Page:The Trial, at Large, of William Booth and his Associates.pdf/7

This page has been validated.

8

tioned that two persons of the name of Ingeley formed part of the family in the house of the prisoner, these persons, either stung by remorse, or for some other reason, had given information which led to a discovery of those plates, which he had before stated were the only implements wanting in the chamber for completing the notes; and though the testimony of persons who had acted as accomplices, and had assisted in the criminal transactions of others who were charged with offences, for which the legislature had inflicted punishment, was always to be received with caution, yet when that testimony was confirmed by credible witnesses, or facts, which would be the case here, they were then entitled to that degree of credit, which the life they had led and the actions they had been guilty of hac deprived them of; in consequence of the discovery made by these persons four plates engraved with the form of a blank bank note which they had planted, were dug up in three different places of a field on which wheat was growing, and which adjoined to the rick yard of the prisoner; two of these plates were in one place, one in another, and one in another; in consequence also of that discovery, a trunk containing several 10l, several 5l, and about 200 of 1l, bank notes, or forged notes in imitation of bank notes, and some local notes, were found; those local notes were also forged ones, as were also six narrow plates which had engravings on them, the use of which would be explained by the witnesses. It would be shewn that when the alarm was given by Mrs. Ingeley, the prisoner directed one of the Ingeleys to take that trunk and plant it at a considerable distance from the house, saying the notes in it were done; this was not true in the whole, some of them not being completed, but many of them were, and on one of those notes the present indictment was founded, and it would be for the jury to say if the prisoner was or was not guilty of forging that particular note, for though he was indicted for uttering as well as forging it, yet it was only necessary for the jury in this case to consider that part of the indictment which charged him with the crime of forgery: of the four plates so found one was engraved for making an impression of a 10l, note, one of a 5l, note, and two of 1l, notes, and there was proof that notes had been made from all those plates, and the note partly burnt, which would be produced, would