The Express. — 1853-03-02 (London, England)

CANAL. Upon the application of Mr. Parry, who was counsel for I die prisoner, the trial of Thomas Mackin for murder was postponed to the next session. William Henry Hoag, 65, clerk, Thomas Wyatt, 35, clerk, and Charles Hildebrent, 69, carver, were indicted for feloniously forging and uttering a deed, purporting to be an assignment of a judgment debt, with intent to defraud. Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Metcalfe prosecuted; Mr. Parry and Mr. Ribton defended the prisoners. At the commencement of the case Mr. Ballantine conmeted to a verdict of not guilty being taken for Hildebrent, and that prisoner was called, in the course of the case, as a witness for the prosecution. The circumstances of the case were somewhat remarkable. It appeared that in 1846 the prisoner King managed the business of a Mr. Lewis, an attorney, in Barnard's-inn, Holborn, and Wyatt was also engaged as a clerk in the same office, and an July, 1846, the prosecutor of the indictment, who is an attorney named Lee, being at the office had some conversation withLio‘upon the subject of the sale of the assignment of ajudgeont that had been obtained against Lord George Letts* ne= to over 6001. It appeared that tee obtained in 1842, and that shortly after-7=11.111 Owns took the benefit of the Insolvent Act, INS Ike wham/ King represented that from settlements and dub ha had asaa, he had reason to believe that a sum of 10,00 W. would be obtained, which would go to the benefit of Lord George's estate, and that there was every probability of a very handsome dividend being obtained. Upon these representations, Mr. Lee consented to become the  graidsweVef the jndgen. oral, and agreed to pay 701. when the interest on the judgment should be assigned to him, and after some little delay a formal deed was drawn up, which a person named Francis Gibbons, who was represented as having the interest in the debt, and who was stated to be a carver and gilder, assigned all his interest to the prosecutor in consideration of his paying him the stun of 701., and the deed was delivered to the prosecutor by the prisoner King, apparently duly executed by Francis Gibbons. It appeared that nothing occurred until the latter end of last year, when, in consequence of some information received by the prosecutor, he made inquiries which had led to the discovery that there was no such person II Francis Gibbons to be found, and that consequently the signature to the deed was a forgery. llildebrent was called as a witness, and he said that happening accidentally to be at King's office in August, 1846, the prisoner asked him to sign the deed in question in the name of Francis Gibbons, and when he objected to do so he told him that it was only a matter of form, and that he need not be afraid that he would get him into trouble ; and upon this representation he put his name to the deed in two plates, one for the execution of it, and the other acknowledging the receipt of the 701. The evidence against the prisoner Wyatt was that ho had engrossed the deed refereed to, and that he signed it as the attesting witness, and it also appeared that, upon his being asked some question with regard to the assignment deed, his reply was " Oh, it's all bosh !" The counsel fur the prisoners contended that the evident, was not sufficient to justify a conviction, and that with regard to Wyatt there was nothing to show that he had done anything more than appertained to his position:as a clerk in the office.  lite jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty for both prisoners.