Broadside concerning the trial and sentence of Margaret Kennedy for passing on forged banknotes

Transcription

As Account of the Trial and Sentence of MARGARET
KENNEDY, who was Tried before the Circuit Court of
Justiciary, at Glasgow, on Thursday last, the 1st of Octo-
ber 1818, and Condemned to be Executed there, on Wed-
nesday the 4th of November next, for passing Forged
Guinea Notes of the Stirling Banking Company, knowing
them to be such.                                    

AT Glasgow, on Thursday the 1st October, the Circuit Court of Justi-
ciary proceeded to the Trial of MARGARET KENNEDY, accused of
passing forged Guinea Notes of the Stirling Banking Company, on the 23d of
June last, in the Shops of John Clark, victualler, 85, Stqckwell; William
Thomson, ditto, ditto ; James Cuthbert, spirit dealer, Bridge-gate ; Stewart
Mitchell, tobacconist, 47, King Street; and Alexander Morison, grocer, ditto ;
where she was detected, and, being shortly thereafter apprehended, did privily
drop two others of the said forged notes ; and there was found upon her per-
son five genuine bank notes of One Pound each, and some silver and copper.
Her purchases in these shops were generally below the value of a shilling,
that she might the more readily obtain change; by getting a One Pound Note
and the small purchase for her forged Guinea Note. The Pannel pleaded
Not Guilty.                                                                              

Ebenezer Connal has been twelve years acting as clerk to the Stirling Bank
at Stirling ; the notes of the Company are payable to witness, and his name
is always written on the notes by himself. Mr Eadie, late cashier, also, while
he was cashier, put his name to the notes. James M'Ewan, who enters them,
put his name to them likewise; seven of the notes described in the indictment
were shown to the witness, who swore that all of them were cast from a
forged plate, and that all the names on them were also fabricated. John Tel-
ford, the present cashier, corroborated the above evidence. James Eadie, re-
siding in Stirling, was cashier to the Stirling Bank for six years prior to Mar-
tinmas last. He corroborated the evidence of Messrs Connal and Telford as
to the forgery of the notes, and added, that the Bank had no notes bearing the
dates or numbers of those exhibited.

Margaret Thomson, wife of William Thomson, victualler, Stockwell, recol-
lects the prisoner coming into her shop on a Tuesday in June last, to purchase
ed worth of oat-meal cakes.    She tendered a guinea note of the Stirling
Bank.    Alexander Brownlie and Duncan Morison were in the shop at the
time, and the witness gave the note to Brownlie, who suspected it to be bad,
and the prisoner exclaimed, " What, have they given my husband a bad note
payment of his wages ?'   The pannel did not appear at all alarmed when
Brownlie asserted the note was forged, but appeared perfectly calm.    Brown-
lie, however, on consulting with Morison, changed the note, and put it into
is pocket.    Alex. Brownlie, College Street, and D. Morison, collector of dues
at the Old Bridge, corroborated the testimony of the preceding witness, in re-
lation to the vending the forged note in Thomson's shop in June last, and
identified the woman.   Brownlie put his initials on the note, which he lodged
a the Police Office, and the note now produced is the same.

Catharine Cuthbert, keeper of her brother's spirit cellar, Bridgegate street,
remembers three women last summer coming to the shop for spirits; the pri-
soner called for the spirits, and tendered a guinea note of the Stirling Bank,
when witness gave her a pound note in change ; was suspicious of the note,
and shewed it to a gentleman next door, who said there were no bad ones go-
ing, and it was a good one; he came back about eight o'clock asking if she had
kept the note, for he had heard there was a woman apprehended on suspicion,
and carried to the Police Office ; she went there, took the note with her, and
saw the prisoner ; wrote her name on the back of it, and is perfectly sure the
note she got from the pannel is the same she put her name on, and that now
shown in Court is the same.------D. Fraser, police-officer, apprehended the pri-
soner, in June in Morison's shop, King street, uttering forged notes ; there
were two guinea notes of the Stirling Bank at her feet, and five genuine notes
found in her breast; put his initials on the notes in the Police Office, and those
now shown him are the same.---- D. Naismith, son of D. Naismith, victual-
ler, King street, and D. Cameron, police serjeant, corroborated this evidence.

The prisoner's declaration was then read, that she was 22 years of age, and
that she had got the notes from some Irishmen, near St Ninian's, to whom she
sold smuggled Highland whisky, and had a still going at the time she was ta-
ken ; her husband died about two years ago, and she has had no fixed place
of residence since; that she came to Glasgow on private business with a cler-
gyman, and on purpose to purchase a still, &c.

The Depute-Advocate addressed the Jury for the Crown, and Mr Grahame
for the Prisoner. Lord Gillies summed up the evidence, and directed the at-
tention of the Jury to the great body of legal proof adduced against the Pri-
soner, which he thought perfectly sufficient to warrant them to bring in a ver-
dict of guilty. The Jury returned a verdict, all in one voice, finding the pan-
nel Guilty of uttering the two forged notes specified in the 2d and 3d charges,
knowing them to be forged ; but, on account of her want of education and
general ignorance, unanimously recommended her to mercy. After which,
she was sentenced to be Executed on Wednesday the 4th November; the un-
fortunate woman was much agitated, and wept bitterly on hearing her sentence.

Printed in Edinburgh:?Price ONE PENNY.

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