The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-09 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

GUILDHALL.

°tome Nash, a middie-aged man, wu charged with as-
saulting the complainant by attempting to garotte her on
Snow-hill.

Emma Munroe said she was a milliner, and lived at 44,
GiOord-street, Kioplaml-road. She was returning home
shortly after 12 o'clock on Saturday night last, when she
saw the prisoner approaching her on Snow-hill, and as soon
as he got within reach of her he grasped her by the throat.
She knocked his arm away, and as he was attempting to
seize her a second time she raised her umbrella and threa-
tened to strike him, and at the same time called out for
assistance. A great many persons collected round her, and
a policeman coming up she gave the prisoner into custody.
When she first saw him he bad his hat drawn down close
over his eyes, and he was quite alone. He did not attempt
to take anything from bar, although she believed he in-
tended to rob her.
Alderman Begley asked her if she had been previously
alarmed with the wetting stories that were so freely circu-
lated just now ?
Witness said—Not at all

Alderman Begley asked her if she were quite sure that
the Kinnear came tip and deliberately scized her by the
throat ?

id Ape's std she was.
Police-constable, 240, said the prisoner woe slightly the
wone for liquor when be took him into custody. He told
him the charge, and lie said, " be —if 1 know
what to say to it." He bad since made in.,uiries, and
learnt that the prisoner was a tailor and bore a very good
character.
Alderman Bailey salmi if any weapons bad been found
upon the prisoper?
The officer said he found a thimble and a pair of scissors.
(Laughter.)
The prisoner said be was rolling about drunk, and when
near the witness he slipped, and it was in falling that his
hand had come in contact with her face. She walked on a
few pares, and then threatened to break his head with Ler
umbrella.
Alderman Begley said if @belied broken his head it would
only have been a fair retaliation. It there had been the
slightest evidence of an attempt even at a garotte robbery
he should have committed the prisoner for trial without
the least hesitation. Under the circumstances, he com-
mitted the prisoner to the House of Correction for 21 days
with hard labour.
Mr. Hamilton, the chief of the City detective depart.
meet, said he was anxious to make a few remarks upon the
subject of garotting, which was at present exciting the
public mind to such an alarming extent. A great many
alleged garotte robberies had been reported in the news-
papers, and described as having occurred in the City of
Loodon, in consequence of which he had caused in-
quiries to be made into several of the moat seri.
ono cases, and found that they were wholly untrue. When i
such fictitious cases as those he referred to were got up, it
not only excited and alarmed the public, but it misled the
police, whose attention wax thereby diverted perhaps from
the actual points of danger. He had also inquired at the
',capitals, and found from the report of the medical gentle-
men there that they had not had a single case of garotting
in the City brought under their notice. He had also pushed
his inquiries, with the view to ascertain the author of those
sensational paragraphs, and had succeeded in obtaining his
name ; and he had no hesitation in saying that, if he were
prosecuted, there would be a very strong cue against
him for obtaining money of the proprietors of news-
papers under false pretences. These false reports had
I caused the police of the City much trouble and loss of
valuable time to no purpose, and be. therefore, felt it to bollix
duty to make this statement publicly, in order that the pub-
lic gcnendiy might know that the insecurity of the metro-
polis was not so great as these frequently concocted "ga-
rotte" cases would lead them to suppose.

Alderman Begley said Mr. Hamilton was quite right. The
public mind had been unneoesearily excited. lie wu glad
Mr. Hamilton had suited this very satisfactory result of hie
inquiries, u it would tend to allay the excitement now agi•
toting the public mind.