The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-14 00:00:00

1, Mu Intelligence.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—YWITERDAY.
Before Mr. C,emmlegoeser Evens.
•

RAILWAY SPECVLATIONS.-0. B. Wadsworth, an apo-
thecary, who has been engaged in railway specula. ions, came
up upon his own petition for his certificate.
Mr. Lawrance appeared to oppose. He said, at the time
this balance sheet commenced, the bankrupt was 2,8481.
wor.,e than nothing, and with this large amount of liability
staring him in the face, be went on contracting debts to the
amount of 1,3001. and 2,9641., which is secured, and to meet
this there is property-1671. His expenses exceeded his profits,
and there was a liability of 9031. due by the bankrupt as
director of a railway company. He (Mr. Lawrance) must
contend that this was reckless improvidence; and as the
bankrupt brought nothing into court, be ought to take no-
thing out.—The solicitor for the bankrupt said, that the way
this deficiency arose was by his client purchasing a share in
the business of Mr. Russell.—His Honour here observed
that ho could not see by the balance sheet what the deb's
were ior.—The bankrupt wa, then examined, and said that
he gave 1,8001. for a share of the business. He had not dis-
solved partnership except by becoming a bankrupt. Mr.
Elliott had not given anything for the shares which belonged
to the bankrupt.
Mr. Commissioner Evans: Surely this can be got fur the
creditors. He had better put something apart to pay the
debts. I will adjourn the case for a day or two to consider
what he will do. If he makes no offer, I will suspend the
certificate.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.
Wore Mr. Serjeant Adams.
These sessions commenced yesterday. The calendar con-
tained the names of 90 persons, 82 of whom were indicted
for felony and 8 with misdemeanor. There were 63 males
and 27 females: 21 of the above number were children under
15 years of age, 17 of whom were males and 4 females.
Serjeant Adams, in the course of his remarks to the
grand jury, observed that the Philanthropic Society had
lately published a very useful pamphlet concernitg the treat-
ment of juvenile criminals in France, fully showing that
their mode of treating them was far superior to the present
mode pursued in England. The authorities of the City of
London, and the magistrates of Middlesex, were fully alive
to the importance of this subject, and he trusted that but •
short time would elapse before the adoption of an entirely
different system of discipline with respect to children charged
with criminal offences.

POLICE.—YEsrEBDAT.
MANSION-HOUSE. A SELF-CONVICTED Tune. --
Edward Curtis, who had the appearance of being a dis-
tressed man, but not a thief, was charged before Alderman
Gibbs with having stolen a parcel containing books out of a
cart in Lad-lane. The prisoner was seen by a man who was
standing at the Swan with Two Necks, in Lad lane, deli-
berately walk up to the cart, lift the parcel to his shoulder,
and make off with it. Upon being pursued he let the pro-
perty fall, and ran away, but his hat having fallen from his
heed he unluckily stooped for it, and by the delay of an
instant lost an opportunity of escape. He was caught by the
tail of hi' coat. The books were valued at 111. 15s.—Alder-
man Gibbs : Do you wish to say anything, prisoner ?—The
prisoner: Say, no. Isn't it plain enough? I am afraid
everything is too clear for me, and I'll leave it to you.—
Alderman Gibbs : MT duty is plain, too. I must commit
you for trial.—The prisoner: I suppose so, though a trial is
not very necessary.—Alderman Gibbs: Do you wish to sign
what you stated when you were asked whether you wished
to say anything ?—The prisoner: Certainly.—He then took
a pen and signed in a fine free hand the following words :
" I am afraid everything is too clear fur me to say anything,
and I must leave it to you to dispose of."—Committed for
trial.
HONESTY REWAILDED.-•-J. Williams was charged with
having stolen a chaise coat. The prosecutor had left his
great coat, value Si, in a chaise, at the door of a house oppo-
site to Angel-alley, while he went inside. The prisoner
whipped the coat up and ran down Angel-alley, pursued by
an officer who had seen him. The officer asked a little girl
who was at the corner of the court, which way the thief ran,
and at that moment the prisoner emerged from a dark place
in the court, and pointing towards the end said, " That way
—that way." That's the thief himself," said the little gin,
and the officer seized him. The coat was picked up behind
the prisoner. The prisoner: "There's what a man gits
for lending a hand to the police. I see the thief running,
and I pointed out the way, and presently the police catches
me because they must have somebody. I know no more
about the coat than about the owner, and if ever I assist any
one agen I wish he may git it."—Committed for trial.
Base Pearse was charged as a smasher. The
prisoner went, on the Bth of October, to the shop of Mr.
Syrett, stationer, No. 72, Old Broad-street, asked f r a six-
penny memorandum-book. ruled lines, gave halln-crown in
payment, received two shillin.is in change, and walked off
safe. Afterwards Mr. Syreit looked at the half-crown,
sounded it, suspected it, and, as the prisoner did not think
proper to return, deposited it a bowl along with other money
as possible evidence on a future occasion. Two days after-
wards as Mr. Frederick Syrett, the brother of the prose
cuter, was in the shop, the prisoner entered, asked for half a
quire of note paper, and presented a half-crown, which was
suspected to be bad, and, a lesson having been lately read to
the house that it was necessary to examine before the depar-
ture of a purchaser, the prisoner was given into custody.
The policeman could not by any ingenuity prevail upon the
prisoner to give a correct address, although nothing could be
more favourable than the account given by him of his chi-
racter.—Mr. Powell (the solicitor to the Mint) stated that
the prisoner was well known as a smasher. Committed for
trial upon the two charges.

