that station, named Hunt, who disguised himself in jacket
and trousers.. Hunt, on going on board, said he had a letter for
Mr. Wilkinson, the Portsmouth merchant. Hunton, who expected
a letter from his wife, desired that the messenger should come
below to him. Hunt obeyed, and the moment Hunton opened the
letter,which was superscribed by Mr. Gates, and contained nothing,
be turned. pale and trembled excessively. It was unnecessary to
tell him that he must leave the vessel; he was not able to utter a
word, but be rose and followed the officer, and was immediately
conveyed to the shore.
It seems that Hunton, on Friday week, the day he procured his
t fur France, which be procured in his own name, went on
rd one of the steam vessels, which lay at the Tower, and was
about to sail for Boulogne, apparently with the intention of being a
passenger. He, however, shortly afterwards left the steamer, but
riot without Int having circulated, some religious tracts amongst
the passengers and crew, to some of the latter of whom he read a
lecture upon the abomination of swearing. He had appeared on
board 'the steamer in a Quaker dress, but he immediately after.
wards changed his dress, and put on a light frock of green, a pair
of light grey pantaloons, a black stock, and a foraging cap, and
entered the Leeds packet, then lying n, ar the Tower, and bound for
New York. In this vessel be was in the Thames, while a strict
search was going forward, and be was enteredas a passenger under
the name and designation of Mr. Wilkinson, merchant, of Ports.
mouth. • _ _ _ _

When it was known at Lloyd's yesterday morning that be was
in custody, numbers of mercbanu and bankers came to the Man-
' sion House. The curiosity was most eager, but the examination
was private, and there was no public exhibition of the unfortunate

prisoner.
4 Mr. Roberts, of the house of Curtis and Co. Mr. Gates, the
Bankers' Solicitor, and Mr. Coles, the prisisuer's Solicitor, were
pre .ent.
There were but two charges of forgery entered into yesterday.
The first was for forging an acceptance, purporting to be the ac-
ceptance of Mr. Edward Wilkins, of Abingdon, to a bill drawn by
Messrs. Dickson and Co. of which firm the prisoner is a partner,
for the sum of 474 4s. This CI.: was dated Sept. 5, 1828, and was
payable at four months. The second hill was for 1710. lbs. pur-
porting to be accepted by the same person, iu favour of the same
firm, and was dated Aug. the 18th.
Now it happened unluckily for the prition.-r, that the supposed
acceptor's f..ther wrote from Abingdon to town, just before these
forgeries were detected, stating that his son had expired on the Bth
of August, ten days before the date of one of the bills, and upwards
of thtee weeks before the date of the other.

A Oak to Sir William Curtis and Co.'s stated, that the prisoner
bad brought the bill to the house.
Mr. Dickson, of Itoumonger-lane, warehouseman. partner of the
prisoner, stated that•they used to do busint‘s with Mr Ed...aid
Willa*: there was nothing on their boyks like the amount of the
two bills against Mr. Wilkins, but there might be an item 2011.4
him to the amount of the first bill. To the hest of his bt4iel, the
bills were drawn by Mr. Manton, but there was no entry of them
on the books.

Ur. Gates submitted that this evidence was sufficient to warrant
the committal of the prisoner for further eaamitiation.
The Liao liavoa concurred, and the prisoner was remanded.
Joseph Huntun commenced business, some years ego, as a slop.
seller, at Yarmouth, where be was very prtopetous, and had many
friends. He embarked more extensively in the metropolis, and is
said to have realised, at one time, upwards ot 50,00u1. He, bow:
ever, launched, it is asserted, very extensively tour Stuck Xxchaage
speculations, and shared in the general calamity arf Stuck Exchange
adventurers. He bad, however, maintained a character for su-
tegrity, and taus extremely active and clever at business. He
reared at the Masseion-house in the disguise in which he was taken
and his melancholy appearance, in conjunction with the rrport thai
he bu a wife and twelve children, aside him an object of great
commiseration. Upon his person no more money was found than
100 sovereigns.