The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-01 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

WESTMINSTER.

James Claserton, the proprietor of the Duke of Marl.
borough beer-shop, Marlborough-road, Chelsea, appeared to
a summons, charging him with neglecting to afford proper
accommodation to two soldiers quartered upon him.
George Sutherland, a sergeant of the Bth Hussars, stated
that on the 23rd ult. ho served a billet upon defendant's
wife tor two privates of the Rifles, and was told that they
would have proper accommodation. In an hour or two
afterwards he was sent fur, in consequence of the complaint
of the two men, to inspect the bed upon which they were to
sleep for the night. lie found it was not flt fur any person.
It consisted of two small mattresses placed next to each
other, but which did not exactly meet, apparently stuffed
with straw, or something of that kind. The covering con-
sisted of a small thin blanket.
Mr. Arnold inquired whether there were no sheets ?
The sergeant replied there were some thin rags toler-
ably clean, but they were light, as there was little or
nothing of them, and a small thin rug, or something in
place of it. The men in consequence did not sleep there.
Witness told tho landlady about the bed, and she said
if they did not like it they might go without.
Police-constable George Close, 211 B, said that ho also
inspected the bed. It was quite clean, but appeared very
hard.
Defendant, in reply to the charge, assured the magistrate
that a sitting-room and a bed room, the former with a fire
in it, were offered the two soldiers, who conducted them-
selves in a very of manner. The bed was one which
he was in the habit of letting nightly to mechanics or others
who might need a lodging ; and AO far from the sheets
being thin or worn out, they were nearly new, and put on
clean for the soldiers. They rang the bell two or three
times for coals in the midst of defendant's business, and
wanted a shilling and a pint of..porter given them, and were
very much put out because be refused to secede to their
request.lr.rnold inquired whether the bed bad been slept in
about the 25th ult.
Defendant replied only a night or two previously by two
hard-working men, who expressed themselves perfectly
testified, as also had many others. Indeed he and his wits
had slept on the bed formerly, and it had been let all the
season at a shilling per night up to the night before last.
Surely it was not expected that a man was to give up his,
own feather bed to two private soldiers billetted upon him.
There was, as he had said before, a pair of nearly new clean
sheets upon the bed besides two blankets, and the bed was
quite good enough for respectable hardworking men, and
be thought for soldiers ton.
Mr. Arnold expressed seine doubt whether beershop•
keepers were liable to have soldiers billetted upon Them,
and adjourned the ease for a few days, when, ho said, if
defendant liked to produce-any witnesses in his behalf, he
, would hear them.
SOUTIIWARK. _ .

John Stowell and iioiass Stowell were on Saturday
week last exespined at this court on charges of perjury,
conspiracy, and subornation of perjury, alleged to have
been committed by them, and • men named George How-
son G.irnett, at the Southwark County Court, in an action
brought by John Stowell, a person connected with the me-
tropolitan stage department, against Mr. Kennett, the
landiord of the Hoop and Grapes Tavern, Broaderay,West-
musette, to recover 301. 10s. on two I 0 Us for mousy lent.
The action was tried before a jury, and Kennett, having
proved that the money had been paid, • verdict for Dim
was returned. He accordingly charged the three parties
above named with wilful and corrupt penury, and con-
spiring together, by making false oaths, to extort money
from him under a false action.
The particulars of the case were fully reported at the
time, when Mr. Combo, the magistrate, held the two
Stowell. to bail in 501. each, to answer the charge at the
next sessions. Garnett absconded, and • warrant was issued
for his apprehension, but the officer had not been able to
find him.
Mr. Kennett, accompanied by his solicitor, Mr. Preston,
now attended the court, and informed the magistrate that
at the termination of the examination of the Stowells, on
Saturday, the 13th, a warrant was placed in the hands of
Guest, one of the offices+ attached to the court, for Gar-
nett'. apprehension. That officer had been very iudefati-
gable in his exertions, but Garnett could not be found.
Believing that he was either kept out of the way by some
parties or secreted in the metropolis, Mr. Kennett had
offered a reward of 51. for his apprehension, u he was
determined to bring all parties to justice. Mr. Kennett pro-
duced • handbill, a number of which he had forwarded to
the Metropolitan l'olice stations, and distributed about the
metropolis, which he considered would ►ikely be the means
of finding him. He is about 44 years of age, five feet five
inches in height, shabbily dressed, and was last seen in
Thomas-street, Oxford-street.

