The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-06-29

TO our rcadersto be littlesmere
particularly informed as to the charge
ag ainst him and his trial. He was appre-
hended i'm Philadelphia on the Cd of Octo-
her last. charged with committing cxten-
sive forgeres on The Messrs. Brown's, and
other heavy firms Of New York and New
Orleans. under the name Of J. P. Caldwell,
from which he is supposed to have real
ICED some fifty or siStg; thousand d"llars.
Some forty four thousand were fop9d up
on him at the time of.his arrest, Bf The
possession Of which he could not then
satisfactorily account. 1t was attempted
to be proved by the deposition ofnnc
Charles r. Johnston, that this money was
paid to Edwards by him, in the course OF
snme dealings with. the prisoner. The
amount of his testimony was, that he met
Edwards in Paris in the Spring of sis4i,
and there entered into business arrange.
ment with him, which was carried into ef
feet at the Eutaw House, in Baltimore, in
August, 1S4l. The business wasi.to be, 10
transport slaves from Martinique TO Texas
the capital 100000, of which Johnston
was to pay S50,000 in cash, and $50 ne.
groes, valued as so much more. Edwards
was to put in l.2 leagues Of land in Tex.
as as his 100000. Johnston actually
paid as he alledges, his $4,000, and an
nexed to the deposition are receipts from
Edwards for $4,000 in gold, s22,nC0 in
New York bank notes, and Sl4, 600 in Ball
timore bank notes. 81
Next the deposition oftwo sislers,Phil-
ips, daughters Of the person with whom
| Edwards boarded in Philadelphia. The
eldest, Lucy, Of 20 years and up1oards of
age, kept the books an.! accounts for the
| lime that Edwards boarded with her molh-
er in Philadelphia, Pa, in August and Sep.
tcmber, and especially swore he was in
Philadelphia and Lined there on 30th Aas
gust. both from the entries made at the:
time in the books and from memory-also,
because on that day he paid her a pair Of
gloves he had lost 10 her, and she wrote,
as was her custom, the date inside-it was
30lh August.
The olhcs sister, Caroline, swears with
like posiliveness to his being in Philadel-
phia on 30Ih August and both say he prac-
Used no conccalmcnt and never went by
the name of Caldwell. To Caroline he
made proposals ofanarriage, and offered a
settlement of $50 ,000, aud exhibiting the
money in bills OF 1000 and 500. She was
never positively engaged and never mar
ried 10 Edwards.
Independent Of all this, the defence pro-
duccd the registers Of different Hotels,
questionable testimony at best, TO shew
that Edwards could not have been at the
places where the forgeries were committed
on the days charged in the indictment
Thus attempting to establish an abb.
The prosecution, on the other hand,
proved by the corroborative testimony OF
some dozen or more witnesses, the identi-
ty of Edwards with the man Calewell.-
Moreover, the money found in possession
of Edwards is of the same description as
that paid to Caldwell on his forged paper.
A boy from Baltimore testified that he paid
to Caldwell quantity of gold in a. bag
marked j & Lee" which bag was found
in possession of Edwards at the time of his
arrest. The other Testimony was equally
strong, and left no doubt upon the mind
as to The guilt of the prisoner.
There are still five or six indictments
pending against him..
The defence was conducted by Mr.. Ev-
arts, Hon. Thomas F. Marshall and Hon.
]. J. Crltenden.
The prosecution, by the District Attor-
ney and Hon. Ogllen Hoffman.