Ficker & Associates

By Nicholas Estrada

          Here at the offices of Ficker and Associates, we offer quality legal representation at a very economically safe price. This week, I know the people of London have seen me lose a case in the Court of Chancery for a certain Mr. John Jarndyce, but don’t be fooled; I offer very good services for a low price, just take this testimonial from one of our recent clients:

                 “He was very professional, and although we couldn’t get a successful win over this case, in the end I was very pleased with the services that Ficker and Associates were able to provide. If I have any other legal matter, rest assured that I will be coming back to Mr. Ficker for any of my legal needs.”

– Mr. Jarndyce

                   There you have it, a great client and an esteemed member of the city. No matter how big the case is, Ficker and associates will be there for you at an affordable price. Just remember some of my philosophy:

                 “The scale of fees is too large for the client and too small for the lawyer. But suitors object less to the amount than to the intricacies and perplexities of the Table.  In some districts the expense of recovering a sum of money is one-third more than it is in others; though in both the same scale of fees is in operation. This arises from the variety of interpretations which different judges and officers put upon the charges.”

– Mr. Ficker

Household Words. Volume I, pg. 176 Law at a Low Price.  5/18/1850

Sheep Murderer: Update!

By Casey Weitz

            An update has been made on the case of the sheep murderer. From our previous installment, Mr. Herder posted an advertisement asking for details containing why his sheep were being murdered and who was responsible. The accused were responsible for five sheep murders over the past two months and Mr. Herder was demanding justice.

            Two young women were found guilty of murdering Mr. Herder’s sheep. The two women were found guilty on the evidence that they had taken the sheep from the herd and dismantled the body. The two ladies were found carrying the meat from the sheep which undoubtedly made them guilty. Justice has been served and Mr. Herder is still without his sheep, but glad the guilty will be punished. One woman was sentenced to ten years transportation and the other was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment.

            This article is an idea from the last eperiodical which featured the advertisement for the wanted “sheep murderer”. Both ideas were from Household Words, 1/2/1850, pg. 38; in a section titled Narrative of Law and Crime. The section featured certain crimes that were committed and the punishment received from the courts. 

A Letter from Mr. Gridley

By Hannah Swart

To the editors of the esteemed journal:

                I, Mr. James Gridley, am writing concerning the recent ruling in my court decision of my father’s will. The court system once again displayed its dreadful injustice and inefficiency, costing my brother and myself hundreds of pounds, only to rule in favor of my brother after all. The Court of Chancery has ruined yet another life; taking up months and large sums of money for one simple ruling. My brother and I were forced into Chancery for a simple familial matter, and ended up getting sucked into its corruption and chaos. Nor am I alone in this; we all know of the disaster of the Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce case, which has haunted a family for generations. The system itself is corrupt and rotted; a true reform must take place in the Court of Chancery or our nation’s people will continue to suffer its misdeeds!

                Signed,

                Mr. James Gridley

Inquiry about Mr. Krook

By Kelly Wedlake

Dear conductors of this esteemed journal,

          I recently learned that a proprietor of a certain shop often associated with the Court of Chancery has passed on to the next life.  Though the details surrounding his death still appear to be unclear to the outside world, I feel it is my duty as an upstanding citizen to write in and ask the question everyone else is thinking:

What is going to become of all of the papers and letters and legal documents that Mr. Krook kept in his shop for the better part of his life?  I know that there are certain letters that may be within his shops walls that would aid in a legal matter that I am attempting to resolve quickly.  I, along with many others I am sure, would love the opportunity to peruse his shop after the criminal investigation into his death has concluded of course, and try and find the documents that I seek so badly. 

Perhaps your esteemed publication can run a notice if an opportunity as such arises?

Best regards,

An upstanding citizen

Letter from a Newgate Prisoner

A letter from Mr. Tooll, a prisoner in Newgate

By Rebecca See

          Me name’s Mr. Tooll, but you can call me Tooley. I’m here cause they say I robbed some men, an killed one of em, too. I’ve been here for months now. I remember my trial was…well, it was a long time ago I think. The warden tells me that my walk is comin soon, probly in February and that after I’m dead they’ll hang me body where they say I killed that man.

          I’m writin this here paper to tell em all wot really happened there. I know it won’t help, but I’ve gotta git it off me chest. I’ll tell ye straight, this is how it happened-I was poor, so poor I had naught to eat at night. Now, I’m not askin ya ta feel sorry for me, jes listen. I heard about these men, they was a gang of highwaymen, who’d let me join if I liked. So I did. It was money to buy food with was all I wanted. We robbed some people, sure, but we never killed  no one until Mr. Leaver. Murder is such a horrible thing to do and I never meant to kill anyone. We’d marked him and was gonna steal his sword…I meant to shoot his horse, I swear, I’d never kill a man in cold blood. I killed a man, O God forgive me, I killed a man. O have mercy on my soul.

