The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-12-24 00:00:00

THURSDAY.

Tames Kean, 35, (could read and write in a superior
manner) was charged with uttering a forged will of one
James Baines deceased.
Messrs. Blair and Drinkwater appeared for the prose-
cution. The prisoner conducted his own defence, and
manifested considerable dexterity in the management of
his case. He is rather a good-looking man, of genteel
eater. ior.
In the early part of the present year Mr. James Baines,
of Everton. died, leaving a considerable amount of pro-
perty, under a will dated in 1840. Disaffection being ex-
cited amongst some of his relatives in consequence of their
expectations not being realised, Mr. James Mawdesley, a
brother-in-law to the deceased, residing in Burlington-
street, employed the prisoner to make inquiries as to the
validity of the said will. Accordingly, in September last,
the prisoner took some steps in the matter, and several
interviews took place between him and Mawdesley, when
the latter paid over several sums of money as a compensa-
tion for the prisoner's trouble. In October the prisoner
called upon Mawdesley and produced a will, which he
stated to be the original and legitimate will of Mr. Baines,
and purporting to be signed by him; he then proposed to
go with Mawdsley to Chester to have the will executed,
(that was about the latter end of October ;) but, on their
meeting there. the prisoner made some excuses as to the
non-appearance of several witnesses who were to have
been in attendance, and afterwards contrived to make his
escape. On the 25th of November he was discovered at
Manchester, and taken into custody. A number of papers
were found upon him connected with the transaction in
which he was implicated. The will which the prisoner
had prepared, and which bore the signature of James
Baines, was alleged to be a forgery, and in the handwriting
of the prisoner.
The prisoner entered into a long defence, in which he
endeavoured to fix the charge of forgery on other parties,
and to show that he himself could have no motive for the
commission of such an act. He called several witnesses,
whose evidence did not, however, change the features of
the case.
His LORDSHIP briefly summed up the evidence, and
the jury, found the prisoner guilty of uttering the will,
knowing it to be forged.
The prisoner begged bard for mercy, when his Lordship
said,—" Have you never experienced mercy before?"--
Prisoner : " Slightly, and I have not abused it ; for many
years of my life. I have had great difficulties to contend
with, and have fought my way up to hold a respectable
station in society.'
The JUDGE.—You have been once before sentenced to
transportation. The case of to-day has proved you are a
most wicked, daring, bad man, in every sense of the
word ; and I should ill discharge my duty if I gave you
any opportunity of returning to this country. The sen-
tence of the court is, that you be transported for the term
of your natural life.
Prisoner, (with a look of concern.)—" We shall meet
again, my Lord."
CHARGE OF ASSAULT.
Edward Davies, was charged with assaulting Matthew
Mathews, at Manchester. It appeared that, on the 24th
July last, Mathews and another gentleman were walking
along the street, when the defendant came up and struck
him, and was about to repeat his violence, when he was
given in charge to the policeman.
A verdict of guilty was returned, and the defendant
fined 205., and ordered to enter into his own recogni-
zances to keep the peace.
John Chamley, Edward Kynaston, and John Lomax
were discharged by proclamation.
John Clarkson, convicted of forging a promissory note,
was sentenced to ten years' transportation.
The whole of the original business being disposed of,
his Lordship thanked the jury and adjourned the court
at a quarter to six o'clock.