Si- THE TIMES NEW llLOOMFlELl), PA., JtJNE 21, 1881
The Forged Bank Note.
CONCLUDED.
" A LAS! how true It is that uo one
X. cbii tell what a day way bring
forth! Before those few months had
elapsed Dlbden had got hold of their
secret. Of course he stormed and raved
-the more, as he felt his power was
vbblng fust. He tried persuasion, re.
proache7 threats but to no" purpose;
Ueorge's determination was flsed, and
the anger of hi employer knew uo
bound.
"At this Juncture a circumstance oc
curred which completely changed the
aspect of afliilrs. One day, Immediate
ly after an interview with Dlbden, and
while Oeorge was still a good deal ex
cited by what had passed between theiu,
a stranger came up to the counter and
asked to be favored with change for a
ten pound note. He was a reRpectable
lookiug gentleman, well advanced iu
years ; and as George was the only one
of the clerks who happened to be in the
counting house at the time, he attended
to him. In the ofllce cash-box there
were two five-pound notes and two or
three half-sovereigns ; and as the Btran
ger was anxious to have half of his uion
ey in gold, and there was not enough
1u the box, George opened his desk, and
took therefrom live sovereigns which he
had that morning placed there with
which to pay his landlady. Putting one
of the five pound notes into his desk in
the place of the sovereigns, he handed
the latter, along with the other ftve
pouud note to the stranger, who there
upon thanked him courteously and
withdrew. The ten-pound note which
he had received in returu George placed
iu the caah-box without bestowing upon
it any particular examination, but went
ou with his. work, still meditating over
the rather sharp words he had had with
Mr. Dibden.
" Nothing happened of any conse
quence till later ou in the day, when a
message was received from the bank that
a ten-pound note which Mr. Dibden had
seut to be lodged there along with Borne
other moneys was a forged one. The
note in question was that which George
Hamilton had received from the elderly
gentleman, in the course of the morning
and which Mr. Dibden had himself
taken from the cash-box and forwarded
to the bank. The message was brought
by a private detective iu the employ
ment of the bank ; and uo sooner was
Mr. Dibdeu made aware of what had
occurred than he charged George Ham
ilton with having placed the note there.
George admitted that he had taken two
tive-pound notes from the cash-box,
and put in their place the ten-pound
note iu question ; but he maintained he
tad given them in change for the ten
pound note to a gentleman who came
iu. This was his explanation when
taken before the magistrates. On the
other hand, Dibdeu swore that he found
one of the five-pound notes in George's
desk. This George accounted for by
saying that the person who had left the
forged note asked him to let him have
live pounds in gold; and that that sum
not being in the cash-box, he changed
one of the five-pound notes for five sov
ereigns of his own. As against this,
however, one of the junior clerks stated
that, on the morning of the occurrence,
he had asked George for the loan of a
sovereigu, who replied. "I'd lend it
with pleasure, my dear fellow, but I
have not a six pence to swear by."
" In answer to this, George said that
he absolutely had at that moment five
sovereigns put away in his desk to pay
his landlady ; and that he felt justified
in saying that he had not a sixpence, as
he considered that the money so appro
priated to pay a just debt was not at bis
disposal. "
" The magistrates asked him if he
fancied the person who got the change
had given the forged note Innocently or
fraudulently. That was of course im
possible to say : but George thought in
nocently. Having heard all the evi
dence ; after a careful consultation, they
came to the conclusion that they must
commit him for trial ; but they would
accept ball. Strange to say,the Dibdens
went bail to the full amount I believe
myself, with the hope that.he would
break it, by quitting the country.
" I must tell you, however, that be
fore any proceedings were commenced,
young Dibden coarsely offered to Clara
not to prosecute if she accepted his pro
posal of marriage. To this she indlg.
nantly replied that she knew Mr. Ham
ilton was innocent, and they knew it
too ; and that if he were not she would
not save him.
