Forgery By A Boy: At the Devonport Guildhall, on Saturday, a boy named William Lucas, an errand boy in the employ of Mr. Boolds, upholsterer, etc. was committed for trial, under the following circumstances. Having forged the name of “John Elliott”, grocer, of Devonport, to a bill drawn by Messrs, Stillwell and Co., Navy Agents, in favour of Daniel W. Stephens, Esq., surgeon, of her Majesty’s ship Basilisk, one of the Baltic fleet, he cashed the bill at the shop of Messrs. Pinsent and Co. Mr. Pinsent, of the firm stated that on Monday last the prisoner came to the shop and asked Mr. Philip, one of the assistants, if he would cash a bank post bill for Mr. Elliott. He referred him to Mr. Blake, the cashier, and he was further referred to Mr. Pinsent, who, after examining the bill, asked if it was for Mr. Elliott, Fore Street. The boy replied that it was, and Mr. Pinsent said if he would endorse it on the back, he would cash it, as the endorsement was necessary. In a short time, the boy returned with the bill endorsed, and Mr. Pinsent gave him £40. The following day the bill was sent to the Devon and Cornwall Bank with other money, and the manager at once suspected from the style of handwriting and from the character of the endorsement that they were not valid. Mr. Elliott was applied to and at once the suspicion was confirmed. The signature was not that of Mr. Elliott, who knew nothing whatsoever about the bill. The boy was then sought for and was found by Mr. Blake and Mr. Philp, of Mr. Pinsent’s establishment, in the trench shooting. He was afterwards taken to Mr. Pinsent’s and then handed over to the police. Evidence to this effect having been given Henry White, an intelligent lad, between 12 and 13 years of age, who resided in Andrew’s Lane was examined and added the following particulars. He said, on Monday morning last, when I was near the Post-office, Devonport, the prisoner, William Lucas, came to me and showed me a note, which he said he was going to get changed for his master, Mr. Boolds, china warehouse, Fore Street, Devonport, and asked what was Mr. Elliott’s Christian name, I said I did not know; and he then went up to see as the name was painted over the door; having ascertained it to be “John” he went into the shop of Mr. Harris, Book seller, next door to Mr. Elliott, and asked him to give him a dip of ink – taking the same time a pen from his pocket. After getting the ink, he came outside and put a piece of paper on the widow and wrote something (on the note, we presume). He then said he was going down to Mr. Pinsent’s to get it changed for his master. I went to work and about three o’clock I saw him again. He then showed me some £5 notes and some sovereigns and asked me to go with him to Mr. Heydon, book seller, Fore Street, where he purchased a cash bag for 6d. and into which he put the money. He then went up to Mr. Shaw, Fore Street, and bought a knife, for which he gave 1s. He gave the knife to me. He then went to Mr. Treliving, Catherine Street, and asked if he had a little gun for sale. Mr. Treliving showed him one not quite finished for 15s. He asked when it would be ready. Mr. Treliving said by Thursday. Prisoner said he would have it, and paid half sovereign towards it, and promised the other 5s when the gun was finished. In the evening I saw him again after he shut up shop about half past seven, and he took me and two other boys into the omnibus to go to Plymouth fair. He paid for all four 16d. We went up to the fair, and he gave us 1d each to go into Lawrence’s show. After this, he bought some “sweet stuff” and nuts. We then went over to Bedford Street, where prisoners engaged a coach for 2s to take us all to Devonport. When we were in the coach the driver asked if we could “rise a glass of gin” amongst the four of us. Lucas gave him 2d, and the coachman afterwards asked the prisoner if he should take some young women to Devonport in the coach, and he said he was “no way particular”. He drove us to Devonport, and then I went home. On Tuesday dinner time I saw Lucas in Fore Street, and he asked me where I was going. He said don’t go home to dinner, come with me. The prisoner, myself, and another boy named Macksfield, went to Mrs. Windeatt’s eating house, in Catherine Lane, where the prisoner ordered two four-penny plates of meat for each. We ate it all, and after leaving the house Lucas went to Mr. Treliving again and offered him 6d extra if he would get the gun finished by Wednesday. He then went to work, and about four o’clock, I saw him again with a gun which he had from Mr. Treliving, but not the one he had bargained for. He said first he was going to take it up to Stoke, but I went with him to the trench, where he took two powder flasks from his pocket, loaded the gun, and commenced shooting – first at my hat and then at a dead dog. About this time two gentlemen came and asked the prisoner his name. He said “Truscott”. They asked him to go with them for a few minutes to Mr. Pinsent. He said he could not, as he was going to work. He, however, went with them, and I have not seen him until today. He added that on coming from the trench, Lucas passed a bag of money over to him, which he took to his mother, who went with it to Mr. Pinsent. Mr. Pinsent added that the money he had received from the woman amounted to £33, so that he was now £7 minus. The bank post bill was in the hands of the bench. It was dated “London, 14th March, 1855, No. A 2,475, and, at seven days; sight, promised to pay Daniel W. Stephens, Esq., or order, forty pounds sterling, value received of Messrs. Stillwell”. The bill was endorsed on the back “Daniel Stephens, Esq.” and “John Elliott”. Both names were undoubtedly forgeries. The first was written in a tolerably good hand, but was not a complete endorse, the W. being omitted; and unless the owner was a “ninny” he would never have signed his name with “Esq” after it. The second name, “John Elliott” was badly written, apparently by a schoolboy, who in trying to write “his best” had made two or three slips with the pen. The prisoner, on being told that the magistrates would remand him until Saturday on a charge of forgery, stated that he found the note just below the shop of Mr. Cox, optician, Fore Street, about 10 o’clock on Monday morning. He took it to Messrs. Pinsent and Co’s to get it changed without being told to do so by anybody. Mr. Pinsent applied to have the bill delivered into his custody and complained of the unceremonious manner in which it had been obtained possession of by the police. Mr. Glencross remarked that the bill was not worth a penny without the endorsement of the person to whom it was made payable. The prisoner was then remanded until Saturday, and Mr. Bone wrote to London to gain some information respecting the bill from Messrs. Stillwell. It transpired the same day in the previous week, a man dressed like a sailor asked Mr. Sloggett, draper, Tavistock Street, to cash a bank post bill for £40 adding, as an excuse for coming to him, that it was past bank hours, and he wanted to get the money. Mr. Sloggett replied that perhaps, he might get it at Messrs, Pinsent’s. This might have been the same bill, and the knowledge of the circumstances might give some clue to the manner in which the bill came into the boy’s hands, and how he came to apply to Messrs Pinsent and Co. to get it cashed.
[see also London Express: Wednesday April 11th 1855]
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0741 Devonport: Richard Steele Pinsent: 1820 – 1864