The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-21 00:00:00

A smart and respectably dressed man, apparently about
25 years of age, calling himself John Eddlestone, was brought
up at the New Bailey, Salford, on Saturday last, to answer
a complaint preferred by Mr. Thos. Cockin, a staid-looking
manufacturer at Dalton, near Huddersfield, who, from his
age and seeming experience in the world, as well as from
the quarter in which he resides, ought to have been a match
for any sharper in England, but who had been "done" in
the must exemplary manner, and by one of the commonest
tricks ever practised by sharpers. The complainant stated,
that on the Thursday' precious he was in Manchester on
business, and, having finished it, be took his place at the
coach-office to return home at one o'clock. It was then
about twelve, and having nothing to do, he thought he would
go and see the College. An " old gentleman" followed him
down the street, knocked some dust off his coat, and, accost-
ing him, said he was a decent-looking old farmer. They
then entered into conversation,. and the "old gentleman'-'
said be had come to Manchester .with a returned bill for
between £lOO and £2OO. They walked on together till they
got into the Old Churchyard, and they then went into a
public-house, and the "old gentleman" called for two glasses
of ale, and threw down a sovereign to pay for it, requesting
witness to take the change while he went out for a minute
or two. Soon afterwards, the prisoner, who was a stranger
to witness, and appeared to be a stranger to the "old gen-
tleman" also, came into the room, and called for a glass of
gin, and said he had not been long in a condition to pay for
a glass, as he had been a parish apprentice, and was not
ashamed to tell it; that his family had had some property
which belonged to him, but they would not let him have it
because an old woman said he was not born in wedlock; but
he had met with an attorney who had agreed to get him it
for £lOO, and they had been in London and got £1,300 out
of the funds, and he was now worth £6OO a-year. The "old
gentleman" advised him to he careful of his money, and he
then pulled out his pocket-book, showed some bank notes,
and said his attorney bad advise4l him to keep respectable
company; and he thought the company he had got in was
respectable. After a little conversation, the prisoner offered
to bet the " old gentleman" and witness a wager of £lO that
they could not produce £lOO by the next day. The " old
gentleman" said, his was all a risk, as he had come about a
returned bill, and could not get the money from any other
quarter. Witness objected to have any thing to do with the
bet at first, hut the "old gentleman" persuaded him to it,
and, as be had not sufficient money for the wager about him,
agreed to advance £5, if he would fetch the money from
Huddersfield by the next day. This was agreed Co, and
witness went to Huddersfield in the afternoon, and returned
on Friday morning with twenty £5 notes. The " old gen-
tleman" met hint at the coach-office, and, as they were a
little too soon, witness went into a public-house to wait while
he went to get his bill taken up; he soon came back, and
told witness that his friend had disappointed him, and he had:
only got £5O; they then set off to go to the public-house to
meet the prisoner, but they met him on the road, and they
all then went and looked round the College, and front thence
to the Zoological Gardens. They then returned, and dined
at the Corn Exchange Inn, and the prisoner ordered a bottle
of wine; but witness would only take water. After dinner
the "old gentleman" again advised the prisoner to be care-
ful of his money, and the prisoner then took a quantity of
notes from his pocket-hook, and wrapped them up in brown
paper, and gave them to witness to put in his fob, which he
did; the prisoner then got the "old gentleman's" money,
and wrapped it up, and put it into his fob in the same man-
ner; he then asked witness for his mousy, and he gave him
the twenty £5 notes, which he also wrapped up in brown
paper, and, as witness thought, put into his fob. They then
left the Corn Exchange to go with the prisoner to see if three
gold watches, which prisoner said he had bought for himself
and his two companions, and ordered to be engraved with
their names, were finished; but just when they had got out,
prisoner said he had left his pocket handkerchief in the pub-
lic-house, and requested witness to go back for it; tie did so,
but could not find it; he then returned, but the prisoner and
the "old gentleman" had disappeared. Witness looked
about for them in the street for some time, but in vain ; he
then looked at the parcel in his fob, to see if that was all
right; but, instead of its containing his £lOO, be found that
it contained nothing but brown 'paper and an old memoran-
dum book. He then thought he had been "done." and im-
mediately gave information at the police-office, and told them
the numbers and dates of the notes, which be had had the
precaution to take in the morning, suspecting, somehow or
other, that all was not right.
Mr. Maude: That was the only wise thing you did.
M‘Mtillen, of the Manchester police, stated, that, having
some suspicion that the prisoner and his companion were
gone to Stockport. he gut upon the Defiance (London)
coach along with the prosecutor to seek them there; and
when they had got a little at the other side of Ardwick Green,
the prisoner came out of a public-house, and got upon the
coach; but, seeing the prosecutor, he pulled his hat over his
eyes, and tried to avoid being seen by him. M'Mullen then
took him into custody, and, on searching him, found upon
him a quantity of flash notes, and eight good £5 notes, which
corresponded with the numbers previously stated by the
prosecutor.
The prisoner said he had nothing to say but that the mo-
ney was his, and he was going home to London when he was
taken.
Mr. Maude said he could not have thought that a man of
the prosecutor's years could have been taken in in that man-
ner, especially as he might have seen in the newspapers an
account of the very counterpart of this case, which occurred
in Liverpool three weeks ago.
The prisoner was committed for trial at the sessions.
Mr. Taylor, attorney, shortly afterwards applied to the
bench to know what amount of bail they would accept for
the prisoner's appearance at the sessions, as he could give
bail to any amount; but
Mr. Maude said they would not take bail at all, as it was
a case upon which they had uo doubt.