The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-04-08 00:00:00

FORGERY AT PRESCOT.

The Court was opened at nine o'clock this 'morning
there being, then seven eases for trial.

Richard flashy Johnson surrendered this morning, and
pleaded guilty to having forged an indorsemeta to a bill
of exchange fo- £213 155., with intent to defraud Thomas
Parr and Thomas Lyon. The prisoner was defended by
Mr. Atkinson, who called several witnesses to the.prison-
er's character and in extenuation. This case arose out of
an advertisement which was inserted in th papers by a
gang of swindlers, of whom the notorious Capt. Rout
ledge was the head. There seemed to be no doubt that
the accused had sent up the money to meet the bill, but
he had never received any authority
.to endorse Mr.. Lee's
name. Mr. Pollock, for the prosecution, said they were
of opinion that the prisoner had been made the dupe of
accomplished swindlers in London.
Mr. Lee said he had had many transactions with the
prisoner, and would be happy to renew business with him

again, for he had always found him honest and straight-
forward in his dealings, which hac frequently been to a
very considerable sum.—Mr. Greenhough gave similar
evidence and both gentlemen spoke in the highest terms
of the prisoner's character heretofore.—Sentence was
deferred.

ATTEMPTED BURGL ARY

AT LITTLE WOOLTON

George Johnson, 30. was charged with having attempted
to commit a hu -glary in the house of John Okell, Esq.,
of Leigh-hall, Little Woolton. Mr. Pollock prosecuted;
the prisoner was undefended.

Some suspicions was entertained that a burglary was
to be committed at the house of the prosecutor, on the
night of the 7th October last. In consequence, several
men were employed to keep watch in the house, and about
two o'clock they were awakened by a noise, as of some
boring at the street door. This continued for about half-

hn-hcur, when the watchers went out and found two men
at the door,—one stooping down as if at work, and the
other standing close by. They seized the prisoner, but
his companion escaped ; and, on searching the former,
a wax candle and a box of lucifer matches were found
upon him. Near to the door, immediately afterwards, an
iron instrument,—such as is regularly tiled by house-
breakers for the purpose of removing a portion of the
panel, by which means they can open the tastenings of a
door,—was picked up, together with a gimlet and a ham-
The prisoner, on his apprehension, said he was
missing along the footpath near the house, and, seeing
two men at work, he had gone up to learn what they were
doing; hut, unfortunately for him, it was proved that it
was impossible for any person to have distinguished ano
ther standing at the door from the footpath. The despe-
rate character of the prisoner was shown by his having
very dexterously effected his escape from the lock-up at
Woolton, on the night he was placed in the cell there,
and had since been at large.

In his defence, the accused repeated the statement he
had made when apprehended. He said it was not shown
in evidence that he had had any hand in the attempted
burglary, or that the instrument with which the circles
and hole in the mahogany door of Mr. Okell's house had
been cut, were ever in his possession. The jury. how-
ever, at once found him guilty. His lordship having
remarked that if they believed his stsry they could acquit
him, but it was very foolish, to say the least of it, for a
man, at two o'clock in the morning, to go and stand by
nnther was cutting a hole in the door of a gentle-
man's private house.

whilst

CRIMINAL ASSAULT AT ASHTON