Star. — London, England, 1822-01-09 00:00:00

-. ;T LAW*TELLIGENCE, ~,. ~ ~d i COURT OF KING'S RENCIT, JANUARY s. THE KIM V. DANIEL ASHER ALEXANDER. This was an indictment at the instance of the Ma gistracy of the County of Kent, against the. deceit dant, an eminent architect, for alleged fraud. There were two sets of counts—one charging that the de fendant had falsely, corruptly, unlawfully, and de ceitfully, defrauded the inhabitants of the county of Kent of the sum of £2O. 9s. 4d. by falsely pretend ing that he hail paid that sum to one John Smith, a person employed by hiat to survey and measure the works going nn in tho -building of Maidstone Jail and House of Correctioo, an erect which the defen dant had been employed by the Magistrates as archi tect; whereas, in truth and in fact, he had not paid that money to the said John Smith: the second set of counts were founded on an alleged false pretence, that the defendant had paid a person named John Phillips a sum of £l9. 4s. 6d. for his expenses, &c. in attending a Committee of the House of Commons as a witness against a Bill pending in Parliament fur defraying the expense of erecting Maidstone Jail and House of Correction; whereas, in truth and in fact, he had only paid the said John Phillips the suns of 0.25. The case was in substance this :—The defendant was employed, in 1810, to build Maidstone Jail by contract. He had sent in a Report to the Magis trates at Sessions of the probable expense of the work, and what were to be his own charges, &c. In that Report, Le stated that it would be necessary to em ploy a surveyor to measure and value the work as it went on, who was to be paid at the rate of one per cent. upon the work for his trouble. After he had entered into the contract, he employed as the sur veyor a Mr. John Smith, who owed him money, and it was agreed that the latter should receive only three quarters per. cent. for his trouble. Mr. Smith had no clerks of his own; but it was understood, though not distinctly proved, that the defendant was to retain the other quarter per cent to compensate his own clerks for their trouble in making out fair copies, &c. of Mr. Smith's valuations. The defendant, in making out his accounts of disbursements, charged the whole amount of the one per cent. as having been paid by him to Mr. Smith, whereas he had paid the latter but three-quarters per cent. The Justices in Sessions passed the account, and ordered the Treasurer of the County to pay the money. By this transaction it was alleged that the defendant had put into his own pocket the mm of £20.95. 4d. In 1813, a Bill was pending before Parliament, relating to the mode in which the expense of building the new Jail was to be defrayed, which was opposed by the Magistracy, and the defendant was employed to prepare the necessary evidence, and produce the proper witnesses to sustain the opposition. Mr. John Phillips, a surveyor, was employed to prepare estimates, and attended two days as a witness before the Committee of the House of Commons, to whom the Bill had been referred, and for his trouble received two guineas. The defendant. in his account rendered of expenses and disburse ments on that occasion, charged the sum of El 9.45.6 d. as having been paid to Mr. Phillips for his attend ance-as a witness. The defendant had, in fact, paid him an additional sum of 4:6 for his trouble in pre paring estimates for the information of the Commit tee. The Magistrates at Sessions confirmed the de fendatn's account, and ordered it to be paid, but sent him a message, informing him that he was dismissed from his employment as Architect of the Jail. The defendant had been in attendance at the Sessions, in order to explain his accounts, but was not called in, an.' was in the manner abovemeutioned summarily dismissed. These alleged frauds were committed so long ago as the year 1813. In 1819 the defendant pro secuted to conviction one of his clerks, named Hunt, for gross fraud, by altering the defendant's accounts of disbursements, and pocketing the difference; and the defendant had himself paid upwards of £2OOO to reimburse the county for these frauds. In Septem ber, 1819, this indictment was preferred against the defendant : he was then in France, where he now re mains, confined to his bed by severe illness. It did not appear that the defendant had ever been called upon to explain his accounts, or that there was any thing erroneous in them