The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-18 00:00:00

STRANGE INVESTIGATION.

At the Manchester sessions, some weeks ago, a
man named Gibbins, who has been twice before convicted
of felony, was found guilty of picking a woman's pocket,
and was sentenced to six years' penal servitude. After hie
sentence, it came to the knowledge of Mr. T. Wheeler, lie
counsel, that a man had gone to the police-office and offered
to give himself up as the real thief in the cue for which
Gibbing was in custody. An invi atigatieu into the circum-
stance, before Mr. lt. B. Atmstroug, recorder, and Mr.
Maude, the committing magisteate, revealed come strange
facts. The man had called at the police office and made the
alleged etatement, and this man was now brought forward
sad put under exeminatian. His statement is, that he aid
nut commit the robbery, but that Gibbins's friends had come
to him and urged him to go to the Town-hall, and declare
himself the real thief. They said that Gibbins had been
already twice convicted of felony, and the third trial was
sure to go hard with him—in other words, that he
would he transported. Now, witness, they urged,
had never been in custody, and if he were to
declare himself the guilty party, it would go light
with him : he would probably get only one or two months'
imprisonment, and they (the friends of Gihbins) would
take care that he lived like a gentleman in gaol. They eso
urged this course the more because he had a broken arm
and could not work; and under their persuasion he had
gone to the police-office and mode the required statement,
in which be now acknowledged that there was not a word
of truth. The woman who had been robbed was confronted
with the man, and said positively that he wee not the person
who committed the robbery, and adhered to her statement
on the trial that Gibbins was the right party. The result of
this investigation was of course quite satisfactory, but a
further interest was given to the revelation abr.ve made,
by a statement from Mr. lieswick, the late chief superin-
tendent of detective police. lle said that some months ago
a garotte robbery was committed in Manchester, in which a
gentleman's watch was stglen. The next day a woman
appeared at the police-Otte and produced the watch,
saying that she bad been concerned in the rob-
bery, and had taken it from the gentleman. Gibbizo's
wife was in custody for the offence when she called, and
on this woman's representation was set at liberty. At the
subsequent SPIV/ the woman was tried and found guilty.
She then made a statement to the judge, to the effect that
she was not guilty, but that she had been persuaded by Gth-
bins to take the steps she had, to save his wife, who had been
previously convicted. Baron Alderson, however, who bad
tried the case, refused to investigate the circumstances,
saying she must take the consequences of her statement,
and lie committed her to twelve months' impri,unmcat.
Probably the learned baron did net attach much coedit to
the etatement of the woman, but the knowledge of this
second case has given much weight to her statement, :aid
the facts connected with the two, give a new and curicus
view of criminal life.

CITY DISPENSARY.—At the usual half-yearly
meeting of the governors of the City Dispecsary, held yes-
terday, at the offices, Queen-street, Cheapside, the minutes
of previous meetings were read and confirmed, null tha
committee, auditors, and house-visitors elected. The chair-
man (Mr. Alderman Kenn. dy) urged in the course of the
proceedings that no charity could be more deserving of
support than that which afforded instant reliel to the sick
poor.
TUE CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL—The following
is an extract of a letter written by a private of the Retie
Brigade to hie friends near Bungsy. The letter is dated the
10th tilt :—'. I have no doubt the place will fall. We place
great confidence in our chief. He has gained us everything
as yet, and I hope with God's blessing he will still. There
is not mach to fear for ; as I have said before, many a time,
with such officers and men victory must be the resuit.
But dear —, fighting with men like ourselves is sioth.ng
to compare with the fighting we have had to endure now
lately. The wet weather and laying on the ground is no
joke, and the weather is c Id now. There is not scarce a
man free from cold, but still they struggle on and live in
hopes of seeing the end of this war. 1 would give this mo-
ment one leg to see the British flag floating on the towers of
Sebastopol. One thing is we are all tired of this work, and the
cold winter coming on fast makes a chap feel a little queer.
The generality of soldiers like shoe: jobs best, but this is
lasting too long, and begins to get stale. And at the same
time we know we cannot get out of this till we have taken
the place. But be it as it may the English and French will
leave it I am confident"
THE IRON TRADE.—WOLYERUAMPTON, JAN. 17.
—The adjourned meeting of the Staffordshire pig-masters
was held at the Swan Hotel, in this town, this morning, for
the purpose of re considering the subject mooted at tile
trade assembly last Wednesday, namely, the propriety of
reducing the make of pig-iron. Mr. Philip Williams occu-
pied the chair, and about four-filths of the trade were re-
presented. There was a general concurrence as to tho
necessity of reducing the make, but in consequence of some
half (een members of the trade having sufficient orders no
hand to last them through the quarter—it wusstated, tee, that
a teeiing existed on the part of buyers that the proposed
arrangement W9II a combination to keep up the price of pigs
—it was consequently found impossible to come to any
formal resolution on the subject; the meeting aritordiuily
adjourned with the understanding that the proposed
arrangement will in effect be carried out. To this we may
add, that since the trade meeting last week several furnaces
have been blown out. The embarrassments of a mice agent
in this neighbourhood, named Owen, have led to bankruptcy.
A petiti to was tinned la the court at Birmingham yester-
day by Mr. Hodgson, at the instance, we are infer
the Midland Wiemon Company, Rotherham. T e fe
amount to about 10,000/. ; the assets are pat ddli al 71, p 2
FALMOUTH, JAN. 16.—The Devon anarAi
Royal Miners Artillery Militia assembled ensikl' * .t's
Castle to day, un..er the inspection of their lola, .
Coleman Rashleigh and hie staff, to be em ied.
number of absentees was very large on the roil:km(101 • . . '
at noon, but towards night a number of thW
04arrieed:11 -
town. "
1;." !.I.' 1
CRYSTAL PALACE, JAN. 17.—SHILLM Drailesci.k‘V•v
Admission at the doors, 626 ; admission by miaow tiekeltito
133 ; total 766.

MARIA ANTONIA RAILWAY.—Traffio for the week
fading Jan. 4,1856, 1761.; 1864, 2381.

THE NEW RETURN OF NEWSPAPER
STA3IPS.

The rears st suripsper stamps juid Waal gives
the lrllewisi fir:
First Quarter. home Cleertsr.
Daily News . . 319,191 348,044
lieeolsi Herald . . 303,000 299,000
Meesieg Fast . . 206,000 221,100
Mersin Chreshie . 163,500 186,100
Ixpreas . . 177,133 196,389
Globe . . . 176,000 195,000
B.a . • . 160,000 192,001
Stseellost . • . 103,000 104.000