. " At the time of these occurrences I
was away ou the continent. . My wife
had been delicate, and the doctor said
she must have change of air, and had
fixed ou Italy ; which accounts for my
not having seen the advertisement
which appeared in the Times, and which
I fchall now read to you :
" If the Elderly Gentleman with the
Blue Pocket-book, who received change
for a Tan-pound Note at the Offices of
Messrs. Dibden, Kuollys & Dibdeu,
Bellyard, Doctors' Commons, on the
2nd of Heptember,18 , will communi
cate with Messrs. Bmlth A Oliver, Hollo.
Itors, Brick Court, Middle Temple, he
will confer a great obligation.
"I suppose I need scarcely tell you
that I was the elderly gentleman with
the blue pocketbook. Well, as I say,
traveling about from one place to an.
other, I did not see a paper regularly,
and therefore missed this advertisement.
In the meantime the assizes drew on ;
and George Hamilton stood in the dock
charged with felony. I have the trial
in this paper before me. I shall rend to
you the leading evidence, which was all
unfortunately against the prisoner. The
charge was, that George Hamilton did
feloniously attempt to pass a forged ten.
pound uote, knowing the same to be a
forgery."
"The elder Dlbden was the first wit.
uess called up. He deposed that the
prisoner was his head clerk, In whom
had always placed the greatest confi
dence; that a cash box was left under
his care, containing generally a limited
amount of money, principally for the
purpose of giving change ; that larger
sums were also frequently deposited
there, if none of the principals of the
house were iu the way to lock it up iu
the money-safe; that ou the morning
in question he himself had placed In the
cash-box two five-pound notes and three
pounds in gold; that In the after
noon he wanted to pay Borne money
into the bank ; and the safe being de
ficient of the sum he needed by five
pounds, he opened the cash-box to take
that amount therefrom ; that instead of
the five-pound notes which he had
placed there he found a ten-pound note,
which, when presented at the bank, was
declared to be a forgery ; that when he
asked the prisoner to account for the
note, he said he had received it from a
stranger in exchange for the two live
pound notes; that on examining the
prisoner's desk, he found one of the five
pound notes which he had placed in the
cash-box that morning."
." Cross-examined No one had access
to the cash-box but the prisoner, him
self and his son. Eacfi had a key.
The lock was a Chubb's patent, of the
the best description. He knew the live
pound notes by their being indorsed in
the name of ' William Day.' "
" The next witness was William Sini
moues, junior clerk of Messrs. Dibden,
Kuollys & Dibden. He swore that on
the morning of the discovery of the
forged note he had asked the prisoner to
lend him a sovereign ; that the reply he
received was, I'd lend it with pleasure,
but I have not a sixpence to 'swear by.'
Had been two years in the office with
the prisoner; never had any quarrel
with him."
"Eleanor Parker deposed that Bhe
knew the prisoner welt ; he had. lodged
with her the last eighteen mouths.
Paid his rent quarterly always paid
honorably, but used to be a little behind
hand. He was due her fully five pounds
at the time of his apprehension. Had
always paid her with good money, at
least none of it wa9 ever returned to
her. Prisoner was out mostly all day;
usually spent his nights reading."
" This was the principal evidence for
the prosecution. For the defense, a few
witnesses were brought up to testify to
the excellent character the prisoner al
ways bore. But his ' counsel took his
stand not against any of the facts,
which he allowed, but ou the ground
that they proved the act of the prisoner
was done innocently and iu ignorance."
" Just for a moment consider, gentle
men of the jury,' he said. Here is a
gentleman who for several years man
aged the business of a linn of attorneys,
large sums daily passing through his
hands. The utmost confidence has been
placed in him. Do you think gentle
men, I put it to you in the name of the
common sense which beams this mo.
nient on your faces do you think that
he would risk his portion, honor, and
name for a paltry ten-pound note ? He
foolishly yes, I say, very foolishly, and
without carefully examining it, took a
note from a complete stranger ; and the
only excuse he cau give for this is that
he thought that Doctors' Commons was
the last place in the world a swindler
would go cadging about in and that the
stranger bore a most respectable appear
ance. For this act he deserves the re
proof of his employer ; aud that is all.