          The ward’s a comin now, so I better end it there.

Ansay, Serra. "The Cornhill, Great Expectations, and The Convict System in Nineteenth-Century England." The Cornhill, Great Expectations, and The Convict System in Nineteenth-Century England. The Victorian Web, 1996. Web. 16 Jan. 2013.

Hangman Update

By Casey Weitz

The High Sheriff has named his hangman! Sir Gallows of Calcraft will be the new hangman of Suffolk County. The newly appointed hangman already will have a full slate of work to do after the Court of Chancery have given out five sentences over the past week for death by hanging.

Sir Gallows acknowledges that justice must properly be given to those who fit their crimes and my God have mercy on their rotten souls. Sir Gallows will also follow special order of the High Sheriff aside from his duties of hangman.

           This article is an update from the previous installment in which people were posting their wants to become the new hangman and were applying to the High Sherriff of Suffolk County.

Notes from the Chancery:

NOTES FROM THE CHANCERY:

By Kelly Wedlake

Court of Chancery

-                    Yesterday the case of Gridley v. Gridley finally came to a conclusion after months in trial. The case was concerning the dispute over money owed to one Mr. James Gridley by his brother, Mr. Frank Gridley.  Mr. James Gridley, upon inheriting his parents’ estate, housed his brother free of charge for some time. Mr. Frank Gridley believed that he was owed 300 pounds by his brother, as dictated by his parents will.  The dispute presented in court was due to Mr. James Gridley believing that the money owed to his brother by the will should be taken as a fee for room and board.  After many days and weeks and months spent in trial, the court ruled in favor of Mr. Frank Gridley, who was to receive 300 pounds from his brother as the will dictated. However, Mr. James Gridley no longer had the means to pay this money to his brother, due to all of the fees associated with this long-running case.  Let this stand as another example of the evils of the Court of Chancery.

-                    The Jarndyce v. Jarndyce case continues to press forward with the new spurt of energy coming from one Richard Carstone, a ward of Mr. John Jarndyce himself.  See our report on the next page concerning the details of the case.   

Crimes Committed between 1800 and 1833

By Rebecca See

Analysis of the principal crimes for which people were executed for between 1800 and 1833
Arson	Attempted murder	Burglary	Coining	Forgery	Highway Robbery	High Treason	Horse Stealing	Murder	Rape	Robbery
4	5	100	6	87	66	5	34	44	7	32
0.80%	1%	20%	1.20%	17.50%	13.20%	1%	6.80%	8.30%	1.40%	6.40%
Sheep Stealing	Sodomy	Theft	Uttering	Other crimes
7	14	41	32	18
1.40%	2.80%	8.20%	6.40%	3.20%

This table looks at the different crimes that were committed and that the people were executed between the years 1800 and 1833. Coining refers to illegal making of coins. Sodomy refers to committing unnatural sexual acts. Uttering is referred to as the crime of passing forgeries like counterfeit coins and notes. It wasn't surprising to see that back then the crime that was committed the most was burglary especially since it was probably easier than it is today. It was surprising to see that horse stealing was a crime committed along with sheep stealing. 

http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/newgate.html 

The Will of Mr. Krook

By Hannah Swart

A Visit to Newgate Prison

By Kelly Wedlake

            I was recently afforded the opportunity to visit the infamous Newgate Prison, to experience the jail as the inmates do, and observe the daily going’s on.  Upon arrival, I had to enter through three different gates and meet my conductor, the man in charge of giving me the tour of the prison for the day.  I was given a distinct jacket to wear, bright, so that I would stand out from the prisoners.  I was then taken through the next set of gates, and to the courtyard.  As shown in last week’s Journal, there are three distinct parts of Newgate Prison, one for debtors, one for female prisoners, and one for male prisoners.  The first part of my tour found me in the debtors portion of the prison. 

Newgate Prison

            Here, men and women alike were kept (in separate cells still) until they had worked off or paid off their debts.  Each prisoner, regardless of which portion of the prison they were assigned to, received a mat/rug to sleep on within their cell each night.  In the mornings, they were to return the mat to their wardsman or wardswoman until the evening.  The wardsmen and wardswomen were allowed to sleep in bunked beds, more so cots than beds, and were selected for good behavior.  It was an honor to be selected to this privilege, and typically means that one is reaching the end of their sentence.

