The Sun. — 1846-08-19 (London, England)

SCRIP FORGERY.—MT. BALLANTINE on the part of the defendants, applied to have the case Fabian and Faulkner postponed till it could be tried by the judges. He said there was an important point of law involved, one that was new, and which would rule in all similar cases hereafter, and on that account it was desirable to have the opinion of the judges on the case. _  The COM3IONSERGEANT said he was entirely in the hands of the bar, and would be happy to accede to whatever might most suit the convenience of those retained on both sides. He thought it would be better to postpone the case till tomorrow.  Mr. CLARKSON (retained for the prosecution) said he agreed with the application which had been made on the other side to have the case postponed, but it would be most inconvenient to proceed with it to•morrow, as one of the principal witnesses for the prosecution then in Court was under the necessity of appearing in a case at the assizes in Liverpool to-morrow. He found, besides that only one of the defendants had surrendered, and thought that it would be better to postpone it to the next sessions, Mr. BALLANTINE said he had beard nothing whatever which would account for the absence of Fabian ; and he, on the part of Faulkner, was urgent to have the case tried and disposed of; but he conceded to the application which had been made.  The COMMON SERGEANT ordered that the case should be postponed till the first day of the judges' sitting next session, that the time of the bail should be enlarged, and that the several parties should enter anew into their recognizances.  We understand that the judges next on the rota are Mr. Justice Cresswell, Mr. Justice Coleridge, and Mr. Justice Wightman ; and it is supposed, though no intimation had been received from them, that Mr. Justice Coleridge is unwell, and that the other two judges are on the circuit. On the application of Mr. Clerk, the case of Gibbons, indicted for the murder of Jane Sluman, was put off till tomorrow, in anticipation that some of the judges would then be present. Eliza Med/and was placed at the bar indicted for feloniously causing to be inserted in the register of dealis of St. Luke, a false entry of the death of John Palk, said 'to be her husband.  Mrs. Jones being-sworn; said she was housekeeper, to the Duke Of Portland, and the prisoner came some time 'in the month of June.to the Duke's residence, and represented that her husband had died on the 29th of May, and applied for money to cover the expenses of the burial. It seems that' the Duke has been in the habit of relieving the woman in charity under the name of Palk, for some time. The witness was amazed to hear that the body had not at that time been buried, a circumstance which excited her suspicion, so that she withheld the three sovereigns which she had it in her power to give until she saw a copy of the registry of the death. The prisoner afterwards brought what purported to be a copy of the registry. John Archer, the registrar. of St. Luke's, said the woman came on the 11th June, and applied to have a registry made of the death of_ her husband. At his request she brought what should have been a certificate from the doctor, being a peke of paper signed " J. Newcombe," and the word " apoplexy" written on it, and a registry was made accordingly of the death of John Palk, as having occurred on the 29th of May. Thomas Reid said be lived at 78, Golden-lane, and had done so for seven years. The next house was No. 80, and there was no No. 79 in Golden-lane, the number given by the prisoner as her address.  Mrs. Nathan, of No. 39, Ironmongers-row,said the prisoner lodged with her, and had done so for two years. Her husband's name was Henry Medland, and was seen alive by the witness only yesterday. The'case was conducted by Mr. Clerk, and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Doane.  The jury found the prisoner On inquiry by the Common Sergeant, it appeared that the woman bad represented herself as in the deepest poverty, and had, in consequence, received several sums from the Duke of Portland ; one of the police officers also stated he had found a begging letter in her possession, and that she bad been known at the Mendicity-office as an impostor for the last ten years. The prisoner was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and hard labour.