The Express.
London, England, 1852-11-25 00:00:00

U.rm• Mn. 02X.10,11100111Z Law.
ill as riIitOELLICIL CO . .—ALLOWANCU TO
_

This isenlvent. who was remanded for Ile months, applied
for as allowance.
Mr. Cooke appeared fur him, and stated that he had •
wife and six ehildrrn.
The ems was heard by Mr. Commissioner Law, and, se
the Chief Commissioner had granted the rale, that learned
Commissioner declined to have anything to do with the
matter. It was spin referred by the Chief Commissioner
to Mr. Commissioner Law, who undertook the me.
Mr. Cooke was brad for the insolvent.
UM Miami: (Law) refused the allowaine.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.—YssminAY.

(Berea. Ma. Bums Acumen AND Ma. Jv.rice COWIDOR.)
Upon the application of Mr. Ballantine, the trial of two
defendants, named Nleigit and Owen, charged with con-
spiracy, was postponed to the next melon.
Williams Herbert Ilarriaois, 24, was indicted for stealing,
while in the service of the General Post.olfice, a letter run-
taing a cheque for 161. 3s. 64., the property of the Post-
master-General.
From the statement of the learned consul for tl-ip prose-
cution and the evidence adduced to support it, it appeared
that the prisoner kept a grour's shop in Claremont.
place, Brixton-road, which was also a reeeieing.hotun
for pod letters, and on the 13th of October, be-
fore three o'clock in the afternoon, the servant
of Dr. Cronin, a physician, residing near to the
prisoner, posted the letter in question at the prisoner's
shop. ln due course this letter should have been dospatehed
in the bag that was made up at 3 o'clock, and ought to have
arrived at the General Post.office at half-peat 4, but it did
not COMO to hand ; and before 5 o'clock the cheque was
presented at Messrs. Drummond'', where it was payable,
and was changed for two 51. notes, one numbered 70,9119
and the other 26,631, and gold. It seemed that it is the
custom at Messrs. Drummonds' to inquire the name of the
parties by whom cheques are presented ; and it appeared
that upon this occasion the parte who presented the cheque
gave the name of Harrison. The loss of the letter and
the cheque was of course speedily discovered, and, upon
inquiries being made by Peake, the Post-office constable,
he ascertained that on the 13th October, the very day on
which the cheque was stolen, about six in the evening, the
prisoner had paid away the note, numbered 70,989, which
sou one of those given in exchange for it et the bank to a
tradesman at Camberwell named Dawson. The prisoner
upon this was questioned by Mr. Peacock the solicitor to
the Post office, and he admitted that he had changed the
note, but denied all knowledge of the manner in which the
cheque had been stolen. The prisoner was allowed to de-
part upon this occasion, and a day o two afterwards it was
ascertained that on the 14th of October the prisoner had
changed the second five-pound note at the Grove public-
house at Camberwell, and upon this the prisoner was taken
into custody. There was the remarkable circumstance in
connection with the transaction, that, in addition to the fact
of the name of the prisoner having been given at the bank,
it appeared that he was well known to both the trad, stun
to whom he applied to change the sates, and hie name and
address were upon both of them, so that of conies it became
quite apparent immediately that they had passed through
his bands. When the prisoner was questioned a second
time at the Poet.office, he at once admitted that he had
changed the notes ; and when he was before the magistrate
he made a statement to the effect that the cheque was
never in his possession, and that ho should be able to give
clear evidence how he became possessed of the two notes.
Mr. Ballantine addressed the jury for the defence with
very con.iderable warmth and eamestnees, and he con-
tended that the circumstance of this prisoner's changing
the notes at the shops of people who knew hint perfectly
well, and giving his real name at the bank, supposing
even that he really was the person who presented the
cheque, showed that he was an innocent spat la the
transaction, and that he had been made a dupe by the person
who had actually stolen the cheque, and who desired
to cast suspicion upon the prisoner, which he knew
might very easily be effected by reason of the latter
having been posted at his shop, and his comae:jou with the
Post.othee. He then proceeded to comment upon the ab-
sence of the person who had conveyed the bag of letters
from the prisoner's shop to the General Postm, and he
urged at considerable length the possibility that the letter
might have been stolen by this person.
31r. Clarkson here interposed, and ands semi observa-
tions apparently to the effect that this person was in attend-
ance, but as there had been no cress-examination upon the
point he considered It una to call
Mr. Baron Alderson observed t tit appeared to him the
learned counsel for the prisoner was not justified in sham-
ing the person referred to with having committed the
crime, wheel he intimated no intention to produce evidence
to support his allegation, and there did not appear to be
anything In the ease to warrant it.
hlr. Ballantine, with a pod deal of warmth, insisted upon
his right to purses the coarse he had taken, and said that
the lesrned pap must he aware that in commenting on
behalf of a prisoner upon the abeam* of a witness he was
justified in suggesting the possibility of the offence having
been committed by that party, and that he ought not to be
charged with desiring to fix the crime upon an innocent
person under each circumstances. lie was mending,

