CRIMINAL ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 36, 10 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

CRIMINAL ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

Mr. Stead has sent to Lloyd's the outlines of a story of the conviction of an innocent man for forgery, which he is about to publish as a sixpenny criminal romance of real life, under the title of "Wanted: A Sherlock Holmes." Dr. Charles A. Bynoe, of 1, Endsleigh Gardens, was arrested in January, 1892, on a charge of having on February 20th, March 12, April 2nd, April 17th, and July 18th, 1891, forged the name of Miss Constance A. Pottts to dividend warrants on the London and Universal Bank, Charing Cross, and also on April 17th a transfer form for Courage and Co.'s stock to the amount of £415, cashed by John Shaw, of 1, Wardrobe Chambers. If he was not the forger, so cleverly had the true criminals arranged matters that his conviction was certain. Miss Potts had formerly lived at 1, Endsleigh Gardens, and that was her registered address. A letter, alleged to be forged, had asked Dr. Bynoe, who knew her, to forward all letters to the Junior Constitutional Club, care of Mr. Kirk, her business manager. Dr. Bynoe answered exactly in complexion, hair, and eyebrows, to the description of the man who had visited the bank at Charing-cross, and John Bhaw. He was committed for trial. Bail was refused, and by the ingenuity of the true forger, it is now alleged that he was led to believe that Mr. Kirk was the criminal, and on this ground he arranged his defence, which completely broke down. Experts in handwriting swore that the forged signatures were written by Dr. Bynoe, and the jury found him guilty. In sentencing him to nine years' penal servitude, the judge remarked that the forgeries were premeditated, that the prisoner attempted to throw the guilt on an innocent man, and that his blameless life was the effort of conscious hyprocrisy, hence the severe sentence. Now a woman has come forward and says that she was the innocent tool of the real criminal, who is still at large, and that she did all the forgeries. If an innocent man has been convicted, and Mr. Steed does not appear to doubt it, no time should be lost in proving his innocence.