The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-09-18 00:00:00

DEFENCE:

The prisoner then rose, and from a written paper,
read his defence, which he delivered with peculiar pro-
ptiety and firmness of manner. He acknowledged
that the statement which he had made to the Bank Di-
tecfors was suspicious ; but relying on the candour
and justice of a British Judge and Jury, he was satis-
fied that with them suspicion would have no place.
To prove his innocence was manifestly impossible, as
the only witness Who could do it was the man for
-1% hose iniquities he was now suffering. He stated
that Ise bad been eighteen years a faithful servant of
the Bank of England, and during ,the riots of 1780,
his father, Sir Barnard Turner, bad preserved the
treasure of the Bank. The way in which be was en-
trapped was this :—A man, in the garb of a Gentle-
man, applied to him for a loan, and referred him to a
credit of 10,0001. in the books of the Bank of Eng-
land, which some family reasons required should stand
in his name a little longer. He represented himself
us a man of substance, residing at Highgate; his ap-
pearance was respectable, and his offers liberal and
honourable. Having examined the ledger, and every
thing appearing regular, he entertained no suspicion,
and on the next day advanced him the sum which he
required ; and thus began those pecuniary transactions
which had closed by placing him as a prisoner where
he now stood. He continued to act as a broker of this',
accomplished swindler, and occasionally repaid him-
self the advances he had made to him out of money
received, from him, which accounted for many Bank
notes being traced to his possession, and not to Penn's.
slow, he would ask the Gentlemen of the Jury, could
lie suspect this man. It had been suggested that the
irregular transfer and entry in his name is altogether
fictitious and made by him (the prisoner.) Had the
ledger account been opened by him, there would have
been some ground for the supposition ; bat that ac-
count was opened by Mr. Prideaux, and he must have
been satisfied of the regularity of the transfer before
lie would have opened it. Two months have elapsed
before any dsicovery took place, and in that interim
lie had been absent for three weeks at Hastings, and
if lie had been guilty, might have escaped to the op-
posite coast, but-instead of which be had returned to
the Bank, the scene of inevitable detection and ruin.
Would any man of common sense, much less a man of
subtlety, arrange a contrivance. of the sort imputed
to him, have so acted, and that at a time when the
plot was effected, when the plunder must be supposed
to be safe in his possession. He was present when
the discovery of irregularities was made in the office;
but no witness spoke of any alteration of his counte-
nance or manner, indicative of guilt. He had even
stayed twenty minutes beyond his usual time, and then
had gone to his own habitation, where he remained
accessible to every visitor. It was alleged that he
tore out the missing leaf; but if that were so, why
had lie not torn out the other leaves which had been

brought in evidence against him? This was a peculiar
cue in which the Jury would look at the probabilities on
each side. There was nothing in his past life or conduct to
countenance a charge of dishonesty; no creditor bad ever
called twice on hint for money; in fact he owed none.
He could prove that he had paid some debts of his de-
ceased parent, which he could not have been obliged
by law to discharge. His income from the Bank was
abundantly sufficient for his expences ; add to which,
tivo yetre ago, by the death of his mother, he received
2,0001., and he received with his wife 6,000/.; and
three of the clerks of his department owed him four
hundred pounds, and had done so for months. So
that it would appear that lie, a man of temperate ha-
-bits and moderate expense, bad rushed on infamy and
death without cause or motive. He had been entrusted
to a considerable amount by many brokers, and
could have realised a larger sum than 10,0001. without
any risk, and he could have enriched himself without
a tenth poi the risk, from his situation giving
him a cond over tilt 'dividend warrants. The
fault that he must acknowledge was having been a
dupe, but not a villain. The account he now gave he
had given to the Bank Directors without premedita-
tion, but when he found they were resolved to drag
him ie Dor. apd when the of Penn burst
upon Km, and conscious tffirattqWnn would not
restore him to society, he lost his senses, and scarcely
knowing what he was about, be did seek either escape,
or what be thought more probable, certain death.—
lie entreated the Jury to balance the probabilities, and
they would find that to pronounce him innocent they
had only to believe, that he had given credence to an
artful villain; whilst to convict him of guilt, they
must believe that he forged the transfer of Sir R.
Peel, and imposed on the vigilance of six clerks,
through whose supervisioo it pasted ; that he tore the
le4 out of the transfer book, and afterwards dis-
posed of the stock in the common market; and they
must believe that when discoveries were made be
staid at the office 20 minutes beyond-. the time,
and then went to his habitual residence, and. that
he did all this with 70001. is his possession, and
four hundred pound...owing to him from clerks in,
the office. "My existence," said the prisoner is con--
elusion, " hangs upon your breath; for in cases
like this, after conviction to look for mercy were hope-
less. Cut me not off, I implore you, in the very
summer if my years; for the sake of those whose cha-
racters are unstained I ask it—for the sake of a
wretched wife who has bound up her happiness in
mine—for his sake I ask it who will not hereafter for-
get the mercy with which you have tempered justice."
The address of the Prisoner caused a considerable
sensation in the Court.
The following witnesses were then called, who all
spoke in the highest terms of the character of del
prisoner. as being most exemplary in every Madan di
life :
Mr. Loe, the High Constable of Westminster, bad