Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-04

lutely had at that moment five soyere,gns put
he felt 1nsted III saying that he had not SIX.
pence. as he considered that the money so
appropriatea to pay just debt was not at his
THE magistrates asked him If he faucied
the person who got the change had given the
forged note innocently or fraudulently. That
mas 81 course impossible to say but George
evidence; after a careful consultation, they
came TO the conclusion that they must commit
9 a1m an lor tral; but they would accept bail.
run amount believe myself, with the hope
mat he would break it. by quitting the coun-
81 must tell you, however, that before
any proceedings were commenced, young
Dioden coarsely offered to Clara not
TO prosecute Il she accepted his proposal
OF marriage. To this she Indignantly replied
that she knew Mr.. Hamilton was innnocent,
and they knew it too; and that If he were not
she would not save him.
away on The continent. My wife had been deli
cate: and the doctors said sne must have change
OF air, and had axed on Italy; which accounts
1Or my not having seen the advertisement
when appeared In the Times, and which snail
now read to you:
book. who received change for a Ten pound Note
e hf Of DSden K mo y PIP b.
smith Oliver. Solicitors. Brick Court. Middle
II suppose / 9eed Scarcely Ell You that 1
was the elderly gentleman with the blue pocket
pok Well sa Travelling about from one
and therefore missed this advertisement. In
| the mean time the aSsizei drew on; aud George
Hamilton stood In the dock charged with
me: shall read to you the leading evidence,
which was all unfortunately against the
prisoner The charge was, that George Hamli-
ton did feloniously attempt to pass forged ten
pound note: knowing the same to be forgery.
The elder Dlnden was the first witness
called up: He deposed that the prisoner was
his head clerk, In whom he had always placed
me the greatest confidence; that cash-box was
lett under his care, containing generally a
limited amount of money, principally for the
| were also frequently deposited there. Il none of
the principals OF the house were In the way to
ioch IL up In the money safe; that on the morn
ing IN question he himself had placed in the
casn-box two five pound notes and three pounds
| Id gold; that In the afternoon he wanted to pay
some money into the bank; and the safe being
deficient of the sum he needed by five bounds
he opened the cash-box to take that amount
therefrom; that instead of the five pound notes
Wnlch ne had placed there he found a ten
Pound n0te, Wnich When presented at the bank
was declared TO be forgery; that when ne
asked the prisoner to account for the note, he
SAID ne mad received 1t from stranger In ex-
change for the two five pound notes: that on
examining the prisoners desk, he found one Of
the i've pound notes which he had placed Ia
the cash-b0x that morning.
SlooS-G&dlIiucu-NO one Qau access TO the
cash box but the prisoner, himself and his son.
Each had key. The lock was Chubb's patent,
OF the best description. He knew the flve-pouud
n faeS oy their being endorsed with the name
"The next witness was William simmonds.
| junior clerk to Messrs. DtDden, Knollys & DID
den. He SWore that on the morning of the dis
covery of the forged note he had asked the
prisoner to lend him a sovereign; that the reply
ne received was, I'd lend 1t with pleasure but
nave not sixpence to swear BY Had been
no YrIc
had any quarrel with him.
Eleanor Parker deposed that she knew he
prisoner well; he had lodged With her the last
always paid honorably, but used to be little
Debindhand. He was due her fully five pounds
at =, me Time OF bis appre henslon. Had always
was ever returned to her. Prisoner was out
mostly all day; usually spent his nights reading
f Fo1 EVIDENCE for the
were brought up to testify to the excellent
character The prisoner always bore. But his
counsel TOOK his stand not against any OF the
that they proved the act of the prisoner was
cone innocently and in ignorance.
just Tor moment consider, gentlemen OF
me Jury he said. Here is a gentleman who
has for several years managed the business OF
1rm OF attorneys, large sums daily passing
through his hands. The utmost confidence Is
l put 1t to you in the name OF the common sense
Which beams this moment on your faces-do Won
mink that he would risk his position, honor
1es paG Try Se9pnnhd note? He
out carefully examining 1t. took note from q
complete stranger; and the only excuse he can
give Ior THIS Is that he thought that Doctors
Commons was the last place in the world a
sWlndler would go cadging about in-and that
Inc stranger bore most respectable appear
ance: For this act he deserves the reproof OF
MS employer and that Is all. AS to the evi-
dence OF the junior clerk, / must say that
stronger could not be brought in favor OF
mans character than, when asked by a frlen
lor tIiiling loan, at the risk OF being though
mean or confesslng his poverty, he refuses
although he has money by him. because he ha,
put 9aa IL away 10 to pay Just debt Gentlemen
confidence as | know you will exercise
that intelligence and Discrimination which
at at all I'LL times distinguished British iurymsn
not only able but determined to separate truth
from error u N'A
u need not read to you the summing up of
the evidence, and explained to them a few
points OF law. But am sorry TO tell you that
sergeant Ollem,s fiattery failed with the jury;
OF Guilty and George Hamilton was sentenced
70 hve years penal servitude and sent TO Mil
Dank prison TO commence his punishment for a
crime ne never committed.
me very Day after his sentence was the
IWenty-n1tn anniversary OF Clara BrieryS
blrthday, and on tue following morning this
advertisement appeared In the Times:
FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS REWARD. Whereas
on tue "a day OF September, 18-, an elderly man
OF respectable appearance, who carried about with
MN biue PocketbOOk, presented Forged Note
ana got ~ exchange good money at the Office. of
MessIs. Dibden, KnolIys & Uibdsn BelIyard Doc-
tors commons, the above REWARD will be paid to
any one proving that suca a transaction to)k
place. ~
.iSiened, SMITH L OLIVER, Solicitors.
Brick Court, Middle Tempe.
'Clara was now free. She had waited anxiously
Tor the result OF the trial; but never for one
moment doubted the entire moral innocence OF
her lover. On the morning of her twenty-nfth
birthday she had the newspapers sent up to her
room, where she remained. She read the whole
TRIAL over without missing word. When she
came to the verdict Guilty her agitation over
mastered her dlrectness Of purpose. At length,
however, She calmly rose from her scat,
WIN Inc words Innocent as am. am now
more certain than ever
Nl9hout a tear on her pale face, she
u tIlsed herself to go out; then packed UP the
LII .n.angs mat she wished to take with her aud
teao t1e mouse without word to any one ex.
cept the servant, to whom she gave the rr
Iiainlng property Of her own that was In ner
tuoill, deslIlng her to tell her master that she
na9 gone away, and should not return Then
t taa cab, she drove to Smith a. 0livar's
, Tue Soncltors, who had been res,ommendeS r.,
nea ny y; GeoIge 1t is wonderful how they an.
pear ar 10 Know everything In those musty rooms