The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1842-06-30

he Would DO as DiieIiN Us possipic, WIN
Justice to all parties concerned. The phi
soner was arrested on I'd of October IN
Philadelphia, on charge OF having dc.
irauded Brown, Brothers 4 Co. out of
S25, 900, and received thai amount OF mo-
ney fraudu.enty obtained from them.-
That the letter purportng TO come from
Mauusel, White g. Co. is forged there
cannot be any doubt. There were how
ever other facts, which were to be consid-
cred, as The Inference TO be deduccd from
them would draw their attention to the
prisoner. The evidence it was true was
entirely c;Icumstantial and II was for the
jury to say It the circumstances were so
strong in their differences that they had no
reasonable doubt as to who was the guilty
person. On the 9th July, 1871, a letter
is sent to the firm in New Orleans, and on
that day Edwards was at Jones Hotel in
Philadelphia. That letter tells them, he
with has brother is proprietor Of large
estate ia Arkansas aud 1t will be necessa-
nv to have the usual articles for plania-
ton, but requiring no advances and ask
ng the name Of their correspondent here.
The answer gives the fclon the signature
of Mannsel, Whi'e & Co. and The names
Of their friends 10 New York, Brown,
Brothers & Co. The next is the letter Of
August 10, introducing MIR. Caldwell to
Brown, Brothers & Co. as one who amid
the wreck there, is among the few remain
e.,l,u,t ,,,I fl.ns i. haa InAn lsalaa al
cotton in their hands, on which he is oil.
lowed to draw on them for not more than
$780, 900. The minuieness Of this letter
induces Messrs. Brown TO believe it is writ.
ten by Southern planter, and all the mi.
nulia into which lie enters shews that the
torger was acquainted with Louisiana
with Arkansas, with plantations, and with
the Southern habits generally. lie ap
pears 10 know the mode of transactina
business at the North. He mentions mol
only the numbers of the bales of cottor
bu, the weight in pounds, and uses tech
meal term 10 eXr'ress the quality. AL
these shew the masteTmind which animal
ed the whole plot.
/ This letter was successful. MessFs
Browns are blinded by II, aud they write
To their friends ia New Orleans accedlnl
to their proposal and thanking them iol
introducing Caldwell. Caldwell next send.
on the bills Of exchange and the order foi
the cotton. The money is sent as be re.
quesied, and the man, whoever he is, peck.
cts the proceeds of his fraud. But be has
the dangerous gin Of checks drawn to or.
der, and has to encounter the Argus eyes
OF bank presidents, cashiers and brokers.
\ stranger appears at the places upon
which the drafts are drawn, but they can.
not be paid, as they know him not. lie
meets this objection with easy assurance
goes to Mr.. Geo. Brown, brings him &c
satisfy the bankers, and carries the whole
of with an elegant nonchalunce, complete
ly decelylng every person. lie does the
same at Richmond, and he gets SO, 900
and then the plot is nearly complete. In
lerences gentlemen point to the lndivIdua
who has committed this extraordinary op
Grafton.
But the plot was not yet all completed
He had got notes from the banks 10 BatI.
more and Virginia. They might be iden.
tilted, as he had taken large bills and
these could not be negotiated abroad and
/ II was essential 10 hun to get rid of these
large bills and convert them into small
ones, which he could transmit from hand
TO hand without danger Of detection. This
person then had another part TO perform,
and he had acted thus far with dcxierity
and ingenuity exciting, in spite Of our
selves, our admiration. He must then get
rid OF these bills. and this perhaps accounts
for the delay in Philadelphia or n. York.
The proof Of The handwriting Is almost
positive, as such proof can be, as nothing
can be more difficult 10 prove than the
commission Of forgery. The letters, all
seem 10 indicate one pervadIng master
mind, and that one person directed the
whole machine. The person who had the
presence of mind to consummatc this
fraud, whose nerve was never wanting on
any occasion, will not be found wanting
when before tribunal on his trial. That
person is capable Of making a defence cor
responding 10 the talent and ingenuity
which marked the commission ofthe crime.
Lewis Tappan and Recorder Vaux speak
positively as to The handwriting and believe
the forged letters arc written by Edwards,
but in disguised hand. On the other
hand, Mr.. Ellis does not believe either of
the letters to be IN Edwards writing; but
the popularity Of the spelling Of the word
fer is TO be considered by the Jury
That word, spelled Ger, occurs not only
in the forged letters, but in the letters
written by him to his friends. When a
person spells wrong, and spells in a pecu.
liar way, and when a word peculiar TO the
person IS found IN the forged as welt as the
genuine letters, it is subject worthy Of
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