A REMARKABLE FORGERY CASE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 278, 21 December 1876, Page 4

A REMARKABLE FORGERY CASE.

: The Manchester Guardian of Aug. 23 gives the following partioulara of he great forgery case in Italy, mention of which wtis made in our telegrams .some days ago :— On Wednesday morning, .August 16, a telegram from Bologna tells us, Giuseppe Mantegszza, sixth Marquis of Lisgate, who traces his decent from Bo3cbino Mantegagio, Lord of Sniius Mandello, who in the year 962 wa6 made Lord of Maccagno by the Emperor Oiho I, was placed in the dock to stand his trial tefore the assizeß of Bologna for forgery, fraud and falftifioation. He is accused of having forged the names of his Majesty King Victor Emanuei, his Royal Highnass Prime Humbert of Savoy, her Britannic Majesty's Consul of Florence, and others, to a number at bills of exchange Bnd documents drawn up for the purpose of raisicg money; of having by means of these bills and documents defrauded various persons in a total sum of more than half a million francs, and of having counterfeited the official stamp of the British Consulate at Florence. These forgeries and frau^p were discovered in February last. The King bas stated that the signatures are not hia. The backers defrauded plead that Mantegazza was honorably known in the financial world, and recognised as one of his Majesty's private agents. The prisoner ccknowledged that all the bills and documents mentioned were forgeries; but he absolutely denied having been the author of them. He had, he said, been employed by the King aod Prince in bona fide transactions, and while carrying those into effect he was brought into connection with a person whose name he refused to reveal. Under that person's authority, which he believed to be sufficient, lie acted in good faith, and "it was not until tbe thing had gone too far to permit of his retreating that he discovered the true state of the case." During ihe proceedings this supposed unknown and highly placed accomplice , is spoken of as "K." The Times correspondent, summarising the case so far as it haa gone, says:— " Here, then, . are two different acts of the drama of ; this trial. In the first it would seem that Mantegszza persisted in taking the j/uilt upon himself alone, in the hope that 'X' (if any such person there be) would übo sufficient influence to prevent his appearance in the dock. Io the second aot, finding himself brou .ht to trial on no fewer than 27 different oliarges of forgery, 10 of fraud, and one of falsifying au official seal, he haa leoouoced 'X' io the strongest terms, while refusing to pronounce his name. ii..rdmains io be seen if, at tie conclus on of the third act, when all hope has departed, he will lift the veil from 'X' and solve ihe mystery."