As to the evidence of the Junior clerk, I
must say that strouger could not be
brought iu favor of a man's character
thau, when asked by a friend for a tri
fling loan, at the lit-k of being thought
mean or of confessing his poverty, he
refuses, although he has money by him,
because he has put it away to pay a just
debt. Gentlemen, I leave my case in
your hands, and I do so with confidence
as I know you will exercise that intel
ligence and discrimination! which at all
times distinguished British jurymen ,aud
prove to me and my client that you are
not only able but determined to separate
truth from error."
. " I need not read to you the summing
up of the judge; he merely directed the
jury to go by the evidence, and explain
ed to them a few points of law. But I
am sorry to tell you that Bergeaut Oil.
n'i (lattery failed with the Jury ; for in
half an hour they returned with a ver.
diet of Guilty ;' and George Hamilton
wan sentenced to five years' penal ser
vitude, and was seut to Mllbank prison
to commence his punishment for a crime
he never committed."
The very day after his sentence was
the twenty-fifth anniversary of Clara
Itrlerly'n birthday; and on the follow.
Ing morning this advertisement appear
ed In the Timet:
"Five HrsniiKn Toindh Reward.
Whereas, on the 2nd day of Heptem.
her, 1H , an elderly man, of respectable
apt earance, who carried about with him
a Blue Pocketbook, presented a Forged
Note, and got In exchange good money
at the ofllce of MessrB. Dlbden, Kuol
lys & Dlbden, Bellyard, Doctors' Com
nions, the above ltKWAiti) will be paid
any one proving that such a transaction
took place.
"(Signed) Smith & Oliver,
Solicitors.
" Brick Court, Middle Temple.
" Clara was now free. She had wait
ed anxiously for the result of the trial;
but never for a moment doubted the en
tire Innocence of her lover. On the
morning of her twnty-flfth birthday
she had the newspapers sent up to her
room, where she remained. She read
the whole trial over without missing a
word. VVlieu she came to the verdict
"guilty," her agitation overmastered
her directness of purpose. At length,
however, she calmly rose from her seat
with these words, ' Innocent as I am.
I am now more certain than ever.'
" Without a tear on her pale face, Bhe
dressed herself to go out ; then packed
up the things that she wished to take
with her, aud left the house without a
word to any one except the servant to
whom Bhe gave the remaining property
of her owu that was in her room, desir
ing her to tell her master that she had
gone away, aud should not return.
Then calling a cab, she drove to Smith
& Oliver's, the solicitors, who had been
recoin mended to her by George. It is
wonderful how they appear to know
everything in those musty rooms lii the
Temple. She had not got through more
than half a dozen sentences in explana
natlou of her business, before they told
her they knew the entire circumstances,
aud accepted her proposal to place her
afialrs in their hands ; offering to sup.
ply her at once with any money she
needed. The first thing she did was to
direct a large reward to be advertised
as I have Just read to you ; and receiving
what she required, Intimated her inten
tion to take lodgings iu the city till the
mystery should be cleared up. To this
proposal, however, Mr. Oliver demurred
suggesting that, Instead of going into
lodgings, she might take up her resi
dence for the time iu his house. He
had no family, aud his wife would be
delighted to have her for a companion.
To this susgestiou Miss Brlerly cordial
ly assented. Iu order to commence
those inquiries to which she was prepar
ed to devote her life If necessary, she,
acting through her solicitors, obtained
from her unlortuuate lover a written
description, as closely as, he could re
member, of the stranger. ThlB she had
printed aud distributed, with the oiler
of a large reward, not only through
London, but to every police station in
England."
" A month passed and not the slight
est clew had yet been found ; and anoth
er month, and auother. All this time
she never lost sight of her object. She
scrutinized every elderly gentlemau that
she met, aud more than once she even
followed through the streets people whom
she thought suspicious, with the hope
of their exhibiting a blue pocketbook,
her chief mark."
