The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-05 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, IgL2.

Raw intelligence,

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.-SATURDAT.
Ihrua• M.. C.ohimiwiwita Nemo era.
Ix Till MATTER Or Tllo,l\ll EuRAIIALL.—RIKNILIVINEI

141/TB.

This ismolvent, a re-m.. 0 61m surgeon, applied to be dis-
charged from prison. Mr. Cooke supported. It appeared
that the insolvent had appeared before in this court, and
had been a bankrupt. present insolvency was stated
on the proceedings to hove occurred by his bring "foolish"
enough to renew 160010 debts under his bankruptey.
. klr. Commission, r Phillips took the present opportunity

strongly to condemn the system of renewing debts. If per
sons could pay their former debts they could do so, but it
was extremely improper to renew particular debts, as had
been done in this ease. Ile saw that the present was the
Uth prececiling in this court and the Court of Bankruptcy.
Ho could not see what cause the insolvent had to apply to
either count, seeing, as lie did, that he had an excellent
psehissisa, making, as appeared from his schedule, as nub,
Hint Mt yam
lb. Ceske mentioned the circumstances under which he
sewswed two bankruptcy debts.
Mr. Commissioner l'hillips refetred to the several failures
at this court and in bankruptcy, leaving a large amount of
debt still owing, and in this schedule the debts were stated'
at CO'. The insolvent had eani:iilly admitted on his pro-
moting. that he had been " foolish " enough to renew
disks, and he hoped he suit others would abstain from such
• system.
Xt. Cooke remarked in reference to the former failures
last they were repetitions of debts—others were renewed.
Mr. Cosimainsioner l'hillips could nut too strongly repro-
bate seek a system, and after this insolvency if the 111,01-
vent renewed debts he might find himself in a different
position. He was not opposed and would be discharged.
Let men pay their debts if they could but not renew them.
Mr. Cooke impressed upon the insolvent the fully of
renewing debts.
His Honour again urged upon him to abstain from such
things as a warning to others. He was discharged.

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Jana Rushton, Tyosiii—niari. of respectable connexions,
was brought up for further examination, upon the charge
of having stolen 36 yards of mannelin de laine, the pro-
perty of Messrs. lelkin and Co., calico printers, of Old
Change. The statement made against the prisoner upon
the first examination was briefly as follows:
Knight, • policeman of the City force, had seen the
prisoner walk from Cheapside into a dark part of Bow-
churchyard on Wednesday evening, and adjust something
unix, his coat. The prisoner, upon being questioned by
the officer, produced a piece of mousselin de laine,eind said
he had received it in Tottenham Court-road from • gentle-
man, in payment of a debt for cigars. The officer, how-
ever, did not believe the account, and upon inquiry found
that the property had been taken from blessn. Fclkin's
warehouse, which the prisoner had visited on the same
evening for the purpose of seeing a gentleman who was
engagol upon the establishment.
Mr. Elliot Snow, wanhouseman to Meier-. Felkin and
Co., said—l know the prisoner. Ile called at the ware-
house on Wednesday evening last to see me, as a friend.
lie made no When
of me. I did not intrust him with
any goods. When goods are sold it is always the custom
to enter them in a book. I think the prisoner came in at
about half-past five o'clock, and remained half no hour. I
was in his company the whole of the time. I know the
Roods produced. They are kept in • different department
from the in which lem employed. Ile followed me
down stairs through that department, and had a great coat
on at the time.

In answer to Mr. Turner, the solicitor for the prisoner,
the witness said—l have known the prisoner many years,
and his family also. Ile is very highly and respectably
connected. I have known him since he was a boy, and I
never beard a word against him in my life up to Thursday
hot. I did not suspect him in the le.ist degree. We went
together to a coffee-house to have some tea, and I left him
in the coffee-house at about half-yast six o'clock. lie mani-
fested no desire to get away.
Mr. Johnson—l am employed in the same house. I
have not found any entry in the sale-book of the sale of the
moumelin de laine. It is worth about 275.

The pri.oner—l did Like the article, but I had no idea of
stealing. I intend, dto pay (or it this day, and the reason
I told the officer what was not the fact was, that I did not
wish to get Mr. Snow into any trouble. I was at the time
under the influence of drink.

Mr. Turner—My lord, I have hero ia attendance a
number of gentlemen of the highest respectability, who
have known the prisoner from his childhood, and do nut be-
lieve it possible that he could for • moment have con-
templated plunder in taking this piece of goods. If the taking
I arose from a juke, or any lolly of that kind, it could not be
Mall to amount to a larceny. All who knew the prisoner
believed him to be wholly incapable of any serious inten-
tion of committing such an offence; but he certainly was
guilty of extreme fully in making the false representations
to the officer.
_ _ _

Sevcr.il gentlemen stood forward and said they had been
surprised and shocked at seeing the report of the transac
tion, and that they believed the primner to he wholly inca-
pable of any intention to commit the offence imputed
to him.

Thu Lord Mayor-1 shall remand the prisoner for a rim
days, and 1 will go through the whole of the evidence is
the meantime with particular care.
The primmer was remanded.
BOW-STREET.
Felix Somme/ Alen, residing at Peckham, au charged
with assaulting May, a congsble connected with Covent-
garden-market, on the morning of Wednesday, the 31st of
December hilt.

Mm. Catherine Welsh, a decent-looking widow, fully
oorrobora:ed the complaitimit'a et iilenee, and stated that in
answer to the secant application the defendant, before he
commenced the attack, threaten, to throw them both
down stairs nohow they instantly quitted the preiniuw.
The defendant declared that the statement of the two
women was a gr..s exaggeration of what actually t,ok
place, and that the complainant, after using the most io-
sulting and opprobrious epithets towards him, although he
repeatedly informed her that the stewards of the society
were the proper persons to apply to, conducted herself with
such outrageous violence that he was compelled to order
her expulsion, but he did not hinted( at all lay hand,upon
her, and the charge of assault was wholly without founda-
tion.

