The Press.
London, England, 1856-10-18 00:00:00

Sab3 anb Volta.

MR. Ronson, the Crystal Palace clerk, was fully
committed for trial on Monday by Mr. Elliott at
Lambeth Police-court on a charge of stealing eight
preferential shares of the company.
A ROBBERY OF PICTURES from the Earl of Suffolk's
gallery at Charlton park, Wiltshire, was effected yester-
day night week. The thieves contrived to obtain ad-
mission to the picture gallery, and adroitly took from
their frames some valuable paintings by Leonardo
da Vinci, Gaspar Poussin, Anibali Caracci, Guido,
and Vandervelde.

SATURDAY,

A CASE OF PUGILISM ON THE BENCH is related by
the Manchester Examiner this week. The three
magistrates at the Hastingden Petty Sessions were
granting publicans' licences. Two out of the three
opposed a certain licence, and on the resistance of
the third made an unkind reference to that gentle.
man having married the barmaid. A blow across the
face followed the remark, and a regular fight ensued
in court. The barmaid's man, however, won the day,
for he punished his adversaries so severely that one
of them was carried fainting out of court.
A LivERPOOL BARBER, one Willetts, who had been
long separated from his wife, came into her shop in
Tarleton-street last Saturday night, and seizing her
round the neck, deliberately cut her throat. A cus-
tomer in the shop attempted. to rescue her, when
Willetts endeavoured to treat him in the same man.
Der, and severely cut him in the throat and chest.
The ruffian was at length secured by the police. The
man and woman are recovering.
AN ATTEMPT TO POISON FOUR WITNESSES upon a
trial of robbery to be tried before the Worcester
Quarter Sessions occurred at Worcester on Tuesday.
The four witnesses were invited by one of the pri-
soners out on bail to drink with him at a neighbour-
ing public•house. The rascal, one Tipper, a cab-
man, had previously sent a confederate to buy 45
grains of opium. The purchase was made, and ap-
pear; to have been cleverly put into the quart of beer
offered to the witnesses. Three of them drank a
good draft, the fourth not liking the bitter taste de-
clared something had been put into the beer. A
discussion ensued, the sudden illness of the three
drinkers excited suspicion, medical assistance was at
once sent for, inquiry was made, the purchase of the
opium traced, and the affair resulted in the arrest
of Tipper and his confederate, and their immediate
committal to prison.
THE DISPUTED ADJUDICATION OF THE ROYAL
BRITISH BANK will be heard at the Court of Bank-
ruptcy on Monday. Mr. Commissioner Ooulburn
has expressed an opinion that Bankruptcy and Chan-
cery proceedings may be simultaneously carried on.
The summons against the Chancery manager has
been dismissed. An injunction against bankruptcy
proceedings has been granted by the Court of
Chancery.

LODGING-HOUSE LANDLADIES are by nature of
a suspicious temperament. A Mr. Wright, lodging
in Albany-street, Regent's-park, was about to
leave his lodgings last Monday, up to that
moment not having paid his rent. His landlady,
fearing to be wronged, pounced out upon him as
be came down stairs, and stopped him trunk in hand.
Mr. Wright, being f an irascible temper, dropped
the trunk on her toes, pushed her down, and tore
some hair out of her head. A scene ensued, and
Mr. Wright was ultimately carried off to the Maryle-
bone police-station. Mr. Long, satisfied of the seve-
rity of the assault, sentenced Mr. Wright to three
months' imprisonment. This was afterwards com-
muted to a fine of 201.

THE RAILWAY STATION-MASTER AT SWANSEA, Mr.
Edward Hancorn, has been found guilty of " Man-
slaughter" by a coroner's jury with reference to the
death of Allen, an engineer, through a collision of
two cattle-trains last week. Mr. Hancorn has made
his escape from the town.
EXTORTIONATE ACTS OF LOW ATTORNIES, who prac-
tise in or hang about the purlieus of police-courts,
are well known to occur frequently. Now and then
they are made public by some indignant dupe. On
Tuesday such a case wa3 brought before the notice
of Mr. Elliott, at Lambeth. A middle-aged woman
stated that in May last her son had been convicted
of robbery, and sentenced to six years' penal servi-
tude. Some time after, a Mr. Neale, an attorney
of that court, undertook to prepare a memorial
to the Secretary of State on behalf of her son, which
he said woutd get him off at the end of six, or at
most at the termination of twelve, months' im-
prisonment, and for this Mr. Neale charged her
21., though, from that time to the present, l►e had
not moved one step in the matter. Mr. Neale ad-
mitted the truth of this statement, but stated in
excuse for the delay, that the depositions in the
case bad been lost; when supplied with the neces-
sary information, he should perform his promise.
The following conversation then ensued :
Applicant : I don't wish you to do anything in the mat-
ter. You have done nothing, and, therefore, I want my
two pounds back.
Mr. NEALE : Then you can't have it. Do you think I
am to have all my trouble for nothing? I can't do busi-
ness in that way.
Mr. Eworr : You cannot charge for that which you
have not done. It is perfectly scandalous the manner in
which these people are plundered by such proceedings as
one scarcely ever beard of. I cannot conceive why this
poor woman should have been charged two pounds for
merely drawing up a memorial or petition to the S.•cretary
of State.

