The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-31 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURT&

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MANSION-HOUSE.
Robert Smith and Masan Warner were brought before
the Lord Mayor charged under the following circumstances.
There was a remarkable fact connected with this esee.
Warner had on the day before been examined as a witness
against a person charged with having in his possession •
quantity of linen of considerable value, which had b-en
obtained from the premises of Messrs. Chaplin and Home,
of Upper Thames-street, by means of a forged order, and is
in the employment of the same extensive firm.
William Luck, 430, said—About 7 o'clock this morning,
I was in Cheapside. I saw the two prisoners standing at
the entrance of Fountain-court, in Cheapside, and I crossed
to the opposite side of tne way, and watched them. I saw
the prisoner Warner at the corner of the court. He had his
hands up against a brass plate which was fined at the corner
of the house, No. 31, Cheapaide and Fountain-court, and
the other prisoner was close to him at the same time. They
both stooped down against this gasket (producing a basket
containing a plate). In the course of a minute Warner
!Mel the basket on the head of Smith, and they walked up
beside each other to the corner of Newgate-street, and
Warner then stopped and had • cup of coffee in the street.
At that time I got the assistance of another police constable,
and we went up to Smith and asked him what he had got in
his basket, to which he replied "Nothing." Parr, the con-
stable who was with me, said " Let us look into the basket,"
and then Smith threw the basket down and ran away. Parr
followed and took hiss into custody, and I took Warner
into custody. On examining the basket I found this
brass plate and parte of three strews. The prisoners
were taken to the station house, and searched there,
and I found on Smith • screw driver and a knife, and on
Warner • tails and 9d. Smith refused to give his address.
W gave his cornet address. The prisoners bad
walked together from Fountain-court to the end of New-
gate-street. A great many robberies of this kind have been
lately committed in the neighbourhood of Cheapside.
A gentleman here stood up in court and said that he was
one of the managers of Chaplin and Horns's establishment,
and that he knew Warner to be in the employment of the
firm upwards of six years, and to be considered one of their
best men.

The prisoner Smith "aid —I saw this man (alluding
to Warner) before I was taken into custody.
H. West (427) said—l saw the prisoners together yester-
day morning at 20 minutes to seven o'clock, in the Old
Jewry. in conversation. I followed them up Cheapeide and
down King-street, as fu as I could see them. About that
time a very large plate was stolen. lam positive that they
are the persons whom I saw together.
Warner—l was not is Fountain-court, nor in Cheapen',
till I was taken into custody.
Luck (430), in answer to questions by the Lord Mayor,
said—l never lost sight of the prisoners. They were about
two or three minutes together in Fountain-court. When
I first saw them, the basket was on the ground, and I saw
both atheist stoop towards it. Afterwards they lifted up their
hands towards the brass plate. It was sufficiently light for
me to see. There is other evidence to prove that they have
been seen together Defers this day.
E. Williams (473) said—At a quarter to 7 yesterday
morning, I was clue to Gresham-street, and I saw the two
prisoners peas up Gresham-street, towards Aldersgate-
street. Smith was carrying a basket. I am certain that
Warner was the man whis was with Smith. I identify
Warner by hie dress. I thought it was fish they were
carrying. I heard of the lose of a plate soon afterwards.
W (who was stated to be extremely punctual in his
,attendance at the wharf) denied that he had been in the
neighbourhood of Cheapaide on Monday morning, and said
he had gone from his house at the west end of the town to
Hantbro' wharf, his piss of basin's, by quite • different
route on that day.
WJliam Loveday paid—l sell coffee In Newgate-street in
the morning. At six minutes to 7 o'clock this morning I
saw Warner cross over from Cbeapside to my stand, at the
corner of Newuste-street. He came up, seemed confused,
and asked me for a cup of coffee. As soon as he had got the
cup of coffee, the police constable came up and said he
wanted him. When I had served Warner with the coffee,
Smith passed me, with a basket, towards Newgate-street.
The gentleman who said he was one of the managers of
the Hamburg W had establishment, here said that Warner
was the second foreman in the concern, and that the greatest
confidence was placed in the man's integrity.
The Lord Mayor then consented, under such circum-
stances, to take bail for Warner in the sum of 801., on that
prisoner's own wearily, and two sureties to the amount of
401 each. Smith was sent to prison, and the case was re-
manded for a few days.