            The other interesting aspect of my tour was the sight of the little school for boys within the prison’s walls under age 14.  These little creatures were still offered an education, despite their poor decisions thus far in life, and I found this act of charity to be an inspiration in human nature.  Overall, I found the horrors of Newgate Prison were mainly hidden from my view—though I am sure they exist.  My visit was as cheery as one could be to the capital’s largest prison; upon my next visit I hope to get more into the depths of despair we so often hear about there.  

http://www.victorianlondon.org/prisons/newgate.htm “Victorian London-- Prisons and Penal Systems—Prisons—Newgate” by Charles Dickens, originally in “Sketches by Boz, 1836”

Picture from : http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/2012/05/inside-newgate-prison/

Last Words

By Casey Weitz

            Tomorrow I am to be hung for the crime I have committed. I took a man’s life and not justice has come to serve me in the same fashion in which I ended another. The hangman will come promptly tomorrow to take me to the gallows and there I will breathe my last few breaths on this great Earth.

            I look back upon that day in which I stabbed that man and want to take it back. I was only trying to provide for my family by taking a few loaves of bread from the man’s store. While he caught me red handed, things got out of control and now I must pay for the action that happened that day.

            I am deeply sorry for the murder that I have committed and want to greatly apologize. I give my deepest sympathy to the love ones of the man who I have murdered and ask that God ease their hearts.

            I ask that the community have consideration for my family, for they had nothing to do with this unfortunate event that I have created. I love my dear wife and two wonderful children and I am deeply sorry that I will no longer be in their lives and create long lasting memories.

            -Idea created from a picture titled “Morning Execution” from the Newgate Journal. To the page next to the picture there is a letter of a prisoner in which he describes his last day on Earth. However, unable to read the passage, I recreated what I thought the prisoner might have said.

Bow Street Police Court Case

By Rebecca See

          On Tuesday, two little children, whose heads hardly reached the top of the dock, were placed at the bar before Mr. Jardine, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. Their very appearance told the court want they were in there for. Mrs. Mims, a baker on Drury Lane, claimed that they, about eight o'clock last evening, went into the shop and asked for a quarter loaf, and while her back was turned to get it for them, they stole a half quarter loaf, value 2½d, which was lying on the counter, and made off with it. The police constable, deposed, that he was on duty in Drury Lane, and seeing them quarrelling over the loaf, he asked them where they had got it. One of them answered, they had stolen it. After ascertaining how they came by it, he took them into custody. In defence, the prisoners said they were starving. Mr. Jardine sentenced them both to be once whipped in the House of Correction.

Household Words. Volume 1. The Great Penal Experiments. William Henry Wills. P 252. 8/6/1850.

Do not be Afraid of the Court of Chancery

By Nicholas Estrada

          There are very good people in the Court of Chancery. However, we all know there is a stigma about the Court, because some cases are never solved, or they are solved without justice being sought. This is clearly a misunderstanding of how the Court of Chancery operates. The fact is that there are people involved with the court that understand that there are some injustices that are done. The people that remain in the court make it so that people are put in prison when they deserve it and also get their judgments. When there is no one who is able to render judgment, remember the Court of Chancery is always there. There is also a lot of discussion about how this current Jaundyce vs. Jaundyce case will play out. The Court of Chancery assures you that there are people that are people who are grinding themselves to the stone to see that everything is done. The public shouldn't fear the court, they should welcome it with open arms and not be afraid to come into the court. Take it from a great aid to the court, Sydney Smith, who stated, “That there never was a great abuse brought to light in England, but there certainly arose some men prepared to contend not only that it was no abuse at all, but that it was something to be admired, and glorified, and boasted about. Such folks are tender, we presume, even of the Court of Chancery.”

(Above Pictured are the Past Martyrs of the Court of Chancery (1735))

Alfred Whaley Cole, William Henry Wills. Household Words. Volume II pg. 493 (9/28/1850)  

Patridge and Cozens Personal Protection

By Nicholas Estrada

There has been a lot of talk out in the streets of London about letters: people are seeking protection and privacy for their most personal letters. It seems as if there are some citizens who are trying to get their hands on letters or even using those letters as ways to honor agreements. In order to help out with protection of personal letter, one needs a very high quality envelope. Look no further than Patridge and Cozens. We have the best adhesive, opaque envelopes in town that will help protect from fraud, theft, and just the average busybody who may be trying to get an example of someone’s own hand. Our prices are also quite affordable, so don’t hesitate to come down and get the best envelopes in town to prevent any crime/forgery that may come from having weak protection when it comes to envelopes. Our reasonable prices are listed below!