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LAMBETH.
A middle aged female of gipsy appearance was placed at
the bee on the following charge of imposition.
Sauk Stamp, a simple-looking country girl, deposed
that on Saturday last the prisoner, at about one o'clock in
the afternoon, came in front other muter's house and stood
opposite the kitchen window, and, believing her to be in
want, she gave her some broken meat. While doing so the
prisoner asked if she wished her fortune told, saying she
would tell her fortune truly. She (witness) at first refused
to have her fortune told, but the prisoner having
repeatedly pressed her, and declared she would tell
her nothing but the truth, she consented to give
her a sixpence to have her fortune told. The prisoner
then came down into the area, and, pulling out some
card., told her (witness) to put a sixpence on one of them.
The prisoner also said the witness must hold 4s. 6d. in her
hand, and she did so. After a little, the prisoner said she
must put the money on the cards, and un her doing so, she
(the prisoner) took it, and put it into her mouth. Witness
Biked her for the money, but the prisoner said she could
not give it her back until after three o'clock, as she had to
take it to her master, Mr. Churchill, that she hod a license
to go about telling fortunes' and that she had • half
sovereign for a girl at Clapham-common, who had called a
policeman to give her into custody for imposing on her by
telling fortunes; but she presented her license to the con-
stable, who on seeing it told the girl she must be the loser
of the money. The prisoner then went away, and she saw
nothing more of her until Tuesday,. when she milled
again, and asked her fur 4s. more, saying that she wanted
that amount to make up the half sovereign for the
young woman at Clapham, and that she should
return and pay her the Ss. lid. Witness, feeling
• dread and horror at the awkward position she had placed
herself in, gave her the four shillings, but subsequently
communicated the whole of the circumstance to her muter,
and on her calling that day, at twelve o'cluck, the prisoner
was given into custody. In reply to the questions of the
magistrate, the witness said that the prisoner told her her
fortune, which was, " that a dark woman was very envious
of her;" that she must be aware of this "dark woman,"
and that she would shortly receive a letter with some
money.
Mr. Elliott remarked that there was no clam of offenders
productive of more evil than that to which the prisoner be-
longed, and committed her to the tread-mill for three
months.
Mr. Elliott yesterday received 20/., the anneal donation
of the Ovildsmiths' Company, and V. from .1. If. 11., through
Messrs. Goslings, the bankers, for the poor-box, which be
requested our reporter to acknowledge.
THAMES.

Francisco Morrell,' 0; Murray, 31, and Berth Mao
Argenti Koo, 25, seamen, the former a Roman and the
latter a Tuscan, lately belonging to the barque Alberto, of
Liverpool, Capt. John Benton, were charged with feloni-
ously assaulting with intent to murder Peter Oettand,
either a Swede or Norwegian.
Mr. Powell, barrister, appeared for the prosecution, on
behalf of the llome•office, and stated that the prisoners had
been sent here by a warrant of the consul at Quebec, where
judicial Iroccedings had been taken before a jury; but it
being found that there was no jurisdiction there, they were
sent over here in custody of a Quebec constable named
Michael Barrett.
James Colveft said—l was steward on board the Alberto,
belonging to Liverpool. I signed on the 30th of January,
1861. The prisoners were part of the crew, and so was
Peter Oettand. Oettand was an able seaman. Oa the 17th
of April, in the same year, the ship had been two days in
harbour at Mohill-bay, in the United States. One of the
men came to me aft and asked me to give him a piece of
medic to write a letter to a friend. This was at about 7
in the evening. " I said I would," and took the candle for-
ward myself. About 10 minutes after Peter Oet'and
was si.ting on the windlass end smoking a pipe. lie had
• Jim Crow hat on. I and he began talking,
and he asked if I could recommend him to a decent board-
ing house when we got te Liverpool. I said I could, and
then Argent* struck him on the forehead with an axe, in-
flicting a wound about Nix inches in breadth. It was with
the sharp end of the axe. Oettand staggered off the wind-
lass, and right against the foremast. Amend made a blow
at me ; I staggered back, and went against the wooden
mast, singing out murder, murder—Mr. Geld, Mr. Gold
(meaning the mate). I then saw Argenti standing against
the forecastle, with the ase raised, ready to strike any one
coining near him. A seaman named Wilson took the
wounded man aft. The prisoners were close together when
the blow was struck. I did not hear them speak. After it
was done Argenti went up the rigging, with the axe in his
hand, and Morrety followed. They remained aloft all
aiiht. I saw nothing in Morrety's hand. Sumo captains
belonging to other slope came on board, and tired blank
shot, but the prisoners would not ease down. We kept
sentry on them all night, and the next arnening there was
a knife thrown down which I had lent to the sate, who
',Womb lost it to Matey. The remise eattor thin