BOW-STREET.
Joseph liarforti, a cab driver, was sommoned before Mr.
Henry for using abusive language and refusing to show his
badge.
Mr. Christopher Freer, of 17, Gloucester-crescent, stated
that he engaged defendant's cab on the afternoon of the
23rd inst., opposite the Senior United Service Club, In Pen-
man, and was put down at Somerset-house, in the Strand—
the distance being within a mile. He tendered a two-shil-
ling piece. desiring the cabman to give him le. 6d. change ;
but he said he had only a shilling about him. Witness
procured change, and eve him sixpence, upon which the
cabman called to a crossumeweeper, and said,in an impudent
tone, " Here my boy, here's sixpence for you," at the same
time giving the lad the money. Witness asked him what
he meant by such conduct, when defendant put himself in
a threatening paeture, nod :said, "You sweep." Witness
then demanded the man's ticket, which he reluctantly de-
livered ; but on asking to see hie badge, to ascertain If the
number on the ticket corresponded with it, he utt►red an
oath, and refused to show it. Accordingly he (witness) took
the number of his cab. .

The defendant admitted that the dietanoe was probably
jut within the mile, bat be thought the gentleman might
have given him a shilling, considering the weather. He
denied that he called complainant a sweep, and with respect
to the badge, he merely said it was hanging when he
always wore it, and the gentleman might look at it if he
liked. He admitted that he offered to give the crossing-
sweeper the al:pence, bat he did not dolt.
Mr. Henry fined him 31., or a month, for wing the
abusive language, and 11., or ten days, for refusing to
show his badge, with the eats of both summonses.
The cabman was committed in default.

SOUTHWARK.

Joseph Whitt, sal iitoTteas Mwsrtsy, salesmen, in the
employ of Mr. George Winter, iron merchant, Backside,
were charged with the following artful system of robbery :
Thomas Heigh, a workmen I. the employ of Cyremin*
Herring, eatehbeilder, Westralaster-road, said his muter
I dealt with the prosecutor for iron, sad an the 12th Let. he
west to the Ina yard at Beakside, and saw the primness,

and ristested to be supplied with a certain weight of bar
iron. They put the quantity in the NOM whin Wk'Hey
asked him whether it was tor himself ? Witness replied
that it was, when they wrote something on a board and took
it to the clerk. lie saw the iron weighed, and he was sure
there was ddlbs. more than be paid the clerk for. Whitty
then followed him out and asked for hslf•a-crown, which
'karst gave him, and he treated both prisoners to a pet of
beer. On the morning of the 18th, having informed his
master what had essearred, sad, by arrangement with his
master, be on two other occasions went to the prosecutor's
iron warehouse, whoa the prisoner. acted in the same
'Lancer. On the last occasion witness gave Murray three
marked shillings, aad a constable wee then called in to take
theprisoneis lute custody.
Witness was eross-ezamined at some length by Mr. Bien.
for the prisoners, with an endeavour to show that he sated
in concert with the prisoners, but he clearly proved that
be acted under his master's orders, and with the knowledge
of the prosecutor, who marked the shillings in his presence.
The prisoners, who declined saying anything in their de-
fence, were committed for trial.

LAMBETH.
MicAnsi Readon, an engineer, who.. former examination*
one charge of neglecting his son, a boy about twelve year.
of eye, have been reported in the Daily News, again
appeared before Mr. Elliott.
Lockyer, 'one of the summoning officers, who had the
case in h►nd, said be bad no further evidence to product.
It • WIN the opinion of the prisoner's employer that the
cruelty to the child WOMB lime from the fault of defendant's
wife, the lad's stepmother, than himself.
The wife of the prisoner here stepped forward and denied
that she had been cruel to the child. He was addicted to
pilfering, and they were obliged to act somewhat rigorous'y
towards him.

The boy himself WA sworn, but gave a very different
aceount to what he had given previously.
Mr. Elliott, after expressing his conviction that the boy
had been very shamefully neglected, said that as there was
no reliance to be placed on his testimony, it would be use-
less to send the father for trial, and the case must therefor*
be dismissed.