___,
Mr. Justice Coleridge addressed the leaned counsel, and
asked him whether he thought be wee deg say either
to the prisoner or himself by the course be ma . I
Mr. balloonist said he was obliged Se hit for
ap
the intimation he had given to It* and be the lIIIIIiin in
which it had been conveyed, and be moat may my this in
addition to what he had already urged Ipso the attention
of the jury, that under the wake eirsemisaces of 1
this case the counsel for the pemosetke augje to have
given them some evidence that the Matt sees net *Me in
the transit of the bag between the phew% shit eel the
General Post•ofilce. The leaned memeell thee peeessded
to comment upon the fact of aces Mein bum elhabed for
the cheque, when it would have beam etre* emy bobtails
gold ; and he said that if the psis -mitt woe the peas
eon who etole the letter, be erase hew bees a maim te
have gone to places where he wee well known to get them
changed, when he cou!d have done so with perftt readi-
ness at a hundred other places, sad whets be most be per-
fectly well aware that by the cows* he did , imme-
diate inquiry and detection must he the
Several very respectable witnesses were waled to :speak
to the prisoner's eharacter, and they all embalmed la stating
that he was always looked upon as a very Memorable re-
spectable young man, and that he had borne this character
' ever since the termination of his apprentieedip and the
period he had been in business for himself.
Mr. Baron Alderson, in summing up the cues, mil that
the defence which was made on behalf of the primmer, if
it were a true one, involved a meet extraordinary complica-
tion of villainy, and it was for the jury to say whether it
was reasonable, and one which they ought to give effect to.
It was perfectly clear that the letter containing the cheque
was posted about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and between 4
and 6 the cheque wee presented at the bank, and at 8
o'clock one of the notes was proved to have been in the
resection of the prisoner, and to have been changed by
him ; so that if the defence set up for him bad any founda-
tion, the jury were called upon to suppose that the thief had
gone to the bank and changed the cheque, and then that
he posted back to the prisoner's shop, and by. some
device passed the notes to the hand of the prisoner,
who almost immediately afterwards was found to be
changing one of them. If the jury thought this
was reasonable, they would say that the prisoner was
not g,:i!ty, but if on the other hand th-y shonl4 he et
opinion that such a transaction was highly unreasonable
and improbable, then they would have to consider whether
the evidence forthe prosecution did not satisfactorily estab-
lish the guilt of the prisoner.
The jury, after coneulting a short time in the box, ex-
pressed a wish to retire. They were absent only a few
minute,, when they returned into court and gave a verdict
of Guilty, at the same time recommending the prisoner to
mercy, on account of his good character.
Sentence was postponed.

Darid Lewis, alias Allele, 35, described as a dentist, was
indicted for feloniously uttering a forged di., Bank of Eng-
lend note, with intent to defraud.
It appeared that the prisoner had formerly been a school-
master, but he bad got into difficulties, and foe • tionsiders-
hie time there seemed to be very little doubt that he had
adopted very disreputable habits. While engaged in his
orig.° ii eceupation, it appeared he had had sous dealings
wills M.. Harris, a wholesale stationer is Bt. Jobs-street,
and on the evening of the 19th of oe=ble, 'the prisoner
went to his shop, and stated that he wasted to purchase
some stationery, as lie was about to opes a mew school, and
he said that as Mr. Harris hid lost some messy by him by
so
:Cs/ me former transactions h. would now hies the bene-
fit of his ready money dealing". TSe gau ale
some articles of stati .neq, amounting rains MU. le. 9d.,
and be produced what appeared to be a geese= M mete,
hut ou the shopman saying that he mast go set he mberge,
the prisoner put his hand in hi. pocket mg Midland be bed
got enough loose cash to pay the bill. Alt tads gust Mr.
liarris same into the shop, mud at the selimm et As
he gave him change for the MD. MIA be CT:
shop with the parcel containing the jrnseittellsadis=
chased. It appeared that Mr. y
wards imagiutd that he had given the Owen a sovereign
I too much in t.ie eh •ugv, and he regemesd his shops=
to fetch the prisoner back ; and he mass& Ma and asked
him to go hack to the shop, Me =we be= with the
shopman for a short distance, sad be this malted him to
hold his parcel fur a short time, while he retired for a per-
Gelder purpose, and he took the opportanity thus afforded
hill of going round a corner and making his escape. He
was taken into custody shortly afterwards_, and while be
was at the police court he entreated Mr. Harris not to pro.
sande him, and said at the same time that when be
. planted " the note upon him he was almost starving. The
note given by the prisoner turned out to be a forgery is
every respect.
The prisoner, when called upon for his defence, declared
eat he had given five sovereign. for the note in qustion to
• =me he did not know, in a public-house, and he called a
woman, named Mary Wilson, to orove the fact to be as be
had stated. The evidence given by her, however, was of a
most unsatisfactory character.
The jury without any hc'itatioa returned • veedlet of
Gitiffy.
Mr. Clarkson informed the court that the primula bed
pleaded guilty on the previous day in the New Court be is
indictment fur uttering counterfeit coin, fourteen pima
being f and in his posy. uioo ; and be bad recently se4
fwd an imprisonment of tight months for defrauding one
of the City charities, known as Wilson's Charity, of 100141
Mader the false pretence that be was a trader.
The premier was sentenced to be traaspoetel km IS
PIM
Barrist &rouser, 22, a goottlesking pug woo,