The Express.
London, England, 1846-09-24 00:00:00

POLICE.-Y 1

OUILDIIALL.—Hreneense FRAUDS.-A shoemaker,
named Pope?, was brought up in custody from Notting-
ham, and charged with the following daring and
heartless frauds upon Mrs. Rachel Woodhouse, a widow
lady, of that town. It appeared that the family of
Stokes, in Nottingham, of whom Mrs. Woodhouse is the
principal surviviug member, lay claim to be descended
from the Rev. Jonathan Stokes, who died in the year 1700,
and is supposed to have Left a very large fortune. The
prisoner represented that he could put the prosecutrix in the
way of recovering the fortune to which she was entitled, and
which he assured her he had ascertained to be at least
equal to half a million. Upon this pretence he obtained on
one occasion 201., on another 50/., and at various times sums
to the amount of more than 100!., which the lady raised by
the sale of a small property. The prisoner from time to time
produced to her letters, purporting to be addressed to him
by a Mr. Fitzgerald Strachan, a barrister, reporting the
favourable progress of the suit, and at length announcing
that it was decided in favour of the prosecutrix and her
relations, who were accordingly invited to meet their
barrister awl trusty agent at the London Tavern, on the
28th of July last, there to receive the first payment of
100,0001., and to arrange for taking possession of the
immense landed property to which their claim had now,
happily, been established. This last letter added that the
barrister's cash was exhausted, and that he would require
501. to be advanced forthwith, in order to prevent the other-
wise unavoidable delay of three or four weeks in drawing the
large sum of 100,000/. out of the funds, where they were to
the credit of his client. The 50/. was paid, the happy family
came to London, but after waiting three weeks they returned
to Nottingham without haling seen or heard anything of the
barrieter, the prisoner, or the money. Mr. Poyser, however,
on being reproached afterwards by Mrs. Woodhouse's brother
with having deceived them, said that he would make it all
right yet, it they could raise another 101. He continued to
hold out hopes for some time longer that he would obtain
the expected fortune for the claimants, until his dupes were
advised to give him into custody, and prefer a charge of
obtaining money under false pretences in this court, as it was
in Basinghall-etreet the first sum of 201. was paid to him
upon the faith of the forged letters.—Mr. Alderman Hum-
phcry said that there could be no doubt whatever that the
letters written in the tame of the barrister were in the
handwriting of the prisoner, and that he had committed a
'scandalous fraud on the poor lady.—He was remanded for a
week.
CLERK EN W ELL. Arreeirtri) Mcanrn. Robert
Olirer, a gas-fitter, living at 21, North-street, Pentowrille,
was charged with cutting and wounding, with intent to
murder, Henrietta Otis er, his wife.—lnspector Gibbs, who
had charge of the case, said the woman had been removed
to the Royal Free Hospital, and that her life was despaired
of.—The daughter of the prisoner, a girl of 12 years, was
produced, but she refused to be sworn, or to siva word which
might militate against her father.—Anne Gileust, of it.
Latham-court, said that, between one and two o'clock on
that day, she was passing by the prisoner's house acciden-
tally, when she sew his wife running out, followed by the
prisoner. She had just reached the non railings in front of
his house, ri.eii, rasing a stick, he struek her with all his
might with it on the head. The woman fell insensible
beside the raiiieaa, and the blood flowed profusely from a
large wound on her head.—A constable reported that the
surgeon said she could not live, as Ile was unable to tic the
artery.—The prisoner was remanded.

MARYLEBONR.— LORD AND LADY CLINTON AND
Tit :tu Gnoon.—Lord Thomas Pelham Clinton, residing
at No. 16, Carlton-villas, St. John's-wood, attended at this
oeert •e a &erg.; e•;eSet: ors ef
Cieorge irorkman, for having refined to obey his master's
orders, and using language of such a nature as to he cal-
culated to provoke a breach of the peace. Lord Clinton
stated, at a quarter to fire yesterday I ordered the prisoner,
my groom, to be et the door with the brougham, and soon
afterwards I and Lady Clinton entered the v.:hide ; her
ladyship found that the seat was covered with gravel anal
dirt, and she gave it to the page to take into the house,
when the prisoner got off his IVs, and, opening the door of
the carriage, said, "Am Ito whip this horse or not 1" I
' told him that he was not to whip it, as I had o! jetted to ha
doing so upon previous occasions; upon which le exclaimed,
" Oh ! very well then, I don't drive you one inch to-night ;
and as to you (addressing Lady Clinton) before you married
my lord, you never knew what it was to have a brougham
to ride in."—Mr, Rawlinson : Did he make use of any
worse language than that which you have mentioned 1—
Lord Chino::: He continued his abuse, sir, and I de:ired
him to quit my service instantly; I went to look for a
policeman, and on my returning with one, he (prisoner) was
saying to Lady Clinton, "You're no lady, and I'll teach
you how to talk to me." His wife came up and le.gged of
Lady Clinton to forgive him, when he said to her the wife),
" Don't talk to her, she's too di-reputable for any one be-
longing to me to speak to."—Atkins, 91 1), said : There was
a disturbance and a crowd of persons in front of his lord-
ship's residence, and I heard prisoner say, " That woman
(meaning Lady Clinton) never knew anything alieut a
brougham O. she came to your (Lord Clinton's) house."
My lord then lifted his cane and struck the prisoner on the
shoulder.—Mr. Rawlinson (to the prisoner): What is your
answer to this charge ?—Priaoner : I merely told my lord
that if I wits to drive him, I must whip the horse when
necessary, when my lady directly made a great noise; his
lordship then got out of the brougham, and with his whip
struck me several times. I have witnessea here to prove
that he did so, if you will allow me to call them.—Mr. ltaw-
linson: You are discharged.