O UILDHALL.—WHO BROKE THE TAT-THINGS ?
Mrs. Baker, a little woman, of excitable temperament, a rich
brogue, fluent tongue, and determined spirit, was placed at
the bar before Mr. Alderman Wood, charged with creating
a disturbance in the house of Mr. Waldon, of No. 5, Crown.
court, Warwick-lane, and breaking therein various squares
of glass, china cups, and articles of earthenware.—Mrs.
Waldon, who spoke with a dash of the Tipperary, said that
she and a female friend were taking a dish of tay, when Mrs.
Baker Caine in, and sating herself without lave, right opposite
birs.Waldon's female friend, she put out her hand and caught
a chiney tay-cup, and flung it right at her mouth, which
bled a great dale. "Me child," said Mrs. Waldon, " set up
a crying wid the fright, and in a moment Mrs. Baker threw
the egg-cup at the lady.. The poor childer, your worship,
were frightened out of their seven senses, and as for myself,
I trembled all over. When we were in this quandary, per
honour, smash goes two square of my windy glass, and two
or three more of my tay-cups." (Roan of laughter.)
The amount of damage, your honour, that is nothing
at all at all—a trifle of 41. or ss. ,• but the fright
of the childer, the darlints, they'll be sick for a month after
the fright.—Mrs. Baker (looking mischievously at com-
plainant): So, Mrs. Weldon, it's my turn at last. Oh, but
it's myself that will tell the whole of it (an insinuating
curtsey to the magistrate). Well, your worship, this is all
ofjaliay. You see, air, when I went in and saw Mrs. Baker
with another female that she was always jealous ov, and that
same female, Mrs. Linsy, said she knew more about me than
she liked to tell, and when I saw that big lump of a woman
and—Mr. Alderman Wood : You must confine yourself to
the charge.—Mrs. Baker : Well then, and so I will, the holy
Virgin bless your honour (another curtsey) and every other
gintlemsn in court. Mr. Walden comes in and strikes me,
and thin I took my own part, and good right I had, and so
I stood up and Minded myself, and wid that the two panes
—panes indeed—two little hits of glass not worth the black
of me nail ; and with that sir, the panes of glass fell in or
themselves, aid as for the tay cups, Mrs. Weldon never had
a chiney to -ear in her hand, let alone in her house.—Mr,
Alderman Wood : I fine the prisoner 51. Mrs. Baker. you
must pay the money.—Mrs. Baker : Oh, but I'll make yes
look two ways for Sunday, Mrs. Waldon.
CLERKEINWELL. " BENEFIT" Socirriza. Mrs.
W. Morgan, the landlady of a public-house in Old-street,
was charrd with refusing to pay over 121. to a poor widow
named Wells, who alleged she was entitled to that sum, her
deceased husband having been a member of a benefit society,
called the " True Brother," of which defendant is treasurer.
—Mr. Duke, the usher, stated that there are three or four of
these benefit societies which hold their meetings in the same
public-house, and that several complaints had been preferred
by members in time of sicknws, and by widows of deceased
members who were in time of greatest need unable to obtain
any assistance from funds to which their husbands had been
for years contributing. The officers declined coming before
the court, availing themselves of a clause in the book of
rides, by which it was ordered that all such disputes should
be referred to arbitration.—Mr. Wakeling said, he appeared
as solicitor on behalf of the poor woman, without any fee,
because she was too needy to give him one, and because he
considered the present a cue of gross hardship and oppres-
sion. Many of these benefit societies, as they were faceti-
ously termed, were in truth a great curse ; and he trusted
that the publicity the present complaiat would receive
might serve to warn poor industrious men of the dan-
ger of placing their hard-earned savings in such depo.si-
tortes. In this, as well as in many other in-
stances, the poor mechanic paid in his monthly sub-
scription (which, though but small in amount, was a
great deal to him) in the box of a benefit society, in the