POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealander, Volume XXIV, Issue 2612, 17 March 1866, Page 4

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

(Wkiisksiia y.] (Before Thomas Bkckiiam, Esq., R.M.) WHOI.HSAI.E FOUGKUIES. Jeptlia, Barnes a recent arrival in the country, was brought up charged by Jos. Rose with fraudulently issuing a cheque on tho Bank of New Zealand, for £3 1 Os., purporting to ho signed by Jones and Co., on the 2ml March. There wore two other charges of forgery against the prisoner, preferred by Alfred Smith and John Mulligan, and the police stated that besides these there were seven informations for forgery of various amounts against the prisoner. The Bench consequently ordered a remand until Friday. I.AUCENV. Charles Crowley pleaded guilty to stealing a watch and chain, value £3 1 Is, from the shop of Mr. William Buchanan that morning, and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour, iu the common gaol of Auckland. f I’lilOA v.] CIIAUOIC OF KOKOEKV.

Jeptha Barnes was charged with uttering a number of forged cheques. Joseph Rose deposed that he kept a store iu Wellesley street. On the 2nd March hist, the prisoner went to this store and purchased groceries to the value of Bs. 5d , for which he gave a cheque purporting to ho drawn by Jones and Co. in favour of James Smith. The amount of the cheque was £3 10s., and it was drawn on tho Bank of New Zealand, Witness cashed it, hut subsequently discovered it to he a forgery, and the prisoner was ultimately given into custody, when two canisters of coffee were found upon him similar to those supplied by Mr. Rose. In cross-examination, the witness said the prisoner was dressed differently when he went to his shop, and wore besides a pair of dark whiskers. Mr. Morton Jones deposed that he had no account at the Bank of New Zealand, and that the signature to the cheque produced was a forgery. In the second case the cheque was for £3 2s. and was passed to a Mr. Smith, a butcher, of Newton, who took it in payment of a leg of mutton and gave him £- 17s in change. This cheque purpurted to he signed by Burnside and Co., hut it was a forgery.

Tn the third ease, the cheque was for £2 I As., and also purported to be drawn by Jones and Co. This cheque was passed upon a shopkeeper named Mulligan in payment of some slight purcha-e. There were four other similarchargcs, but they were not proc eded with. The prisoner was fnlly committed for trial.