The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-30 00:00:00

BOW.STRELT.

IA" Godfrey Bow, who described himself as commercial
traveller to a firm in the City, but refused to give the name
of that firm, was brought up on remand, charged with
having in his pireseioa, without lawful excuse, 14 keys,
six of which were skeleton, or picklock, keys.
It appeared that on the morning of the 'Lind inst., about
two o'clock, Police-constable Groves, 83 F, was on duty in
the Strand, and found the prisoner in Thanetplaoe trying
the shutters in the window of a house there. Upon per-
ceiving the approach of the constable he went to the door
and pretended to ring a bell, but Groves happened to know
the house and to be aware that the.. was no bell there.
He asked the prisoner what he wanted. The prisoner said
be was "calling upon a friend." Groves asked if he knew
where his friend dept; he said he did not. Groves then
asked him what was his friend's name. He replied,
" Yon want to know too much ; I am not bound
to tell you, and I shall not." To other questions he
gave similar evasive replies. He attempted to go away, but
Groves stopped him, saying you had better ring your friend
up, as you came for that purpose. But the primmer re-
plied, " No, as you have been so clever I will not do so."
Groves then took him into custody on snspicion of being
there for an unlawful purpose. On the way to the station-
house be asked Groves to let him go, ea it would injure him
with his friends and employers if it was known that he had
been in custody. At the station-house he was searched,
and • bunch of 14 keys, of which six were skeleton keys,
tonal upon him. He gave a respectable address, which on
inquiry was found to be false. In the interval of remand
it had been ascertained that the prisoner was known by
eight to several constables, who had suspected him, but had
sot had him in charge. There was oo evidence of his having
been in custody. There wee some suspicion that he was
• ticket-of-leave man, but it was Dot supported by evidence.
He was committeefor
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

A deputation of the Hearts of Oak
Boma' Society waited upon Mr. Knox, and Use spokesman
asked permission to be allowed to make a statement and ask
advice.

Mr. Knox consented, and the spokesman said, in the early
part of this year a committee waa formed by the members,
and called the reform committee, for the purpose of ousting
the secretary from office. The secretary was summoned to
this court for issuing false rules, and errs committed to take
his trial, but &quitted. The reformers finding then that
by removing the secretary's friends on the general or
managing committee they would be in • position to get
relief daring the quarterly nights, in October and November
elected 20 vioepresidents (in accordance with rule
26), which gave them 32 out of 40. The quarterly
meeting of the general committee was called by the secretary
on November 26, and Mr. Court was elected president, and
he (the spokesman) vice-president, of the society. The
secretary then brought forward his accounts, which, after
some discussion, were not passed. It wee then proposed
that • general meeting should be held, within one month,
of all the members of the society, to take into consideration
whether the secretary any longer deserved their patronage,
and to dismiss him from office. A sub-committee was then
appointed to make arrangements for the meeting. The sub-
committee made arrangements to have Exeter-hall. In the
meantime the general committee adjourned their meetinp
from time to time till the 17th December, expect-
ing to have the general meeting on the 7th January,
1865. A requisition was then sent to the secretary,
signed by five presidents and vice pruaidents, to call a special
committee to confirm the minutes of • meeting held on
the November; but the secretary positively refused
to call the committee, and abio declined to call the general
meeting, thereby treating the subcommittee and general
committee with contempt. He had also lost all cootidence
of the members, and most assuredly would not retain their
patronage were there • general meeting of the members
called. The deputation (the subcommittee) would there-
fore thank his worship for his advice as to whet steps they
should take to compel the secretary to do his duty to his
committee. _ _ _

Mr. Knox said that u for giving the deputation advice,
that course would hardly be fair to Mr. Evans, the Deere.
tary, if the matter hereafter came to be adjudicated upon.
He would advise the deputation to see Mr. Pratt, and to
place themselves in the hands of a solicitor.
The spokesman handed Mr. Knox a copy of the rules, and
after the magistrate had looked at them he wad the depute.
tion must apply for an arbitration, and if it wi. refused
they could apply to him again.
The deputation thanked the magistrate, and retired.
CLERK EN WELL.
- • - - - - - -

Berne, Lenni, a young Italian, was charged before Mr.
D'Eyocourt with amaulting John Blakely in Leather-lane,
and with attempting to stab a police-constable.
Jobs Blakely said—l reside at 108, Great Saffrombill.
On Thursday morning, about one o'clock, I was in a pie•
shop in Leather-lane. The prisoner rushed in, looked
around, and then rushed ►t me and struck me a violent
blow in the mouth, and then went out. Immedi►tely we
shut the door, when the prisoner and other Italians tried
to bunt it open. We miffed out for the police, and he was
taken into custody.
Police-constable J Thu Taylor. t,6 G, examined—Last
night, about one o'clock, I heard cries of " Police" and
" Murder" in Leather-lane. I found the prisoner endea-
vouring to escape. I collared him. He was not sober. The
other man (Blakely) was sober. The prisoner struck at one
with a knife.

Mr. D'Eyncourt —Do you really mean to say that he
attempted to stab you' Be careful, a great deal depoods on
your saucer.
Witbess—l do.
Mr. Alexander, the chief clerk—Where did you find the
prisoner

Witness—Leaning against the pie-shop.
Mr. D'Eyncourt —Tell mt how it was done.
Witness—l took hold of his collar with my left hand, and
he struck at me with the knife produced. It was open, but I
held him too far off to enable him to reach me, but either
the knife or his hand rubbed down my coat. The prisoner
had part of a pair of tongs in his left hand. He struck me
on the shoulder. I threw him down, and held him there
until the sergeant came, and we took him to the station.
Sergeant Nightingale, _:t G, examined—About one ~clock
this morning I beard cries of "Police" and "Murder" in
Leather-lane, end I saw the prisoner and the last witness
struggling together. Before I could reach them the pri-
soner was thrown to the ground. I found on the ground a
portion of a pair of tongs and the knife produced. It is •
sort of small bowie, sharpened at both sides. It is s very
dangerous instrument used by Italians.
Mr. D'Eyoooart—llo you know if there is any ill-feeling
existing among the Italians in the neighbourhood about the
recent murder in Saffron-hill!

Witness-1 do not ; but it is stated that the prisoner was
in the Golden Anchor publiclouse, Great Saffron-hull, on
the night when the murder was committed.
The evidence having been read over, the prisoner. through
an interpreter, said, I saw the mega in the hands of ao
Eng-
lishman. I never had them in my hands when I went into the
pie shop. I was pushed out because I was an Italian, my
►at tell off and 1 knocked at the door and called for the
police to get it, when I waa taken into custody. .1 ad!
swear that I did not touch anyone with hand or with a
knife.

Mr. D'Eynconrt desired the interpreter to inform the
prisoner that, as the Italians were so fond of 'Wog the knife
on the slightest occasion, he would be seat for trial.