until the present indictment was preferred. The whole amount of his accounts concerning the Jail was upwards of £190,000, and it did not appear that there was any other exception able item beyond those which were the foundation of the present charge. His own personal charges for his trouble, &c. were certainly upon the most. liberal scale, namely, five guineas per diem, exclusively of travelling expenses, making plans, estimates, &c. Mr. SCARLET?, in addressing the Jury, urged the staleness of the charge—the trifling amount of the supposed frauds, compared with the magnitude of the concern in which the defendant was employed— the harshness of prosecuting a respectable and ho nourable man, without any previous requisition to explain his accounts—and the possibility that these charges might have been made by mistake, or by the innocent means which the lapse of nine years ren dered it difficult to explain. He pressed the impro bability that the defendant, who was a man of un questionable honour and integrity, should lend him self to such petty frauds, which must be beneath the notice of the most sordid mind. Several most respectable witnesses gave the defen dant the highest possible character for honour and rity, during a interity, period of thirty years. g The CHIEF twits summed up the case with great minuteness, and the Jury immediately found the defendant Not Guilty. LONDON SESSIONS. Yesterday these Sessions commenced, when Ztiva- Leth Morley and Sarah Turner were charged with assaulting a watchman. They were inhabitants of Houndsditch, and were standing at the, end of that place on the sth ult. about ten o'cloCk at night, and, on the watchman ordering them to move on, they fell upon him and tried to strangle him ; and some othei s of the sisterhood also assisted in beat ing iiiin.—Guilty. Morley to be imprisoned for six wonths, Turner three months. _ Palmer was indicted for assollting Joseph Sullivan, and Mary his wife. Mr. Maling, of Brack ley, in Berkshire, who supplies the London market with butter, appointed the defendant his agent to search for and seize the fiats us they came to market ; Nut he, who is known in the markets as " the fiat _ it Sul. r, and demanded it: and, on Sullivan stating that he had had it Rom Ferner, a fruiterer, in Fleet-market, and no one-else should have itt, he rushed _by e and seized it. ilatan making some spew of resistance, th defendant knocked his bat over-his face. Sullivan 's wife, who was exfitmilk, coming up at the Ferment, and some blows passed. was pushed down by Palmer , Palmer, however, carried away the flat. The Common Sen.:east strongly condemned the defendant's conduct; who, he said, had niright to seize the flats wherever he found them, and thus take the law into his own hands. The Jury found him Guilty and the Court, after some communication between the ne plofai n4o2. tiff and de. fondant, sentenced him to pay a -fi MIDDLESEX SESSIONS. • John Mills was indicted for assaulting Sarah, the wife of Robert Nubes. The defendant keeps a public-house in Spitalfields. One Saturday, in October, at twelve at night, the prosecutrix went to Mills's house for her husband,. whom she found quite drunk, sitting with Mills.— She asked biro if he was coming home? but he made her no answer; and she told )dills that he ought to be very much ashamed of himself to encourage her husband to spend all his earnings. Milk told her, if, she was. impudent he would turn her out. She was going, when Mills followed her, and struck her so violent a blow, as to break the bridge of her nose.— This was the lady's story ; but a person who went with her to the public-house, swore, that she pulled her husband and Mills about, rapped at the shuttersf called his wife a cribbage-faced —, and himsel " Jack Mills." He then did strike her with his open back-hand. Verdict—Guilty; but it appearing afterwards that she had first spit in Mills's face, he was only fined thirteen shillings and faurpence. Mary Anne Bliss, Ephraim Bond, and J. Mills '(not present) were indicted for a conspiracy to . get and keep, by fraud and force, possession of a house, N 0.239, in the Strand. Mrs. Eppey, the prosecutrir, has this house and some others, on the rents of which she lived, and Mrs. Bliss applied for this house, but was refused, as it was found to be intended for a coffee-shop. Mills, an upholsterer, then took the house, and let it to Mrs. Bliss, who began to pull it to