" All this time I had never heard of
the advertisement with the large reward,
nor suspecting the mischief I had so
unwittingly caused. We had been
wandering about the continent; my
wife's health had recovered wonderfully
and my daughters wanted to go to
Egypt. Of course I had to consent.
Here we stayed several weeks, 'doing'
the Pyramids and everything else that
it behooves travelers to do; However,
with advancing spring, we began to
wish for the cool breezes of old England;
so we turned our steps homeward, taking
Paris on the way. We arrived in Paris in
early May, where in spite of all persua
sions, I determined to remain only a few
days. We had, therefore, to make the
best of our time."
" Repairing one morning to the reading-room,
to see the English papers,
being naturally anxious to learn what
was going ou at home, I found a file of
the Time for the past month or two
stitched together; and while casually
perusing the agony columns, my eye
fell upou the advertisement I have read
to you, as also to an appended descrip
tion of myself. The transaction flashed
upon me. I at once looked up the en
tries iu my pocketbook, and found that
the date when I got change at Dibden's
corresponded with that given in the ad
vertlsement. You see here are the en
tries August 29 Bank of England
note 3700, . 10, from Roberts & Co.'
And 'September 2 Bank of England
note 05982, . 5, from Dibdeu, Kuollys
A Dibden."
" I need scarcely tell you that I lost
110 time In leaving Paris for London; and
when I arrived there I at once round my
way to the office of Messrs. Smith A
Oliver. At the very moment I was
about to enter their chambers a young
lady was in the act of leaving them.
Her eyes no sooner met mine that she
seemed fixed to the spot. Thinking she
might possibly have recognized iu me
an old acquaintance, I raised my hat,
aud was about to speak, when Bhe eager.
Iy inquired : Did you see the advertise
ment?' "
" I replied that I had seen an adver
tisement la the Time which I believed
referred to myself, aud that I was there
that morning In consequence."
"The strained and anxious expression
on her face seemed to become Intensified
as she asked : And was it you who
gave him the note V ' "
" You will see I was up till now quite
ignorant of what had taken place with
regard to that teu-pound note, or even
why any Information was wished from
me regarding it ; I did not therefore,
quite understand the question, and
looked, I dare say, somewhat taken
aback. Ere I could reply, however, Bhe
spoke."
" Oh,' she said, I beg your pardon ;
but something dreadful has happened In
connection with that note, aud I spoke
as if you must have known all about It.
Will you kindly come in and see Mr.
Oliver?'"
" I went iu, and a very few minutes'
conversation with the solicitor was suf
llclent to acquaint me of the very dis
tressing occurrence to which the young
lady had referred. I observed that she
was still much agitated, and seemed to
await my reply with something like Im
patience ; and as I drew forth the blue
pocketbook, her eyes were riveted upon
it with an eagerness painful to behold.
Then I exhibited the entries which I
have already shown to you, and placed
the book lu the hands of Mr. Oliver.
Both he and the young lady eKamined
and compared them without speaking a
word. He took from a bunch of papers
on the table a folded sheet, which, when
he had opened out, I saw was a criminal
indictment. Glaucing itover for a min
ute, he read out Blowly aud distinctly
the number '3-7.2 0 9,' comparing it
figure by figure with the first eutry in
the pocketbook."
" Thank God I ' said the young lady,
'that is it.' During this time her face
had changed from being pallid to a hue
like that of death ; aud now, as the tears
started from her eyes, she sank, half
fainting into a chair. I was not surpris
ed at the nature of her excitement when
I came to know all, aud that when I
met her she was leaving the chambers
iu a state of despondency almost border
ing on despair day after day having
passed, aud no reply being received to
her repeated advertisemeuts and ap
peals." " Mr. Oliver spoke kindly and en.
couraglngly to her, and in a little she
had so far recovered as to allow him tp
prosecute the inquiries which naturally
arose out of the Information I had given
him.
