CRIME IN PAST TIMES

A schoolmaster's forgery

William Cartwright, aged 24, a schoolmaster, was accused on Tuesday 15th March 1859 of forging the names and handwritings of William Newsam and Edward John Lee in letters purporting to be testimonials of character to the Board of Guardians at Bourne for the purpose of obtaining the situation of schoolmaster at the union or workhouse.

Mr Cecil Bell, clerk to the guardians, who prosecuted at Lincoln Crown Court, said that the vacancy had been advertised in the Stamford newspapers and the prisoner, an apparently well-educated person, not devoid of confidence and possessing a full share of talking powers, applied for the post and attended an interview on 13th September 1858 when he promised to obtain testimonials of character and responsibility from persons with whom he had been previously engaged.

These were subsequently handed to the guardians, one from a Mr Newsam of Weston-super-Mare and the other from a Mr Lee of Boston Spa in Yorkshire, and as a result, Cartwright was appointed schoolmaster, a post which he filled for some days. Police investigations subsequently revealed that neither person had issued the testimonials in their names and Cartwright eventually admitted that he had written them himself.

The various witnesses for the prosecution were cross-examined by the prisoner at some length, not apparently to show that the signatures and letters were not forgeries but merely to show his elocutionary powers and cause some merriment, which he evidently did, to judge from his smiling face. The prisoner also addressed the jury at some length, begging that they and the judge would take into consideration his youth and the time he had been in prison.

The prisoner seemed to enjoy the proceedings very much and on putting questions to either his lordship or the witnesses, a smile played on his countenance. However, his enjoyment was short lived because the jury returned a verdict of guilty and the judge said that although he entirely concurred in taking into consideration the prisoner’s youth and the time he had already been imprisoned, he would not be doing justice to the country if he were given less than six months in jail with hard labour, which was the sentence he passed.

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