pieces. The CHAIRMAN being of opinion, that in the ab sence of Mills a charge of conspiracy could not be supported, the defendants were acquitted. Joseph Hitchin was indicted for assaulting Ben jamin Matthews. The defendant had a small house in Clerkenwell. He was in arrear for the Poor.' -rate, and when the prosecutor, an old man, went, as he was authorised, to distrain on his goods, Hitchin threw him out of the house with great violence. The object being to chew the neighbours that they must pay the rates, Hitchin was allowed to plead Guilty, and to enter into recognizances to keep the peace. T. Sok", J. W. Grab, W. Green, R. Harwood, and J. Abbott, were indicted for a riot in the parish of St. Dunstan, Stepney. Soley rented two rooms in a house belonging to Mr. Smith. He came one evening, with the four, others, and began to demolish or remove the fixtures. Smith remonstrated, and one of them told him, he would break his -- neck, and throw his carcase into the street. They then locked him into a room, and lighted a fire outside a grate in another, leaving lam locked up, and the fire in the other room burn ing, with coopers' chips and shavings. This col lected a mob about the house. The CHAIRMAN held that this was no riot; and the defendants were acquitted. William ,Henry Rockford, a painted,whiskered, and mustachioed dandy, of the very first water, was in dicted for assaulting Mary Anne Kent, but the Lady not appearing, he was acquitted. W. Cowley was indicted for receiving 75 yards of linen, and two yards of ticking, the property of Thos. George, knowing them to be stolen. The prosecutor lives in Greek -street, Soho, and sus pecting that his apprentice had too much. money, he questioned him, and in consequence of what he told him, he went with officers to the prisoner's house in Vine -street, Chandos-street, and found the property. Cowley said he bought it of a hawker. G. Sopp, the apprentice, knew Cowley, and sold this cloth to him. The last piece he sold on the 27th of October. He had sold him three pieces. Cowley keeps a marine-store shop, and witness went and asked him to buy whole pieces of linen, which he sold at 3d. and Sid, per yard, without being asked how he came by it. Mr. T. George proved that the cloth was worth lsh.2d. per yard. Crosserantined.—Sopp commenced being a thief when he came to his master, about eight .years ago, by stealing a few halfpence from him. Jeffries, the officer, said, Cowley's sister told him that she was to make up the linen into shirts for her brother.—Several witnesses gave Cowley a good character, Verdict—Guilty. The Court ihen sentenced him, for encouraging the boy in robbing his master, to be imprisoned one year in the Hosse of Correction. Messrs. C. Mott, W. But ler,, and W. Duna, tried on Monday for,an assault on the Bow,-street patrol,which appeared in the STAR of yesterday, were brought up to receive the sentence of the Court, which was, that they should be fined 13s. 4d. each, which they paid, and were discharged. Mrs. Christiana Baldwin, a female, most elegantly dressed, was put to the bar to plead to an indictment for a fraud, in. paving obtained money from William Pope, under fa he pretences, she pretending that she could obtain him a situation under Government, con. trary to the statute. There is also another indictment against her for misdemeanour. She pled Not Guilty. The CHAIRMAN inquired if she was quite ready to proceed to trial ?—The Defendant—Not immedi ately ; I will be in two or three days. The CHAIRMAN.—Has this Lady a legal adviser? A Solicitor observed that Mr. Adolphus was em. plopecl as her Counsel. Mr. ADOLPHUS.-4 have been only just informed that I am to be Counsel for the defendant ; I ave not been able to give her any advice; but I can w inform her that she cannot traverse this case util nest Session, as, by a late Act of Parliament, the right to traverse is taken away from her. The CHAIRMAN.....-Let it stand then for Saturday , nest.