Thomas Johnson

135

C H on 6th March 2024

Old Bailey Online THOMAS JOHNSON. Deception; forgery. 1st February 1847 Text type Trial account Defendants THOMAS JOHNSON Offences Deception > Forgery Session Date 1st February 1847 Reference Number t18470201-548 Verdicts Guilty Punishments Transportation 548. THOMAS JOHNSON was indicted for feloniously uttering a forged acceptance to a bill of exchange for 23l. 14s., well-knowing it to be forged, with intent to defraud James Cope. MR. PAYNE conducted the Prosecution. JAMES COPE . I am an engraver, and live in Frith-street, Soho. I have known the prisoner about a year and a half—he owed me an account in Oct. last, and on the 14th of Oct., in the afternoon, he came to my house, and produced this bill of exchange—(looking at it)—he said he had drawn that bill on Mr. Breese, as the result of his quarter's account with that gentleman, and if I would give him the difference we would square up, or something—he said Breese was one of his the employers; that he was a coach-plater, living in Hart-street, Covent-garden: that it was a genuine bona fide trade bill, and would be met—it had what appeared to be Breese's acceptance on it at the time, and he was speaking of that—in consequence of what he said, I took the bill—I knew there was such a person as Breese, and that he was a respectable person—I gave the prisoner 11l. odd—I cannot exactly tell what he owed me, but I believe I paid him 11l. 9s.—the bill is for 23l. 14s.—he owed me the difference—I think it was 9l. 11s. I gave him—it was that or 11l. 9s.; but the learned gentlemen are surrounding me so that I can hardly tell which; if I had a fair field I could do. COURT. Q. You gave him the balance, whatever it was? A. Yes—I presented the bill to Breese when it became due—it was not paid. Cross-examined by MR. PARRY. Q. I believe you are a bill-discounter? A. Not professedly—I have occasionally discounted bills—I am not manager of a loan society, I am employed by one—I have discounted several bills for the prisoner, purporting to be accepted by Breese—(the bill was here read, dated 12th Oct., 1846, at three months, for 23l. 14s.) EDWARD BREES . I live in Hart-street, Covent-garden, and am a coachplater. The acceptance to this bill is no my handwriting—I know nothing of it—I never authorized the prisoner or any person to accept this bill for me. Cross-examined. Q. It is not at all like your writing, is it? A. It does a little resemble it in the name Breese, except the E—I have known the prisoner about twenty years, but had not seen him for twelve years, till within the last three years—he is a master smith—during the three years we have done a little business together—I never accepted but two bills for him in my life—the last was in January, 1846—he came to me, and said, if I would oblige him by accepting a 19l. bill, he could not exactly tell what time the party would discount it, and asked me to leave the date—this is it,(looking at it,) and the only one in existence—there never was but one previous to this, which was one for 14l., and the prisoner destroyed that—the 19l. was an accommodation bill—I did not owe him a shilling—I had paid him my accounts. Q. Was there not an account between you at that time? A. Nothing but a few jobs—not 1l. altogether—I accepted it entirely to accommodate him, as he said in three months he could take it up—I did not pay that bill—he gave me a memorandum at the time. Q. About the first or second week in Oct. were you at the prisoner's shop? A. I don't think I saw him himself for a week previous to this bill being dated—he had done a few jobs for me and I for him, but I did not see him—I think I was at his shop the beginning of Oct.—I had paid the balance of his account, and had his receipt—he wished me to be security to a loan society for him, which I declined—everything was paid—he did not at that time speak to me ablut the 19l. bill—he came to me, and stated that he had lost the 19l. bill, and would I accept another that was a few days after the 19th Jan., 1846—I objected, and did not accept another—he said he had given it to a person to give cash for it, and had lost it—I said, "I should like to see the party, give me his address"—he said he did not exactly know the address, it was somewhere about Clerkenwell—he gave me a memorandum that it was lost, which I have here. Q. When he gave you that memorandum, did not you accept this 19l. bill? A. No—said the bill was dated the 16th, and the memorandum was dated the day he said he had dated the bill, but it appears he had cashed that very bill—I am certain I did not accept a bill instead of that—I only accepted one in Jan.