MARY LYONS, JOHN SCANNELL, CATHERINE MURPHY.
14th August 1837
Reference Numbert18370814-2009
VerdictsNot Guilty > unknown

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2009. MARY LYONS and JOHN SCANNELL were indicted for feloniously uttering to George William Dean a forged £10 bank-note, with intent to defraud John Jupp, well knowing it to be forged: and CATHERINE MURPHY as an accessary after the fact.

MR. DOANE conducted the Prosecution.

GEORGE WILLIAM DEAN . I am foreman to John Jupp, a silversmith and salesman, High-street, Borough. On Saturday, the 24th of June, the prisoner Lyons came into the shop, with a little boy and Scannell—they purchased a suit of clothes for the boy, which came to 19s.—Lyons gave me what appeared a £10 Bank of England note—Scannell had very little to do with purchasing the clothes—he said he hoped it was a nice suit, as it was for a motherless child—on looking at the note I saw it was a very old date, and a bad-looking one—I said to Lyons, "How is it this note, bearing the date of 1832, has not been paid into the Bank of England?" and asked her something regarding her possession of it—I could not exactly say what it was, but I was satisfied with her answer, though I forget what the answer was—she did not ask me any questions—she gave the address Mary Lyons, and said she lived at No. 7, Cornwall-road, Blackfriar's-road—I wrote that on the face of the note—I have since been there, and found no such person living there; and I inquired at No. 7, Cornwall-place, and no such person had ever lived there—the note has been since sent to the Bank of England.

Cross-examined by MR. JONES. Q. You are not certain whether the male prisoner said the child was his? A. I am not—he took very little part in the purchase—they came in together—Lyon's did not ask me if the note was a good one—I am quite sure if she had asked such a question, I should not have taken it—I cannot charge my memory with the conversation which took place—I am quite certain she did not say she lived at No. 7, Broadwall, Blackfriars-road—I know Broadwall—it is very near Cornwall-road—I have not inquired at Broadwall—the prisoner said, before the Magistrate, that I had made a mistake in putting down her ad dress—the note was dirty and rumpled.

HENRY RICHARD BRETT . I am shopman to Mr. Bayfield, pawnbroker, in Charlotte-terrace, New-cut. I have a suit of boy's clothes which were pawned at our shop, in the name of "Mary Buckley," by the prisoner Murphy, on the 29th of June.

Cross-examined. Q. Had you ever seen her before? A. Not to my knowledge—I saw her again at Union Hall, some time after—I can positively swear to her—I recollect her person so well—she was in the shop for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, as there was somebody in the shop at the time—I never expressed a doubt of her identity—I did not say at Union Hall, that I thought she was the person—I never felt a doubt from first to last.

THOMAS REDFORD (police-constable L 52.) I took Lyons and Murphy into custody, in a court, off Broadwall, in a house—I went into the room, and found them there—there was a little girl at the window—I found an image on the mantel-piece with several duplicates in it—I asked Murphy who they belonged to—she said to her—among them was one for a suit of clothes pawned at Bayfield's—when I took them out, Murphy said, "You have found something."

Cross-examined. Q. Were they lying openly in the image? A. No—poked up inside it—the other prisoner had been taken before.

JOSHUA FREEMAN . I am Inspector of Bank Notes to the Bank. This note is a forgery in every respect, paper, plate, and signature.

Cross-examined. Q. Is it so bad that it could not deceive a person of ordinary caution? A. It is bad, but an illiterate person might take it—I think, with due caution, it would not be taken—it is a very indifferent one.

NOT GUILTY .

Second Jury, before Mr. Justice Williams.


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