Bleak House Installment 15 Advertisement # 15

Police Officer Assaulted

By Hannah Swart

           A recent case has developed involving the assault of a police officer.  Late one night, a person or persons unknown sneaked up behind the beadle and struck him over the head, perhaps intending to render him unconscious in order to commit a crime unnoticed.  Fortunately, a good citizen happened to hear the ruckus from his bedroom, and shouted at the criminal or criminals, who were scared off.  The case was brought to trial at Guildhall on the 8th.  A young boy, about 14 years of age, was brought to the witness-box, under the belief that he had some knowledge of the case.  The following exchange occurred:

"Alderman Humphery: Well, do you know what you
are about? Do you know what an oath is? Boy: No.
Alderman: Can you read? Boy: No. Alderman:
Do you ever say your prayers? Boy: No; never.Alderman: Do you know what prayers are? Boy: No.
Alderman: Do you know what God is? Boy: No.
Alderman: Do you know what the devil is? Boy:
I've heard of the devil, but I don't know him.Alderman: What do you know? Boy; I knows how to
sweep the crossings. Alderman: And that's all? Boy:
That's all. I sweeps a crossing. The Alderman said
that in all his experience he had never met with
anything like the deplorable ignorance of the poor unfortunate child in the witness-box."

The search continues to discover new information in the case of the assault of a police officer.

Household Words Narrative. 7 Narrative of Law and Crime.  5/18/1850

Works Cited

Ficker & Associates: Household Words. Volume I, pg. 176 Law at a Low Price.  5/18/1850

Sheep Murderer: This article is an idea from the last eperiodical which featured the advertisement for the wanted “sheep murderer”. Both ideas were from Household Words, 1/2/1850, pg. 38; in a section titled Narrative of Law and Crime. The section featured certain crimes that were committed and the punishment received from the courts. 

Letter from a Newgate Prisoner: Ansay, Serra. "The Cornhill, Great Expectations, and The Convict System in Nineteenth-Century England." The Cornhill, Great Expectations, and The Convict System in Nineteenth-Century England. The Victorian Web, 1996. Web. 16 Jan. 2013.

Hangman update: This article is an update from the previous installment in which people were posting their wants to become the new hangman and were applying to the High Sherriff of Suffolk County.

Crimes committed http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/newgate.html 

A Visit to Newgate Prison:  http://www.victorianlondon.org/prisons/newgate.htm “Victorian London-- Prisons and Penal Systems—Prisons—Newgate” by Charles Dickens, originally in “Sketches by Boz, 1836”

Picture from : http://www.peterberthoud.co.uk/2012/05/inside-newgate-prison/

Last Words:
            -Idea created from a picture titled “Morning Execution” from the Newgate Journal. To the page next to the picture there is a letter of a prisoner in which he describes his last day on Earth. However, unable to read the passage, I recreated what I thought the prisoner might have said.

Bow Street Court Case
Household Words. Volume 1. The Great Penal Experiments. William Henry Wills. P 252. 8/6/1850.

Do Not Be Afraid of the Chancery: (Above Pictured are the Past Martyrs of the Court of Chancery (1735))

Alfred Whaley Cole, William Henry Wills. Household Words. Volume II pg. 493 (9/28/1850)  

Personal Protection: Bleak House Installment 15 Advertisement # 15

Victorian Reform in the Courts of Chancery

By Kelly Wedlake

          In 1852 two different acts were passed to attempt to reform the Court of Chancery and start expediting the hearing process for these non-criminal cases.  Prior to the Suitors in Chancery Relief Act of 1852, it was exceptionally expensive to get a case heard by the Lord Chancellor.  With the reform act passed, the duty of the defendant no longer included paying the salaries of the Lord Chancellor, Chancery officers, and other Chancery judges; these officials would now be paid by salary not derivative of the defendant’s personal funds.  Additionally, the need for the creation of “office copies” of legal documents related to the case was deemed unnecessary and abolished.  In an attempt to fight the corruption of the Court, officials were also formally disallowed from receiving gratitudes from defendants or other persons involved in a case he was hearing.  This Act also helped streamline some of the jobs and processes to getting a case heard at the Court, eliminating some professions to expedite the process further. 