--The defendant then withdrew. Samuel Stallwood was indicted by the Trustees of the Highgate and Hampstead Road for a nuisance, in having erected cellars in Gray's Inn-lane, in the Pa ' rish of St. Pancras, under the King's highway. It appeared that the defendant had taken a field df ground of Lord Calthorpe. situated at the upper end of Gray's Inn-lane, on .which he had built several houses; one of which was a public-house; denomi nated the Calthorpe Arms, and he had built cellars under the road, to hold beer in, which was the nui sance complained of. • In defence, it was contended, that the premises be longed to Messrs. Reid and Co. brewers; and that the defendant erected the cellars by their orders ; and if they were ar nuisance, Messrs. Reid and Co. were the persons that ought to have been,indicted. Mr. Beast, Counsel fur the defendant, called wit nesses to prove this fact, but their evidence failed. The Jury, under the direction of the Learned Chairman, found the defendant Guilty; and he was bound over, in his own recognizances of 12200, to abate the nuisance. John Gardner and John Sparbs were indicted for assaulting Stephen Randall Wapshott, on the 2d of December last, in the Parish of Chiswick, in the County of Middlesex. It appeared that the prosecutor and the defendant Gardner, were rival cow-keepers, at- Chiswick, and the defendant Gardner, who was also Parish Con stable of Chiswick, had assaulted the prosecutor, and had also encouraged the defendant Sparks, and ano ther of his cow-boys, to beat the prosecutor, who is a diminutive man, and to throw him into a ditch. Several witnesses were examined on both sides, and the evidence was very contradictory. The CHAIRMAN left it to the Jury to decide which set of witnesses they would believe, and they found the defendants Guilty.—The Court sentenced the de fendant Gardner to pay a fine of £lO, with liberty to speak to the prosecutor ; and the prisoner Sparks to pay a fine to the King of 3s. 4d.—The rest of the day was consumed in petty assaults. MA Nato wHou s a.—Yesterday Frances Tridddl was charged with innumerable impositions upon parishes, by claimjpg relief as a pauper. For .19 years she had been a burden upon one parish, without having any legal claim.—Mr. Gould, Churchwarden of St. Pancras, in the City, stated, that one day iast week, the prisoner claimed relief as one of the poor of the parish, in which, she said, she had lived as servant with parties who are now dead. Three an 4 six pence a week was paid to her; and upon reference to the books, it was found that, since the year 18432, she had been imposing on the parl'sh.— Mr. Williams, Churchwarden of St. Olave's,. Hart-street, stated, that the prisoner had been passed to that parish: from .Whitechapel, in 1819, and had been frequently re lieved. On Friday last the prisoner applied for relief, and was told she should be taken into the Work house, but this she refused. The prisoner had im posed upon other parishes, and got amongst them a very comfortable livelihood, by the mere force of hard swearing. The above case was, however, thought quite sufficient to prosecute her upon.—She was fully committed. GUILDHALLe--T. Arnold was brought up on sus picion of felony. It appeared that the prisoner is a tailor, working in a shop with twenty-two others, and one of them missing a gold seal and a half-crovin from the pocket of a wai.tcoat he had left on the board, his suspicion fell on the prisoner, and he went to his lodging at Limehouse, to sift the girl, with whom he was living, on the subject. He asked for the duplicate Of the seal, as if he knew it was pawned, , when the girl said the prisoner had the duplicate with him ; to other questi. ins she said that he had brought home a half-crown on the day in question, which he said he had risked his neck for. The girl was called, but she said that she had admitted what the prose cutor asked, because she would not make Arnold ap pear to be a liar; she knew he was a shopmate, and thought Arnold might have stated what was enquired about. The property not having been found, and the prisoner strongly asserting his innocence, the Magis trate thought there was no ground for his detention. John Chapman was brought up, having been given into custody by the Inquest of Castle Baynard Ward, who, as they were returning through St. Paul's Church-yard, after being sworn in, were shocked at the dreadful oaths made nse of by the prisoner, a stage-coachman. Some brother of the whip, it seems, who is in the habit of ridiculing him as a cuckold, had raised his ire.—The Magistrate, with the consent of the complainants, discharged him with a reprimand. MARY-LA-BONNE OPTlM—Yesterday three well known characters were brought from Mary-la-Bonne watch-house by Fellows, the night-constable, who charged them with being reputed thieves and disor derly. It appeared that the prisoners were on the sneak on Monday night, and creating a disturbance and kicking up a breeze in Oxford -street, until at length several watchmen interfered for the purposi of " starting the coves," when a row ensued, and the watchmen received several severe bruises ; the pri soners were finally overpowered and lodged in the watch house.