" I have already meutloned to you,'
he said, 'that the note which the young
gentleman received from you aud placed
lu the cash-box was a forged note; I
trust the fact that you had that note in
jour possession cau be satisfactorily
explained, as we should be very sorry
indeed if the information that promises
to give such relief to us should lu any
way reflect upon you.' "
" I said that I hoped not. I had re
ceived the note as entered in the memo
randuni, frouaa firm called Robert &
Co. ; but I knew nothing further of
them, the firm having been a strange
one to me, and the transaction the first
and the last I had with them a cash
one,"
" He asked if I remembered the ad
dress of the firm. I told him as nearly
as I could ; whereupon, again referring to
his papers, he showed me a cutting from
a newspaper containing the detection
and conviction of a gang of bank-note
forgers, who bad transacted business
under various cognomens, one of these
being 'Roberts & Co.;' and he staled
what was after verified, that the persons
from whom I had received the note
which had caused all this trouble to in
nocent people were in all probability
connected with the forgers referred to."
" It was thus that I first made the ac
quaintance of my heroine, Miss Brlerly;
aud may say that I never felt prouder of
my old blue pocketbook, with its- mass
of apparently trifling entries, than
when the Secretary of State, after hear,
lug the statement we made to him,
accepted my pocketbook memoranda as
evidence, aud in due course issued au
order for George Hamilton's liberation.
The very day the order was received I
went to Millbank to take him back ;
and In two hour he was sittlug at din
ner iu the place you now occupy, with
bis handsome bride-elect at hi side.
the only atonement that I could make
him for the suffering I had Innocently
caused him was to take the place of a
father, and give her away an her wedding-day."
"You will now, I hope, precelve the
value I place upon such memoranda as
my old pocketbook contains. To make
such entries perhaps Is the work
of a minute ; and when made, there is
uo knowing what useful purpose they
may serve. There can be 110 reasonable
doubt that, If I had not had the trans
actions above referred to, trifling as at
first sight they may have appeared,
duly entered lu my memoranda, my
statements to the Secretary of State
would have been of no avail, as they
would have looked like the trumped-up
fictions of a later hour, concocted for
the purpose of defeating Justice. As it
was, the entries stood in my book under
their proper date, and were sufficient of
themselves apart from my parol evi
dence, to prove that the person to whom
I gave the forged ten pound note on the
2nd of September was not the utterer of
that forged note, whoever may have
been the guilty party ; consequently, I
Was thus able to free an Innocent per
son, not only from prison, aud from a
long aud degrading course of penal ser
vitude, but from the life long stigma of
having uttered "The Forged Bank
Note."
El5.. THE GREAT if
iEBUEIEBi.
FOB
iiEilllflSl,
Neuralgia, Sciatica, Lumbago,
Backache, Soreness of the Chost, Gout,
Quinsy, Sore Throat, Swellings and
Sprains, Burns and Scalds,
General Bodily Pains,
Tooth, Ear and Headache, Frosted Feet
and Ears, and all other Pains
and Aches.
No Preparation on earth pqiiala Pt. jAfnn Oil. OS
a a"1 aurf, ttimpla ami chrttp External Keniedy.
A trial enttiiU but the comparatively trifling outlay
of no Onls, ami every ono anfleriinr with paiu
can have cheap and positive proof of iu claim.
Directions in Eluven Languages.
SOLD BY ALL DBUOGISTS AND DEALEE3 IN
MEDICINE.
A.VOGELER & CO.,
Ihtlthrtorf, Did., V. B. JL
May 3, ISSl-ly
jypSSER & ALLEN
CENTRAL STORE
NEWPORT, PENN'A.
Now Oder the public
A RARE AND ELEGANT ASSORTMENT Of
DRESS GOODS
Consisting of all shades suitable for the season,
BLACK ALPACCAS
AND
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A SPECIALITY.
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AN ENDLESS SELECTION OF PRINTS'
We sell and do keep a good quality of
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And everything under the head of
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Maohiiie Needles and oil for all mas ol
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To be convinced that ourgoodsare 1
viiuai no inn (jXIXjAI XiO
IS TO CALL AND EXAMINE STOCK.
No trouble Co show Roods.
Don't forget the
CENTRAL STORE,
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II PI TS Yourselvea br makliur money when a irolden
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