The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-03 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.-FEB. 2.

lEOlli XL

IN 13 111 UT. 10111 T JOHN NON..
This insolvent, the chaplain of the Royal Free Hospital,
Gray's•inn-lane, whose ease has been before repotted, again
appeared on his petition to be discharged.
On the former occasion, Mr. Macrae opposed for the City
of London Insurance Company, ;and an adjournment took
place to settle the opposition, the insolvent being snowed
to remain on bail. Mr. Bagley also appeared for a Mr.
King, and bad not gone into his case.
Mr. Meuse now informed the court he did not further
oppose. Mr. Bagley was in attendance to proceed with his
opposition.
Mr. Bargeod asked for a further adjournment to Tuesday,
when it was confidently expected that the opposition would
be withdrawn:
Mr. Bagley yielded to the application.
Mr. Commissioner Murphy expressed a hope that the
matter would then be settled. It would be painful to go
into the case, and if the opposition was withdrawn, there
would be an end to the case.
Adjourned to Tuesday and bail enlarged.

THE POLICE COUBTS.
BOW-STREET.
Thomas &mold!, a well-dressed youth, was charged with
obtaining possession of a number of gold chains, watches,
studs, and other valuable property, by means of Mu
pretences.
The prisoner had been, until nasally, an assistant in the
shop of Mews. Thresher and Glenny, outfitter., In the
Strand. About three weeks ego he celled upon Mr. Yugo,
watchmaker, of the Strand, and represented that he had
been sent by Mr. Glassy for • gold watch and chain, one
or two samples of both being required for inspection. A
gold watch, worth 161., and some chains, were entrusted to
the prisoner to take to his employer, but he did not return
with them, and enhoespent inquiries lad to the discovery
that a fraud had been committed. In the same manna
the prisoner obtained other articles of equal value from Mr.
Whistler (of the firm of Edwards and Whistler), and other
goldsmiths in the Strand, who, beingthe neighbours of the
prisoner's employer, had no suspicion that the representa-
tions made to them were false. It was stated that several
additional eases could be established against the prisoner,
but the above two only were selected for prosecution.
W. Pocock, of the F division of police, deposed to hay*,
apprehended the prisoner, and stated that some of the
articles had boon given to a young girl nunodAllen, bywhent
they had been pledged at different pawnbrokers', and who
was called as a witness to prove the fact.
Mr. Humphreys, jun., who attended for the prisons',
stated that the young man had evidently been led into
evil by improper associates. Ho had since enlisted into
the Lancers, and was actually in her Majesty's strides at
the present moment. Under these circumstances he trusted
that the magistrate would allow the prosecution to be with-
drawn, in order that the ptiaoner might proceed at eine
with his regiment to the Crimes, where, it woo hoped, he
would make ample atonement for the put. The proseta-
ton bad all assented to this course being adopted if his
worship should be pleased to sanction it also.
Mr. Jardine said he could not concur in such • proposi-
tion. If it went forth that &young man, after fraudulently
obtaining a great quantity of valuable property, had only to
enlist as a soldier to escape the consequences of his crime,
he feared it would be attended with a very bad effect upon
morals at home, without being particularly aivantageous,
except in a numerical point of view, to the forces abroad.
It was a kind of precedent which he should be very sorry
to establish; and, therefore, the prosecution must take its
The witnesses were then bound over in the usual form,
and the prisoner was committed for trial.
The following imposition, practised by an omnibus
conductor, was brought under the attention of the court:
Dr. Thorpe, of Cheltenham, stated that he rode in an
omnibus from the Bank to King's-cross, and while sitting
inside he noticed that the conductor (John Brand) had two
numbers on his badge. On the side exhibited to the public
the lumber was 2,612; but once or twice, when the man
was Jumping up and down, the badge got slightly 'hilted,
Yd then he could distinctly see, on the inverse aide, the
mamba 2,517. Oa reaching King's-cross he gave the con-
doner a shilling, and expected to receive sixpence change ;
bat the man said the fare had been doubled, " owing to
the state of the roads" (the modern excuse for exacting
double fares from the public on every slight occasion). The
charge was not disputed, but he (Dr. Thorpe) asked the
conductor to show his badge. He exhibited the No. 2,612,
upon which he was requested to show the other side. He
shuffled it about, said something. extremely uncivil, and
' then turned up the same *id, again. Witness persevered,
and said the number on the other side was 2,617 ; upon
which the conductor expressed his Indignation at such a
charge, and while abusing witness deliberately shifted a
plate from the surface of the badge, and threw it into the
road, where it was picked up by another omnibus man.
He (Dr. Thorpe) consequently reported this circumstance
at Scotland-yard, and the summons was taken out.
The charge was denied by the conductor, who, however,
was fined 205., or 14 days.
The fine was paid.
an CLERKEN WELL.

