The Sun. — 1856-02-23 (London, England)

JOHN SADUUR, M.P.-THE LATE  ABTOLTIV DING MSCLOSUBE&  (From the Morning Advertiser. ) We have this day to announce the most startling facts which ever perhaps appeared relative to the extent of frauds and forgeries couireiVed by ens individual. We, ourselves, have no recollection of ever having heard cr read of anything, in the form of frauds and forgeries, which could be at all compared with those which we are about to specify as having been committed by the late Mr. John Sadleir. As yet, the full extent to which the practice has been carried by the late member for Sligo, has not been ascertained ; but there is every reason to believe that when all is known, it will be found that the amount of the frauds and fergerie' of which he has been guilty will not he lunch under 1,000,0001. First of all, it has already been ascertained, beyond all question, that Mr. Sadleir hal forged no fewer than 50,000 Royal •Sweiish Railway .Company's shares and obligations, for, 51. each,—on which large sums of money were raised. ' Tie forgery alone is to the nominal sum of 250,000/.—only it is not yet known what amount he was able to raise on the shares and obligations. In addition to these forgeries, there are forgeries of several deeds and mortgages of estates in Ireland. As regards these, however, the extent is not yet known. • Rut perhaps. the boldest and most daring forgeries of all, are those which relate to deeds for the purchase of property in the Encumbered Estates Court of Ireland. These for:zed deeds purport to bear the signatures of the Cominis,ioners, the Registrar, the Chiefs Clerk, the solicitors in the various causes, and the Commis,ioners' seal. The extent to which this class of forgeries has been committed, may be inferred from the fact, that the stamp duty alone on the deeds amounted to several hundreds of pounds.  A considerable number of forgeries on private individuals also have alrea ly been discovered, and there is every reason to believe that others yet remain, to be ascertained. Those which have been detected are suppo,ed to amount to nearly 100,0001.  In addition to the classes of forgeries already enume• rate,J, ?Ai. Sadleir has hoen guilty of the assignment o deeds held in trin4 by him, to an enormous amount.  The drafts of all the forged deeds and mortgages are in Mr. Sa heir's own handwriting. The forgeries of sig. Daturas are in every case remarkably successful. Those of the Encumbered Eitates' Commissioners are said to he so perfect that the most experienced eye could not detect the forged deeds from the ,;enuine. The act of self destruction was, it is believed, precipitated by the eircurn,tance of one of the holders of deeds relative to the purchase of one of the encumbered estates, who hadAidvanced 10,0001. to Mr. Sadleir, having on Sattltdaelicfri'grino bverlo Irela-nd with his solicitor, for purpose of having the deed registered. Mr. Satilisir endeavoured, to frustrate the intention of the party, but failes'. Hence, it is presumed, the commission of Auicide at the particular time is took place—longer concealment of his crimes being seen to Le impossible.  On Saturday afternoon, at 6e o'clock, Mr. Sadleir met a large Fp culator in the City, as ho was in the act• of starting for home. He shook hig City friend cordially by the hand, and sa►d to him cheerfully, on parting, " Good 13. e ; I am going to make a long journey, and we ►nay not meet for some time."  The consternation in City circles, where further appalling disclosures of Mr. Sadieir's unparalleled misdeeds are looked for every hour, is described as being intense. On the Continent, too, where his transactions were to an enormous extent, greater alarm prevails. It is supp.)sect that frightful as is the amount of his frauds and forgeries already ascertained a very small portion only of them has yet been discovered. He points to this himself, in a letter which he is supposed to have written immediately before leaving Gloucester-square fer Rampstead-heath, where he put an end to his existence. In that letter—the last which he wrote—he declares that, without the knowledge of any human being, unaided and nua.ssisted, he committed the most cliaboii•Nil crimes of which it wa, possible to be guilty—that these crimes must now be discovered, and as they would involve the ruin of hundreds of innocent families, had preferred to die rather than witness the sufferings which they must ender,.  The crime of suicide must have been contemplated by Mr. Sadleir some time before he committed the act ; for he had purchased " Taylor on Poisoning," a large thick volume, ar►d bad evidently read it through until he cantle to the chapter ol the " Esseni i ►1 Oil of Bitter Almonds," when he turned down the page, as if he had made up hie mind that that was the means to which he would resort for puttirg an end to his existence. Every one knows that it was by a large draught of the essential oil of bitter almonds that ho did commit self-destruction.  We repeat that, in the history of the wCirld—tr;;;;;; no case on record in which frauds and forger es have bren committed to the came extent as in that of the late Mr. Sidleir. Those of Sir John Paul, Strahau, and Rites, are not only much smaller in amount, but they are tawo compared with his. No ingenuity or mAnagement was required in their frauds compared with what were necessary in his. Though large in amount, they were common-place in chioractiT. ingenuity, we have a combination of criminality, boldness, versat lity, and tact, ruch as the world never befora wit e sed. If anything could be 'more wonderful than the .fact that fraud and fcrgery should have been going on, on this enormous scale, fur years, without being eetected, it would be the other fie', that a man could be found who could eat, drink, Weep, and- mix in society, just as if nothing were the matter, with so frightful an amount of guilt weighing on his mind, whieh was sure, sooner or later, to be discovered, and which might be 83 at any -moment,—bringing, when detected, disgrace and a felon's doom .on himself, and absolute rein and wretchedness on hundreds of innocent families.