-They were committed as reputed thieves. A watchman belonging to Mary-Li-Bonne was charged under the following circumstances:—lt ap peared that, on Friday last, the prisoner went to the house of a Gentleman residing in Portland-place, and said that he was the watchman of the beat, and caine for his Christmas-box ; the servant who answered the door told him to see the butler, which he did ; and, he, not having any silver, gave the pi ironer a sove reign to get change, which the honest guardian took but did not return again. The butler thin caused him to be apprehended. The prisoner denied the charge, said he was not the person, and could bring evidence that he was in Chelsea at the time. Witnesses were called to prove an alibi, but failed, and gave such confused and contradictory accounts as to be madly unworthy of belief.—He was fully committed. HarroN-GAnnarat.—Yesterday 7'. Norris, a watch c4e-maker, in the employ of Mr. T. Richards, of, Bridgewater-square, was charged w ith stealing five tools, called draw-plates, the property of his master. The prisoner had worked seven years for the com plainant, during which time he bore a most exem plary character, and left a part of his earnings in his master's hands until it amounted to £l7O, £1:10 of which he drew for the purpose of furnishing a home for himself in Royston-street, intewding to go into bu siness upon his own account. Mr. Richards, it ap- Tears, employs twenty men, and from his complaining that some of them were purloining pint of the.tools, which were, very expensive, the men were deter mined to find out the thief, and on learning chit the prisoner was buying and borrowing tools for the po t pose o f going into busilless, suspicion fell upon him. Ou Saturday last, when he wedt home to t ea , some of the men found five - of the draw-plate s concealed, as they stated, on a shelf under his work; on which one of the men (E. Bandy) put a private mark, i n the presence of the other men, and replaced t here , the prisoner came back and worked the remainder of the evening, and after he was gone the tools w ere missed, and the workmen informed Mr. Richard s o f the fact; he r in consequence, had theprisoner's h ouse searched, when the five tools were found, but nothi n , else which the complainant could claim. The of fi ce'. took' away the five draw-plates, and the prisoner custody. The prisoner, in defence; stated that ry ne of the tools was left eighteen months before by a man who worked thew, and who owed him 17s. and that he had ever since claimed that tool as his .pro. perty. This fact was admitted by all the werkmen. He further stated that another of Mr. Riclrards's m en, who had been a master himself, lent him the oth e . four. On examination it appeared that three nut 4 the four were lent him, but that the fointh prov e d to be Mr. Richards's, which lie took in mistake, ie.lri;: g a similar one, of equal value, behind. The 11a6,,. trate stated that no blame could attach to Mr. RH,. aids, for, that before investigation, it had a bi.v.lr appearance; but he was happy to say that the pn, soner's character was unsullied, and he was cdt:se. quently discharged. QUEEN-StWARE.—Mary Scott was charged with stealing a watch, with two gold seals and keys. Sh e , with a man of the name of Johnson, had taken lode ings at Mr. Watkins', in George-street, Chtl,-a, oa Monday night, representing herself to be Jthi,o , s, wife. They sat down in the parlour till nearly eiev el o'clock, when Mrs. Watkins was celled to the d o . r . While there, Johrr.on went out, and on returning t o the parlour, Mts. Watkins missed the watch, and gave the prisoner into custody. Nothing was fou;,d on her. Ihe ptisoner, in defence, said, she met Son on that day, who seemed to have plenty of money, and promised to marry her, and ptocuied her t::‘: lodging till matters sere arranged. She persisted in her innocence.