          The Masters in Chancery Abolition Act of 1852 also helped streamline the Court’s processes.  Prior to its passage, the Masters in Chancery and the Judges in the Court of Chancery both were able to hear cases, allowing them to often get tied up between the two parties, and thus delayed excessively.  With the passage of the act, the Masters in Chancery were abolished, making it a requirement for only the Judges in the Court to hear cases.  This act, combined with the Suitors in Chancery Relief Act, helped speed up the Court’s processes exponentially, allowing the cases heard per year to increase to almost 3,000 cases by the 1860’s, plus an additional number of cases being heard and dismissed from the backlog from the previous decade. 

Lawyers in Victorian Times

By Hannah Swart

          Imagine standing in front of a judge, prosecutor, jury, and a whole courtroom full of people, trying to defend yourself against accusations of a crime you did not commit, without the help of a lawyer or anyone else.  Although in modern times, we take for granted the fact that the defendant and the prosecution in every trial have the right to a lawyer, in Victorian times, this was not the case.  Up until the mid-1800s, lawyers were rarely used.  Prosecutors had always been allowed lawyers, but few could afford one.  The defendant, however, was not allowed to hire a lawyer in most cases.  The assumption behind this was that if the defendant was honest, it would be easy enough to tell the truth and display why the evidence did not condemn him.  It was not until 1836 that lawyers were allowed to summarize the case for the defendant.  Even then, most defendants could not afford a defense lawyer.  This is certainly a contrast to our modern-day standard court proceedings.  Although lawyers are still expensive, we don't think about the fact that they were not always so common.

Source: http://vcp.e2bn.org/justice/page11444-lawyers.html

Patents

By Nicholas Estrada

          With this issue dealing with the courts, everything is about protection. There needs to be protection of documents, and for all aspiring inventors out there, the Waterlows also offer protection for patents. With this protection, it is possible to make legal patents in the comfort of one's own home. The Waterlows like to pride themselves on being inspirational and helping the growth of the country, and what is better than the promotion of one using a printing machine in one's own home? Again, if you do not feel comfortable or can’t handle all of the printing, come bring it in to Waterlows and Sons and we’ll be able to help you out. 

Need Legal Protection for your Documents?

By Nicholas Estrada

          Need legal protection?  Waterlow and Sons will help protect you against forgery. There has been lots of speculation of forgery, especially in cases that are going on in Chancery Hall to this day, in particular with specifics that include legal documentation. In order to prevent fraud, there needs to be protection against those who copy and forge documents. If there are ever any documents in question, come to Waterlow and Sons and we’ll make sure that there is no confusion about from anywhere between who wrote what to what is true and what is forged.

Arsenic: Sold on Every Corner

By Hannah Swart

                It might surprise readers to hear that one of the most common methods of murder, arsenic, is as readily available as tea.  One does not need to supply any reason to a druggist to acquire this deadly substance, and yet we are continually shocked to hear of a new murder case involving poisoning.  In fact, from 1839 to 1849, 259 poisoning murder cases occurred.  Our judicial system has managed to come to convictions in only 85 of those cases.  Naturally, the reason for this is that it is quite difficult to track down the culprit in such circumstances.  Many law-abiding, respectable citizens purchase arsenic for harmless reasons; for example, ridding their homes of rats or other pests.  Surely, a druggist will not remember every customer who purchased arsenic in any given period of time, which is one of the reasons policemen and detectives struggle to narrow down their search for the criminal. 

If our judges, lawyers, and policemen are fully away of the difficulties in solving these particular murder why is poison still so easily accessible?  There is no regulation on either the selling or purchasing of arsenic, the most common poison used for murder. Perhaps our judicial system would find an easier time tracking down these murderers if arsenic wasn't sold round every corner.

Source: Household Words, Volume II, pages 155 -157

Wanted

Wanted

By Casey Weitz

Application for Hangman

By Casey Weitz

To the High Sheriff of the County of Suffolk,

            I have read that you are in need of an individual for a superior position of a hangman. The duties of a hangman require one to act swiftly without sympathy or affection. The position also requires special duties to the High Sheriff, including messenger.

            I shall expect the decision to be difficult and one of high regard. I fully submit my name ____ of Calcraft. Previously I was the executioner of Calcraft and have left my position there to travel. Now I have come across your County and have been made aware of the position that I would be honored to have.

                        A fast response to my application would be valued.

                                                            Your most honorable applicant

Newgate Prison

By Kelly Wedlake

          Here is a picture/map of Newgate Prison, located in London, published in 1800 following the remodel.  There is a men’s, women’s, and debtor’s quadrangle respectively.  The prison also has a chapel that prisoners could make use of in their free time.  Additionally, all stairwells and entrances and exits are marked on the layout/map.  Newgate Prison remained open until 1902.