LONDON BANK FORGERIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7587, 22 December 1902, Page 2

LONDON BANK FORGERIES.

■». — '" .■■■'■ .■■'■■ A SENSATIONAL TRIAL. United Press Association — By Electrlt Telegrvph — Copyright. (Received Dec. 22, 8.59 a.m.) ' LONDON, Dec. 21.. The trial of the Bank of England not? forgers resulted in. Bernstein being sen« teneed to twenty years', William Barmash to ten years' and Solomon Barmash to fif» teen years' imprisonment. All pleaded, guilty. Solomon Barmash, who was paralysed, had to be carried into Court. Late* he committed suicide in a temporary, prison at Old Bailey," shooting 'himself with a revolver, which, he obtained and concealed ■while under treatment at theJ prison infirmary. ' > (The forgeries were on a. Very extensive scale, and created a great sensation when th«i disclosures were made some time ago. No* fewer than ten persons' were arrested" ia connection with, the affair. The lft?t of these was Philip Bernstein, who had in- his possession forged notes of the. face value ol £40,000. Formerly he carried on busioesi as a jeweller in Plymouth, and his arrest was brought about 'by the fact that it was ascertained that he had had^a quantity o$ correspondence with, the Bannasfoeß. The forged notes were f or £5V £10 and £50; Solomon Barmash is a cigar merchant ; William Barmash, his eon, is described a« * cigarette-maker. Qther accused were:-* Joe Zubesky, a carpenter ; Matthew Rome j Salisbury Israel, a bootmaker j and Morris Maks, a glazier. At the trial, 1 a. man named Schmidt, who occupied the position of an informer, stated that he was employed to manufacture sopae counterfeit Bank of England notes. His immediate employers were the two prisoners, Solomon and " William Barmash. Schmidt would tell the Court how, when and where the different experiments were made to, accomplish the water-mark. Schmidt was thus engaged as between June, 1901, and January, 1902, w London and »t the seaside. In January, 1902, part of the notes were uttered in America, the utter- ; ing being immediately followed by the apprehension of the utterer. With a view" to satisfying the Barmashes that he cbuld do the work, and could make the, watermarks, he was given a. room in their house, and in the course of a* week ma4e several epecit men plates. The Barmashes pointed out some faults in the platen, and he altered them. In- July last, the 'Bank of England N offered a reward of £1000 for information that would lead to the detection and punishment of the actual engraver and maker of what he would call the Davenporfr notes, and from July 20 and throughout August the police had the prisoners and Schmidt under" observation. On Sept. 5 Schmidt sought for and .obtained an ini terview with Messrs Freshfields, his'attention doubtless having been called, to the reward offered by the Bank of England. He was referred by Messrs Freshfields to th«f police. On Sept. 24 Schmidt had an interview with the police, and recognised certain of the American notes as notes which he himself bad made.)