—The prisoner was remanded. SUDDEN DEATHS —Last night, a Coroner's Inquest was held at the Red Lien, iii Shoe-lane, Holb rn, ca the body of Jou s BARRON, Esq. par ner in the hone of Messrs. Vaa and Co. bankers, in Lombard-street. Gaulten said he saw a Gentlemin passirl along Shoe-lane, about nine o'clock on Al.iadaT evening—when just opposite to St. Andrew's Chine:, he fell backwards : witness, with the assistance of others, raised him. He then seemed lifeless ; some water was sprinkled on him, but he did not recover. Witness assisted in carrying him to the watch-hoiss, when a medical man opened a vein, but no b.o-d came, and he was conveyed a corpse to the house. Other witnesses deposed to the same effect, and added, that the deceased never spoke. Mr. Wil son, a medical Gentleman who had attended Mr. Bar ron, stated, that the dece used, for some tin e before death, had laboured under a severe diarrhce, or flax. He had considerably recovered ; but, as was u-ual with many persons before the fatal attack came, tLey 'Would be much better. There was a fullness and ci:. culation of the blood inclined to the head, f. out which witness had no hesitation in saying this was the cane of his death, which must have been as sudden as if he had been shot through the head. When wityesa last saw !aim, his pulse was quite calm, and he seemed in better health than usual. He had no doubt .:•e cause of his death was a fit of apoplexy. Mr. Slim. TON observed, there could be no doubt the decea ed died a natural death from apoplexy, or other disorer. Here a Gentleman stated, that he was in company with the deceased at his own house, where they drank tea, after which the deceased went out to take .1 walk: this was a quarter of an hour before his deatli.--Vet dict—Tfiat the deceased died 61l the Visitation (y . Gcn. An Inquisition was held at the Horse Shoe, Lit.le George -street, Westminster, on Monday night, befoie Mr. limos, Coroner, on the body of Mrs. 1 3 11m:111A Ayles, a widow, of respectable family, who died, in the opinion of the • respectable Jury that sat on cite body, from the want of timely medical assistance.— The deceased resided in Little George -street, We.:- minster. On Saturday night last, she having been on a visit, was taken ill very suddenly on her way home; she fell to the ground, and the patrol, with some of the neighbours, conveyed her home. Seve ral persons were dispatched for medical as,istance, and although three different medical men were urged to come to bleed the deceased, yet not one of the.. would stir unless he was first paid for his trouble.— One surgeon sent some powders, but they could be of no service to a person- in a fit. .The second sur geon said he was busy, and could not attend ; and the last person applied to asked the Gentleman who desired him to attend, if he should be paid by the friends of the deceased if she died ?--who her friends were ?—whether they could pay? and a great num ber of otlaer such questions; and upon the ~entiem ai) being unable to give him the information re quired, and declining to become responsible for tfe payment himself, the surgeon refused to attend at: deceased at all. The above facts were sworn to be fore the Jury ; and a number of witnesses proved :bat no medical man came at all, and that the deceased, in their opinion, died for want of medical assistance. The CORONER addressed the Jury, and regretted vet y much that the different surgeons who were applied to should have refused to attend the dying ss .man. The witnesses were of opinion, and they (the Jur%) might be of the same opinion also, that if the de ceased had received timely assistance she might have been recovered.—Foreman, " That is our opinion." Conosea, " But, Gentlemen, that is only a matter of opinion; your most safe verdict, for on per ohs you cannot say she died for want of surgical assist ance, will be, that she died by the visitation of Goo.' After A long discussion that verdict was taken. - luta fC, wno IS KIIOWU IU UM MaMMUS AS `• lAI natchen"having learned that one of them was al .1i liras's bulk in Neusgate-madiet, went thither MA mural The 4th inst. at Ilzekney, Robert Walter, youngest on of the late 'Alain:. Byers, to Anne, daughter of the Late Benjamin Travers, Esq. Friday evening, in Portland-place, by special license, the lion. John Cavendish Brow:te, eldest Solt of l'.? Right lion. Lord Kilnuiine, to Eliza, eldest daughter at David Lyon, EM. of Poi tland-place. '4IOFI. W Allelt at I.ON DON 1111.1 DG Talfollll4oW .1114 riling - 44 eternity after 4 Afternoon - 45 ------ 4 _ LONDON; Printed and puhlisbed by Lim Koh Pi: tot place!, Tesupte-Bar. ~ alms NI .... ...-- J cog *OX 'Co: the .C 2 IA