Robert Mounteney was charged with embezzling various
sums of money amounting to between 1501. and 200/.,
the property of Lis employers, the Grand Junction Canal
Company.
The prisoner, under advice, reserved his defence, and was
committed for trial.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Samuel Plains" a cab-driver, in the employ of John
Borrow, cab proprietor. was summoned before Mr. Hard-
wick, by Mr. H. R. Forster, superintendent of the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for
cruelly ill-treating a horse by driving it in an unfit condition.
Smith, an officer belonging to the society, said—On the
10th of January last he saw a horse standing in a cab in
Tottenham-court-road, of which defendant is the driver.
From the bare condition of the horse he was induced to
examine it, and on the near fetlock joint he found a deep
wound two inches in diameter, from which blood and matter
were flowing. Witness asked him why he worked the horse
in that state, when he replied that he had done all he could
to beat it, and had fomented it with warm water several

times.
Harwood, the attendant at the cab•atand, eorrobor
the evidence of lut wanes/.
Fined 20s. and costa.
James Spicer, in the employ of the same proprietor.
fined 235. and costa for the like offence.

John Borrow, the employer of the above two men,
was nest fined 40s. and costa for allowing his men to
work his horses, he well knowing them to be in an unfit

condition.
Mr. Hardwick commended the society for their exertions
in putting a stop to such cruel and brutal offences which; be
was happy to say, appeared to be oa the decrease.

SOUTHWARK.

John Martin, a well known pugilist, was brought before
Mr. Combe, charged with creating a disturbance in the
Equestrian Timm neat the Surrey Theatre, and assaulting
Mr. William Harris, the landlord.

...... .. . ,
Mr. Harris stated that he saw prisoner very troublesome
in front of the bar the previous nght,wbile persons werewait-
ing to be served with refreshments,and perceiving that hewn
doing all he could to break down &partition, he requested
him civilly to desist. He refused to do so, and became more
violent, when witness went round and ejected him from the
house. However, the prisoner went round and entered
another door, when he went towards him to put him out,
and in doing so he assailed hiss. He then gave him into
custody.
Mr. Combe ordered defendant to enter into recognisances
to keep the peace for three months.
THAMES.

Mr. Charles Clarice, the landlord of the Royal Oak
public house, Plummen-row, Whitechapel, was charged
with having his house open for the sale of beer and spirituous
liquors after the hour of 10 o'clock on the night of Sunday
the 28th of January.
Police Sergeant No. 16 H said that at half-put 10 o'clock
on Sunday night last he was passing the defendant's house
when he heard voices within, and upon knocking was ad-
mitted, when he saw seven persons of both sexes in front of
the bar. Directly afterwards six men came out of the tap-
room, and upon catering the parlour he saw 10 men. They
were all, with one exception, smoking, and there were
glasses containing spirits and water and malt liquor before
them. The defendant said he had served nothing since 10
o'clock, and that his customers were only finishing what
they called for before that time.
Mr. Clarke said he would admit the facts stated by the
police-constable, and he would beg the magistrate's atten-
tion for a few momenta to what he considered a great hard-
ship. Since the parsing of the act for closing public-houses
at 10 o'clock on Sunday night, he had been twine sum-
moned for alleged infractions of the law; and the magistrate
he had now the honour of addressing had dismissed both
summonses as trumpery, and on the last occasion censured
the police for over-officiousness. After the second summons
was dismissed, continued Mr. Clarke, I wu going out with
my son one Sunday morning, for the purpose of attending
divine service, when two police constable, in disguise asked
if there was any person in the house. I said there was not,
and that nothing was ever supplied to any one before 1
o'clock in the afternoon. The police constables would nJt
believe me, and searched every room in the house, not even
excepting the bedrooms, which were thoroughly ransacked.
Sian then I have been subject to continual annoyance, and
I am constantly watched by the police.
Mr. Yardley said it struck him before the defendant's
house was a well-conducted one, and that Mr. Clarke was a
respectable man. If that was se, such extreme watchful-
ness was calculated to do harm rather then good. He often
found that tavern-keepers could not get out their customers
at ten o'clock et night, although they used every effort to do
so. When there was • trifling transgression of the law,
and • publican was summoned every time for it the law
became persecution, and was rendered odious to the com-
munity.
Inspector Barry—l was not before aware this gentleman
was persecuted in the way be has described.
Mr. Yardley—Now that Mr. Clarke has celled the cir-
eunastanees to my mind I think it would have beta much
better Ribs summons had not been taken out. The de-
fendant is a respectable man, and does all he can ts comply
with the law. The police might think it a stigma upon
them that the former summonses were dismissed. Police-
contables too often considered it a matter of reproach if
they did not obtain a conviction, and it was a very foolish
thing. If you know Mr. Clarke to he a person willing to
comply with the law, and who conducts his house re-
spectably, it looks like persecution to be constantly summon-
ing him for trifling infractions of the law. I recommend
the withdrawal of the summons.
The summons was then withdrawn.