The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-11-15 00:00:00

IMPORTANT TO PAWNBROKERS.

At the Police Court, yesterday, before Mr. Raffles,
there were ten pawnbrokers summoned by the police
under the Act of Parliament for taking pledges from
boys, one under nine and the other twelve years of age,
the property having been stolen. It appeared that the
two boys, named Robert Thompson and William Gregan,
had got into several carpenters' yards in town and
managed to steal a quantity of tools, such as planes and
the like, which they pledged at the shops of the defen-
dants. The penalty under the act for taking pledges
from persons under twelve years of age is, according to
the Act 39 and 40 Geo. 111., not less than 405., nor
more than £lO. In the first place, the boys were con-
victed of the stealing, and then Mr. Raffles said he
would reserve judgment until the hearing of the com-
plaints against the pawnbrokers, as it might be neces-
sary to make the boys witnesses in those cases. Mr.
Bremner, who appeared for the pawnbrokers, said such
a course would have an influence on the minds of the
boys, and it would be more satisfactory to have them
sentenced at once to dispel all prejudice in the case.
Mr. Raffles said he would sentence the lads then, and
thus get rid of the objection. He sentenced the eldest
lad, Thompson, he being an old offender, to five years
in a reformatory, and the other lad, who was not known,
to fourteen days' imprisonment.
The first information was then called on. It was
against Mr. Alfred Pickup, pawnbroker, of St. James's-
place. A young man in the employment of the defend-
ant admitted that he took planes in pledge from the
younger boy, who said his father was a joiner. Both
boys entered the shop together, and were in the box.
Gave the money to the small boy, and the larger one
took the ticket.
Mr. Bremner said lie would not struggle against such
a statement as that, but he would refer to the officers of
the court for the respectable character of Mr. Pickup.
He was many years in business, and never had any
charge made against him. Of course he was not there
when the property was taken in, so that personally he
was not concerned in the matter, although he was
liable for the acts of his servants. He said, under the
Metropolitan Police Act, which was made general by
thel 21st Victoria, the magistrates had the power to
reduce the penalty as low as he thought fit, and he
thought the present a case where the magistrate would
use that discretion vested in him.
Mr. Raffles : No, this is a case that I should not
reduce less than the 40s. penalty, certainly,
Superintendent Kehoe said Mr. Pickup was a respecta-
ble man, and had no charge made against him.
Mr. Raffles said he was glad to hear it. Of course,
he was not there when the things were pledged, but he
was liable for the act of his servant.
Mr. Bremner did not deny that, but lie wished to
state that' the pawnbrokers had papel a resolution
amongst themselves that they would not take pledges
from anyone under fourteen years of age, so that was
even two years older than regulated by the act.
Mr. Raffles : lam glad to hear it. In London the
pawnbrokers don't take pledges from persons under 16,
and I do not see why the same rule should not apply to
Liverpool. However, this is the fiat case of the sort
that has come before me, and I think the pawnbrokers,
as a body, conduct their business very creditably. Of
course there may be one or more who do not act so, but
the general body are respectable traders. There could
be no doubt about the small boy, but the other bears so
near 12 that I shall give the benefit of the doubt where
it may arise in his case. I think it v,ry injudicious
indeed, and open to censure, for pawnbrokers to take
property from children under 12 years of age.
Mr. Bremner : There is one thing I must observe,
that the children of the poor are generally smaller than
those of the rich—they are not so well fed, and they
_ _

frequently look older than they really are.
Mr. Xehoe said'all the pawnbrokers now before the

court are respectable persons ; and I am sorry to see
them here on this occasion, and I am sure if the princi-
pals were present, they would not take pledges from
such boys.

Mr. Raffles : I see some of the gentlemen present
now, who have often attended here to assist in cases of
justice, and I am glad to hear what you say in reference
to them.

Mr. Cozens, the crier of the court, said there was no
man in Liverpool who had rendered more assistance to
the police, than Mr. Pickup's young man.
Mr. Raffles said he was glad to hear it. He would
fine Mr. Pickup 405., and hoped it would be a warning
to pawnbrokers for the future. They should be more
cautious, and he trusted they would. Let the other
informations be withdrawn, and he trusted he would not
see any of the parties there again on such charges.
The parties thanked his worship and withdrew.

The good-service pension, vacant by the death of Sir
C. Napier, has been conferred on Admiral Ayscough.
Lord Ravensworth and the Hon. Misses Liddell have
been among the guests of the Marshioness Frances Anne
of Londonderry, at her ladyship's seat in Durham.
THE ROAD MURDER.—The Bath Heraldsays: "The
expectation that the application for a re-opening of the
coroner's inquiry will be successful is very general. Mr.
Slack, who is charged with the duty by the concurrent
authority of the Wiltshire magistrates and the Imperial
government, was occupied up to Monday in receiving
and shaping the depositions, which will exceed a dozen
in number, and as they will all have to be submitted to
the Attorney General and Mr. Saunders (recorder of
Bath), and a consultation upon them must be held, it
will be at once seen that some days must elapse before
the application can be made. It is supposed that the
proceedings will assume the form of an application for a
rule nisi, and that an opportunity will be afforded to
Mr. Sylvester, the coroner, to show cause why it should
not be granted. This would involve, at least, an addi-
tional week's delay ere it could be re-commenced."
MURDER IN DUMBARTONSHIRE.—A deliberate mur-
der was perpetrated on Sunday in the village of Alexan-
dria, Dumbartonshire. It appears that the fatal deed was
the result of a quarrel between two men, whose names
have not been ascertained, the one a shoemaker, and the
other a mason's labourer, which arose out of a discus-
sion on the merits of Garibaldi. A violent alterca-
tion arose between the two, terminating in a fight,
which their landlord thought better should be finished
outside the house. They accordingly proceeded to the
street and there renewed the conflict, which, however,
was soon brought to a fatal conclusion by the labourer
stabbing his antagonist in the abdomen with a knife.
Returning into the house, the labourer intimated that
he had put an end to all opposition in the future from
his companion, when the landlord rushed out and disco-
vered the body of the unfortunate shoemaker stretched
lifeless upon the street. The murderer was arrested, and
has been lodged in the prison at Dumbarton.
CORONER'S INQUESTS.—Yesterday the Coroner held
the following inquests :—On the body of Mary Toole,
29 years of age, the wife of a carter in Greendale-street.
It appeared that about the 19th of October, the deceased
complained that her husband had injured her. It
further appeared that she was an habitual drunkard, and
was hardly sober when she could procure drink. A
report was in circulation that death was the result of
violence, and on this a post mortenz examination of the
body was made by Surgeon Graham, and he stated that
death was the result of disease of the liver, brought on
in his opinion by excessive drinking. There were no
marks of violence on the body. The jury returned a
verdict to the effect expressed by the surgeon.—On the
body of a boy named David Southwell, 11 years of age,
who died in Brick-street. It appeared that on the 18th
of October, another boy named Hugh Chapman, who
was larger than deceased, had some dispute with him
and beat his head against a wall, and punched him in
the eye. It seems that Chapman had, several times pre-,
vious to that day, expressed strong hostile feelings to the
deceased lad, and was heard to say frequently he would
kill Southwell. The lad lingered from the time of the
injury until Monday, when he died. Surgeon Waters
made a
_post ntortent examination of the body, and found
that death was the result of a fractured skull. The jury
returned a verdict of manslaughter against Hugh Chap-
man, and the coroner issued his warrant accordingly.