Case Name: United States v. George Wood
Court: United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1819-04
Citations: 2 Cranch 164
Docket Number: 
Parties: United States v. George Wood.
Judges: (Thruston, J., absent,)
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (District of Columbia - reported by Mackey)
Volume: 2
Pages: 164–164

Head Matter:
United States v. George Wood.
A defendant indicted for counterfeiting a bank-note in Alexandria, D. C., is entitled to a peremptory challenge, it being felony without benefit of clergy, by the Virginia acts of December 19th, 1792, and December 8th, 1794.
Palsely altering a promissory note in a material part, with intent to defraud any person, is a forging within the meaning of the statutes. ,L
Indictment for counterfeiting a note of the Mechanics Bank of Alexandria.
Mr. Mason, for the defendant,
contended that the statutes of December 19, 1792, and December 8, 1794, do not punish the altering of a note ; that altering is not forging, or counterfeiting, or making. The note had been originally a note of the Merchants Bank, which had failed, and was altered so as to purport to be a note of the Mechanics Bank, which was in good credit.

Opinion:
The Court
(Thruston, J., absent,)
on the prayer of Mr. Jones, for the United States, instructed the jury that the falsely altering of the note in a material part, with intent to defraud any person, was a forging within the meaning of the statutes.
Verdict, not guilty.