WORSH I I'iSTREET. EV:TM/ORDINARY C 'LARGE.
Yesterday Edward Npilkr, a middle-aged man of respect-
able appearance, described as lately a publican, was brought
up ou a warrant before Mr. Broughton, charged with
violently assaulting his wife, Caroline Spider, and also con-
spiring, with another man now in custody. named
Thomas Byrne, to effect another offence.—The prose-
cutrix stated that at one o'clock in the morning of
Tuesday se'nnight her husband returned home, and
expressing his intention to punish her, struck her a violent
blow on the mouth and another in the side, and then forced
her into the etrett. where she fell senseless, and was picked
up by a policemen, who conveyed her to a surgiain's.
Being advised by her brother to seek the protection of a ma-
gistrate for herself and three children, she did so, and that he
awaited the arrival of her husband until 10 at night, when
he returned home in a state of intoxication, and told her he
understood she hail got a warrant out against him, and that
he would do something that she should get a warrant her, at
the same time seiziug a knife on* the table, and threatening
to stab her to the heart. The prisoner, however, shortly alter
went oat without carrying his threats into execution, and
she being afraid to go to bed, lay down with part of her
clothes ou and fell asleep. About four in the morning, how-
ever, she was awoke by the other prisoner, By rue, who was
lying beside her. She instantly screamed for the protection
of her husband, who was lying at the foot of the bed, pre-
' tending to be ;sleep ; but the latter, instead of displaying
any anger, merely advised Byrne to escape, and, afterwards,
when the wife insisted upon 13 vra:e being taken into custody,
denied all knowledge of him or that he hail let hint into the
house, and positively refused to press the charge. It was
proved that only the Spillers lived in the house; that the
street-door was fastcued before the husband came home, and
was also found fastened after the prisener Byrne had
been admitted ; and though Byrno at first persisted in the
truth of Spilkr's assertion, he afterwards, on finding that
the depositions would be taken against him, voluntarily
acknowledged that he really had beta admitted by the hus-
band himself. Notwithstanding this consiceing testimony,
partly corroborated by the poliaeman, and a strong caution
from the magistrate not to allow herself to be tampered with
during the interval between the two examinations, the wife
now, on her husband and Byrne being brought up for final
examination, in an agitated manner expressed her convic-
tion of her husband's innocence, admitted that he had pro-
mised t 3 Le a better husband to her than ever,
besought the magistrate to reflect that he was the
father of her children, forgave him the violent assault
she had committed upon herself, and finally expressed a peal-
tive and energetic determination not to appear against him,
at the same time so wavering and suppressing her former
testimony, as to render it almost salueless if she did so.—
After a long crass-examination and defence by Mr. heritage,
the solicitor for Spiller, Mr. Broughton ordered Byrne to be
fully committed for trial en the charge of a criminal assault,
with intent, upon Mrs. Spiller; but said that, with
regard to the charge against the husband, it would be utterly
useless to send him for trial with Byrne, as it was impossible
to insure a conviction from any jury upon the evidence the
woman now gave. It was quite obvious, and he entertained
not the slightest doubt of the fact, that Byrne had been ad-
mitted into the house for the worst of purpeacc—lt is only
fair to state that Mr. Heritage assured the magistrate his
client emphatically denied the charge alleged against hint,
and that had he not some conviction of the truth of his
declaration, he would not have accepted instructions to
I defend such a person.

LAMBETII —G:toss Comsrot OP A LICENSED BROKER.
—Same! l'icklact, a licensed broker, wu charged with vio-
lently assaultia;r. Mr. John Barker, of N 0.17, Cheltenham-
place, Lambeth.—lt appeared that Tickner had levied an
execution on a n, art of the goods of the oomplainant for rent
duo, as it was alleged by a previous tenant, and a dispute
arose as to the legality of the proceeding. On Monday even-
ing, the priscner Tickner, accompanied byone or two others,
entered the holm, and rushed up stairs. The complainant,
who occupied the first floor, endeavoured to prevent them,
when Tickner cut him on the face with a chisel which he
had in his hand, and also drew a quantity of hair• from the
complainant's head. The prisoner was drunk at the time.
—Mr. Elliott fined the defendant 51., or in default, two
months' imprisonment.

GREENWICIL—Ti:r Tnrwry Sinw.inn.—Thomas
Smith, the person charged with dishonestly appropriating to
his own use two valuable shawl•, twenty-four boxes of arti-
ficial flowers, some beads, and other articles, which had been
entrusted to him to bring from China, by Captain M'Llowell,
of the ship Grecian, surrendered in discharge of his
recogni.anees, fur further examination. It appeared that the
accused acted in the capacity of steward, and had the articles
entrusted to him by the captain to bring hetne, the health of
the latter compelling him to remain in China. On the
arricul of the ship in St. Katherine's clucks, a person named
White went on board, to inquire for the articles, the captain's
wife haying received advires overland of their haying been
sent. The accused denied haying any such articles, bat a
few days after stated that the ship had been robbed. and it
was not till a month had expired that he recollected haying
had the article. entrusted to him, and said he supposed they
had been stolen with some other things belonging to himself.
Mr. Elan% solicitor, who attended fer the defence, submitted
that, as the captain had been left in China, and his thirgs
sent on shore, the steward supposed the articles in question
had also been sent. Mr. Traill thought the case suspicion.,
and oralcncl the accused to find bail in the sum of 80/. to
appear at the nest sessions to answer a bill of indictment, if
, it should be preferrid against him.