Mr. F einem Newton, one of the stewarde and a witness
named Thorne' Partridge, were then examined on behalf of
the defendant, and both of them deposed to the abusive
language and violent demeanour of the complainant, and
added that, although the defendant certainly intimated to
the complainant big belief that she was not a married woe
mall, they did not hear hint assail her with the scandalous
epithets attributed to him, end that ho did not personally
interfere in her expulsion, our commit any assault upon
her whatever.

Edward May stated that a little after two o'clock on
Wednesday morning last he was on duty in Covent-garden-
market, when be saw the defendant standing there. He
went up to him, and a little girl, whom he had not before
seen, ran away. lie then asked him how he could behave
so indecently towanls a little girl ? The defendant imme-
diately struck him several violent blows in the face, which
caused his nose to bleed, and blackened his eyes. lie then
ran away. Witnrie tursued him, and he wu stopped by a
policeman in King-street, to whom he gave him into cus-
tody. Upon their arrival at the station the inspector re-
fused to take the charge, stating as a teases that witness
was drunk.

In answer to a question from Mr. Jardine, the com-
plainant said he was not drunk, but was very unwell. He
had lost a great deal of blood, and was very weak, which
might have led the inspector to suppose that he was drank.
Aden, another constable in the market, said that he left
the last witueu on duty at about twe o'clock on Wednes-
dye morning. lie was then, in his opinion, perfectly

lie defendant said that on the night in question he had
been to the Adelphi Theatre, and afterwards to Evans's
Hotel, Covent-garden, to supper. At about two i'clock
in the morning he was on his way home, and when in
the market some ragged girls ran after him, asking for
coppers. lie was about giving them some, when the
complainant May, who was very drunk at the time,
came no and struck him in the chest. He immediately
knocked hint down, and not wishing to have any fuse
with the police be ran away. The complainant was at
the time calling out for the police. lie met Constable F
22 in King-street, anal was then given into custody by
May, who on the way to the station abused and struck
him several times.

Constable I, t 2 said that on Wednesday morning he
was on duty in King-street, and met the defendant. It.
stopped him, as he heard the cry of robes !" and the
complainant came reeling up very drunk, and gave Mr.
Allen into custody. lie took him to the station, and on
the way thither May kept on abusing the defendant.
The inspector refused to take the charge on account of
the complainant's drunkenness.
Inspector Wilkinson said he was on duty when the de-
fendant was brought to the station. May was very drunk,
and as there was no other witness of the assault he refused
to take the charge.
Mr. Jardine said it was clear that the complainant was
drunk, and therefore his evidence was useless. The de-
fendant had given a very natural account of the transaction,
and he believed his version to be correct. If the constable
had been attending to his duty, instead of getting drunk,
he would have kept the girls referred to out of the market.
The summons was dismissed.
Mr. Allen asked what steps he had better take to vindi-
cate his character ?

JitritinTri7;id ho did not think it was worth his while
to take any steps, as nothing .t ali had transpired which in
any way idiecural his resteTtisility. Hu had, however,
better take a certifieste of the lIIMMOid having been dis-
missed, as an action might be brought against him for the
assault.

Mr. Ilaminill, however, said that, after attentively con-
sidering the evidence, he was clearly of opinion that the
charge had been fully totablisheil, and ordered the de-
fendant to pay a penalty of 61., or to be committed for two
months to the Howse of Correction. The defendant ex-
pressed hie intention to appeal against the conviction, but
immediately paid the penalty, and left the court with his
friends. _ _

WORSIIIP-STBSET.
Timothy Coleman Johnson, formerly it is said, a Chan-
cery barrister, but at present the landlOrd of a public-house
called the Mulberry free, in Long-alley, Shunulitch, ap-
peared to a luminous, charged with en unprovoked and
violent assault upon a young woman named Catherine
Pretty, the wife of a journeyman shoemaker.
The complainant, a respectable looking young person,
whose face was much disfigured with marks of recent vio-
lence, stated that the defendant was secretary and treasurer
to a Birmingham benefit society, which was held at his
house, and oi which her husband for a long time past had
been a member. According to the rules of the society, a
general division of the surplus stock took place at the cline
of the year fur the benefit of the members, and her husband,
who WWI in very distressed circumstances, and unable him-
self to leave home, in consequence of severe illness, requested
her to proceed on Christmas-eve to the defendant's house,
for the I payment, amounting to 125., to which he was
entitled. The defendant, however, declined on that oeca•
sion to enter into the subject, and she accordingly called
again on the following evening, and on renewing her appli-
cation to Mr. Johnson, who was seated with several other
persons in the club-room, and acquainting him with the
helpless and destitute condition of her husband, which had
obliged her to dispposee of all her valuables for their
joint support, he addressed her in the coarsest language,
and positively refused to pay her any money, assigning, as
his reason, that so far from being the wife of the claimant,
she was r.othing more than his mistress. Ile then advanced
towimle her, and seising hoe by the shoulders, forcibly
thrust her out of the rem, but she returned in • abort
diet, accompanied by a fete& friend; and on again de-
manding her Mishantilt assity, the defendant, after mantl-
ing bac with Me moat oppeoltelana apith Sbnak her
Mond blow OS On his, as waft if whits wan still
Webb, will& be Mend_ st by a vides* Mow ea her
bu Me sift ef TIM sis liat bias ever lime
is s.s lkollaksames Nos.&