The Sun. — 1858-12-08 (London, England)

ALLEGED MISCONDUCT OF A LATE BROKER. EXTRAORDINARY CASE.  The Court proceeded to the adjourned consideration of the petition of Mr. Isaac Solomon, complaining of the conduct of Francis Worrell Stevens, late a' broker. Mr. Lo Breton appeared as counsel for the petitioner, and Mr. Hancock for the respondent. The Deputy Town-Clerk read the petition of Solomons, which was listened to' with much attention by a crowded court. It stated that the petitioner did, on the 30th* day of November last, employ the said Francis W. Stevens to purchase for him £1,200 Three per Cent. Consols, and on the 14th of January last past your petitioner called on the said F. W. Stevens, and asked him whether he could get the Consols your petitioner then held transferred into the New Three per Cent. Bank Annuities P—to which question the said F. W. Stevens replied No,' • and said to your petitioner, You must sell out the Consols before you can buy the New Three per Cents.' Your petitioner then desired the said F. W. Stevens to sell out his said stock, which he, the said F. W. Stevens did, but did not give the money for which the said stock was sold to your petitioner, but kept the same. That the petitioner was also induced by the said F. W. Stevens to purchase certain other shares in the Worthing Mining Company, for which he charged your petitioner 7s. per share, but, on inquiry made soon after your petitioner purchased the last-mentioned shares, he found that he had been defrauded by thesaid F. W. Stevens, and your petitioner and his wife went to the said F. W. Stevens and threatened to give him into custody of a policeman for fraud; and when your petitioner informed the said F. W. Stevens of his determination, he said, Don't injure me; I will, return you £3OO of your money to say no more about the Worthing shares,' which yourpetitioner accepted of the said F. W. Stevens on account of the said shares. That on the said occasion the said F. W. Stevens promised your petitioner to satisfy him as to the money he had overcharged your petitioner upon the other abovementioned shares. That your petitioner has repeatedly applied to the said F. W. Stevens for the restoration of the money which the said F. W. Stevens has so retained as aforesaid, but without success.  The Deputy Town-clerk then read the answer of Francis Worrell Stec ens. He stated that the statement in the said petition that the said Isaac Solomon 'believes I have defrauded him of £9l, or thereabouts,' is totally unfounded. That the statement of the said Isaac Solomon in his said petition that I induced him to dispose of his Telegraph shares and purchase Dale Mining shares is untrue, as he bought the Dale Mining shares and also Worthing Mining shares of me in March last, and did not sell his Submarine shares until the 7th, Bth, and 14th of April following. That I sold the Dale shares fairly and bona fide, and did not act as the broker of the said Solomon, nor did I charge commission or brokerage, as my books willshow, anent is not true that I charged him £45. That the said Isaac Solomon did purchase 2,400 shares in the Worthing Mining Company. That such shares were my own property, and I had bought them as an investment from information I had received, believing the said shares in time must become valuable. That a few weeks after the purchase ef.thrraleid Worthing Mining shares, and T. believe in consequence of the anticipated good news not arriving from Australia as was expected by the mail, the shares became flat and receded in value ; and the said Isaac Solomon and his wife called on me and wanted me to take back the shares, which I-declined doing. That the said Isaac Solomon then said he would go to the Lord Mayor and do for my character, and afterwards do for me. That I had killed one man (alluding to a transaction in which I had summoned a party before the Lord Mayor in respect of conduct towards me, but this party, it afterwards turned out, was insane, and committed suicide soon after my making the complaint against him) ; that the Lord Mayor would believe what they said, because they knew he had a prejudice against me, and that they would stick to me till they took my life. Solomon then said he had come to have my life or £3OO, neither more nor less, and added, By the Almighty God I will do and say ; if you don't instantly give me £3OO I will blow out your brains,' and his wife said, If he does not finish you I have two razors in my pocket (which she produced) to finish you with; All this was said in the presence of my two sons. They continued their threats to such an extent that, being very unwell from my recent affair alluded to before the Lord Mayor, I lost my presence of mind; and, under the threat of an ex parte statement which might appear in the newspapers, and the injury it might occasion me before I could refute it, and being under bodily fear, I agreed to give the said Isaac Solomon the sum of .1300 to satisfy all claims, andthe said Isaac Solomon said he would return me the £3OO if the Worthing shares should go for the price he gave me, that is 7s. a share, which he promised to do, and thereupon I requested my son to give me a bank note for £3OO, which I handed the said Isaac Solomon, who gave me a receipt, of which the fol• lowing is a copy Received April, 1853, of Mr. Stevens, three hundred pounds, being a consideration for all matters in dispute between us to this day inclusive.—£3oo.—l.