The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

 

441 (L.)   Elizabeth Dunn , widow , was indicted for forging a promissary note, for the payment of money, the tenor of which is as follows;

"London, 27 July, 1765. I promise to pay

"to Mr.   Edward Hooper , or order, Thirteen

"Shillings and Six-pence, seven days after

"date, value received, by me

"   Mary Wallace + her mark."

With intention to defraud the said Edward: It was also laid to be done with intention to defraud the person intitled to receive the money due to   John Wallace , late seaman on board his Majesty's ship the Epruve.July 27 . ++

  Edward Hooper . I am a receiver, or agent, and have an office in Crutched-friars. The prisoner at the bar came to me some time in June, and told me she had a probate of a will, which lay in the hands of Mr. Faulkner, proctor, in Doctor's commons; but she had not money sufficient to pay, and therefore could not get it out: She desired me to pay the money for her. I asked her some questions as usual, but particularly asked her for a parish certificate of the minister and churchwardens, setting forth she was the person she pretended to be; she not bringing that, I declined acting in it. Some time after, she came with this probate in her hand; (holding one in his hand). In consequence of which, I made search, and found there were wages due; but I would advance no money till she could get a certificate. She pleaded poverty, and I let her have a crown, or some such matter, till she could get the certificate: She came on the 26th of July, and brought a certificate; I was then ill in bed: She came again on the 27th; I was then below stairs: the certificate appeared very fair, and I gave credit to her; but as the money could not be immediately got, she begged I would let her have a little. There were several people that came with her, they were very clamorous: some said, they would wait no longer for their money; one said she was indebted to them so much, and another so much. I said, when she has it, undoubtedly she will pay you, or endeavour to settle in some manner among you: that did not satisfy them; they were very clamorous. Then she addressed me to let her have some, to give each of these people something, or she should be arrested: in consequence of which, I let her have three guineas and a half. I went up stairs to my bureau, and she with me; I wrote the body of this note. and called up my lad, he saw her make her mark. Before ever I wrote her name, as is usual, I said, what is your name? notwithstanding her having applied to me before: she told me her name was   Mary Wallace ; then I wrote it by her mark: I said to my boy, you saw her make her mark, and heard me ask her her name: after that, the boy wrote his name under as a witness. In writing the body of the note, I left out the word pounds.

Q. Did you ask her if she could write? Hooper. I think I did; it is usual to ask a person, Can you write? I then paid her the remainder of the money, to make the first three guineas and a half; but the money I paid her before, I can not exactly say. I think it was on the 20th or 21st of August,   Hannah Bourk came and asked me if I had not a probate of the will of   John Wallace , of the Epruve, and another of   Peter Price , of the Yarmouth? I said I had them both: she said they were both forgeries. I took the prisoner that very day before my Lord Mayor: she said she had been employed, and the price of that employment was two guineas; she there acknowledged her name to be Dunn: there was a woman that swore the prisoner's name to be Dunn, so my lord committed her.

  John Whetall . I live with Mr.   Edward Hooper . I saw the prisoner take the money of my master, and saw her make this mark upon the note.

  Hannah Bourk . I have known the prisoner above twenty years; I heard her say in my house about two months ago, she was going to Mr. Hooper's, in the name of Wallace, to borrow money. I know of her doing such things before that.

  Ann Murry . I have known the prisoner almost twenty years; she never went by any other name but   Elizabeth Dunn .

Q. from Prisoner. Did you not pay 22 s. for the administration out of the Commons?

A. Murry. No, for you had ruined me before.

Prisoner. Murry was to give me two guineas; I was not the administrator; there is a woman in Newgate knows I was to give   Murry the money; I had only half a guinea out of the money which Mr. Hooper gave me, and she had the rest.

Murry. This is not true no more than God Almighty is; she gave me half a guinea for what she had eat and drank.   John Barns came to my house; he gave   Mary Collins a paper; there were three ships on the top of it; he desired her to go to the Commons and administer; she said she knew one   Eleanor Welder that would do it for a guinea: I went to the Commons with Welder, and when she came out of the proctor's house, she asked Collins when she should have her guinea; she told her, when the money was paid: Collins was the person that had it, and   Eleanor Welder administred.

Prisoner's Defence.

Had Murry's box been searched, there had been several more found: she hired me for two guineas.

The note read.

July 27, 1765.

"I promise to pay to Mr.   Edward Hooper , or

"order, the sum of Three thirteen shillings

"and six-pence, seven days after date; val.

"recd."

  Mary Wallace , + her mark.

Witness   John Whetall .

Hooper. I forgot to write the word pounds.

Guilty . Death .