—he gave me the memorandum to try to induce me to accept another, but I did not. Q. When you called on him in Oct., did you not speak to him about the 19l. bill you had accepted in the early part of the year? A. No—I did not know it was in existence—I had accepted a 14l. bill previous to the 19l., but never one afterwards—the 14l. bill was in Cope's hands and became due in Jan.—I said nothing to him in Oct. about a bill or bills in Cope's hands—I said nothing at all about any such bills. Q. Did not he tell you the bill or bills in the hands of Cope had not been taken up, and if you would give him your acceptance for 23l. 14s. he would take them up? No—there were no bills in Cope's hands—he did not say that or anything to that effect—nothing was said about a 23l. bill at all at the interview in Oct. Q. Did not you say I bad rather not accept a bill of 23l.? A. I never heard anything of it at all, and I never was asked a question about it—he did not say he wanted the bill at once, and beg me to accept it at once—he said nothing about it, nor did I say very well, you may put my name to it, nor anything to that effect—I have been in the habit of running into his shop at various times on business—perhaps twice a week, at that time, about trifling articles—I might have been there two minutes or five or six minutes early in Oct.—I did not produce any bills of parcels to him—accounts were not produced on both sides—I don't think I have seen him since the 10th or 12th of Oct. myself—this bill was regularly presented by cope for payment—he had not presented any other bill at my house—I had no transaction with Cope on my own account—I have been in business there about five years—I was never in pecuniary difficulties. MR. PAYNE. Q. Did you, on 12th Oct., owe him 23l. 14s., or anything at all? A. No, and never authorized him to put my name tio any bill—I never accepted any bill for him, except the 14l. and 19l. bills, which 19l. bill he said was lost—I refused to accept any other—I had left the date of the 19l. bill fior him to put in. JOHN GARY (Police-constable C 10.) I apprehended the prisoner on 16th Jan., and told him I took him for uttering a forged bill to Mr. Cope—he said It was no forgery. Cross-examined. Q. You took him in Earl-street? A. Yes—about a hundred yards from his own house. JAMES COPE re-examined. Q. Have you discounted bills on Breese before? A. Bills purporting to be accepted by Breese, but previous to their coming to maturity the prisoner took them up—I have discounted bills accepted in writing like both these bills. MR. PARRY called JOHN LINES . I lived in Brompton-road, but now live at Islington—I am the prisoner's son-in-law. I was at his shop in Earl-street, Seven-dails, early in Oct.—it was about the 10th or 11th of Oct. Mr. Breese came to the shop—I had never seen him before—I think it was rather before twelve o'clock—I was standing just by the bellows, and seeing him come in I thought I ought to get out of the way, not knowing his business—I got up in a conrner—I was taking some bread and cheese and porter—I could hear what passed—they were talking together about five minutes—Mr. Breese was about to leave the shop, when Mr. Johnson turned to him and said, in a faint voice, "What is It you want?"—Johnson said, "I want you to do a little bill for me to-day"—Mr. Breese said he was in a hurry, as he was going somewhere, but would be back in about an hour or an hour and a half—Mr. Johnson said that would not do, it must be done directly—the answer of Mr. Breese was, "Well, if that won't do——"—I beg pardon, Mr. Johnson said, "Will you allow me to sign it for you?"—the answer was, "Why, yes it will be all the same." Q. When did Breese say, "If that won't do?" A. I was going to tell you wrong, sir—Johson asked if he would allow him to sign it for him—Breese said, "Yes, that will do, I dare say; there is no doubt you know that will do"—by that Breese left the shop—nothing was said about "If that won't do" at all—I was going to tell a falsehood, I recollected myself—that is all I remember of the transaction. (John Crow, broker, of Great Karl-street, Seven-dials; George Blair, saddler, of Brewer-street, Golden-square; George Houghton, saddler, of prince's-street, Soho, gave the prisoner a good character.) GUILTY . Aged 52.— Transported for Ten years.