Mr. NEALE : Your worship is not aware of the trouble.
Mr. ELLIOTT : What trouble?

Mr. NEALE : Well, there is going round to the jurors
who tried the case, for instance, to get their names to the
memorial.

Ac onEn 18, 1856.

Mr. Eta.torx : I should be glad to know on what
grounds you could expect a commutation of punishment ;
for, as far as I recollect, when the case was before me, the
charge against the pritioner was perfectly clear; and, be.
sides that, there was a former conviction.

Mr. NEALE : Well, sir, I understood there were strong
grounds for a reduction of punishment ; and one, for in-
stance, was that the officer gave his evidence as if the
prisoner had been sentenced to transportation.
The Applicant : The officer did no such thing ; he only
sa'd he was summarily convicted, and got three months ;
and this shows that you did not give yourself any trouble
about him. _ _

Mr. ELLIOTT : I do not see that there was the slightest
use in memorialising the Secretary of State, and you have
not shown any grounds for doing so ; and I think that
taking money from poor people under such circumstances
is not only most improper, but amounts to positive dis-
honesty. I think you should return the 21.

Mr. Neale upon this offered to return a portion of
the money paid. The applicant., however, after borne
hours delay, got nothing; and, by Mr. Elliott's ad-
vice, proceeded to take out a summons for the
county court.
A HORRIBLE CASE OF CHILD POISONING has oc-
curred at Runcorn, near Liverpool. A pedlar and
his wife, Thomas and Elizabeth Brennan, have been
fully committed on a charge of " Wilful murder "
for poisoning their daughter with sulphuric acid.
The evidence was to the effec►. that the mother had
deliberately held the child (a girl of nine years of
age) across her knee and administered about 40
drops of sulphuric acid.
A TRAVELLING HAWKER, one Jeremiah Milnes, was
found murdered on the road on Tuesday night,
within two miles of Bradford, Leeds. The police are
on the track of the murderer.

A JOURNEYMAN CARPENTER, one Gaylor of Hack-
ney, gave his wife, by her own request, on Tuesday
night, 2oz. of sulphate of potash to procure abortion.
In twenty four hours the woman died. A post-
mortem examination has been ordered by the coroner,
and the husband arrested on a charge of murder.

PICKPOCKETS AND THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH do
not harmonise well together. A good story is told
this week of a couple of the fraternity who started
from Birmingham to operate in the West of Eng-
land. Before they arrived at Bristol, a telegraphic
message, stating that they were in the train, was
received by the Bristol police authorities ; and on
their arrival at the station they were watched, and
were seen to take tickets for Exeter. They were
pointed out to the guard, and on taking their places,
he warned the passengers in the same train against
them, whereupon the whole of the persons in the
carriage took up their carpet bags and went into
another, leaving the two thieves by themselves. On
the arrival of the train at every station, the guard
significantly said to the passengers about to enter,
"You can go in if you please, but these two men are
notorious thieves," upon which, of course, they de-
clined to ride in their company. On arriving at
Exeter, the guard informed the superintendent, who
put a railway policeman to watch them, be himself
communicating the fact to the Exeter police-station.
The men were soon found in bed at a respectable
inn in Exeter. They were then in company with a
third person, and on their arrival at the inn they
bad tea, and ordered breakfast in the morning, as
they were going on by an early train to Barnstaple
fair. The officers took the liberty to visit them in
their bedroom, whereat they expressed themselves
highly indignant, and threatened legal proceedings.
All three were taken to the station house, where
they said, on being searched, "You won't find any-
thing to make a case against us, and, if you take us
before a magistrate, be can't give us more than
three months." Finding nothing, they were allowed
to depart, after all the police officers on duty had
examined them, with a view of keeping an eye upon
them, which they were told would be the case. They
said they should go on to Barnstaple. The inspec-
tor said, " I will go with you, and put the police
upon you." "Then we'll go on to Plymouth," they
rejoined. "If you do," said the officer, " we'll tele-
graph to say you are coming." Then they said, " It's
no use ; we'll go right hack to London," which they
accordingly did, the officer seeing them safely in the
train.