The Express.
London, England, 1862-12-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER,
.27, 1862. _

WESTMINSTER.

George Poster and Arthur Jer7ll,t;o boys, were obargrd
with befog Brook and incapable of taking rare of them-
selves._

Mr. Paynter, on looking at the defendants, said—Whit,
are these boys charged with being di uric?
Inspector Butler—Yes, sir, they are.
Mr. Pa) liter —W hat are their ages?
Inspector Butler—Fceter is 16 years of age, Jet :n only 12.
Mr. Paynter—lt is really shocking. Were they much
intoxicated?

Inspector Butler—They were found lying in the Ken-
sington-road at eight o'clock last evening, so thoroughly in-
toxicated that it was necessary to carry them to the sta•
tion-hone on the stretcher.

Mr. Payoter—How esme you boys to get in this shock.
ins state?
Defendants—Christmas boxes.

Mr. Pay nter —Clu:stmas boxes
Defendants—Yi • ; the money we bad given us.
Inspector Butler—Jerrie was insensible for many horns
after he was brought to the station-house.
Mr. Payntee (to the boys)—Who made you drank
Defftdaatl—Nob ;we did it ourselves.
Both boys at this laughed.
Mr. Paynter—lt is nothing to lxugh at, and I am vs/
sorry to find that you do not feel becoming regret at your
misconduct. It is a most melancholy thing to find boys of
such ape upon such a charge before me. It is a moot
unproausinl beginning in life, and it is difficult to say what
may be its e id. I s.sb I had it in ml t 'war to punish
those who supplied you with liquor until you got ;qui this
shocking state.
They were fin( 15s. each, and locked up in default.
WANDSWORTH.
THE CASE Or STEALING • POST LETTER.

°vow and hie mother,
Eno,. s Haute& were re-examined before Mr. Ingham, on •
charge of atee`.tig and recei‘:ng a post-letter containing a
money-order.
. . . .

It will be remembered that the case was brought to light
by El.on's stepmother, who lives in Mendip-rood, Battersea,
to whom the prisoner lawn stated that, while in
the company of Hollis, he stole the letter from
the box at the post-office in High-street, Wands-
worth, sod that Hollis's mother had the mooey-order.
When Sergeant !Keenan spoke to Mrs. Haines she
denied having a letter. brought to her by the boys, but
afterwards stated that they brought her a piece of paper,
upon which she hand: d him the money-order, and ex-
pressed her ignorance of its value, and asse..ed that she
kept it to shore her husband, but she had forgotten to do so.
Mr. Peacock, from the Post-office, now attended, and sug-
gested that there was no evidence against Hollis, and that
the female should be punished for the unlawful posicssion
of the onler, as she was the more to blame.
Mr. Wilson, who defended the female, endeavoured to
show that the conduct of the stepmother in communicating
with the police was for the purpose of getting the boy into
a reformatory, and relieving herself of the borden of his
support. He also said that his client, although a very re-
spectable marrir d woman, was an illiterate person, and was
unacquainted with the nature of a money-order.
The boy Hollis wee discharged, and Mr. Wilson a"ed
him sea witness. He mew 1 the other boy of the rob-
bery, and said Eleon went to his (witness's) mother and Cold
her that it was a money-order, and that if she could pass it
she should have half the money. Witoma's mother said
she would let it remain until his father came home, and that
he should read it.

The prisoner Ellen, whom Mr. Wilson stated was known
as the " daylight thief," though so young, said Hollis first
pointed out the letter to him, and proposed that he shou'd
take the money-order to his mother.
Mr. Ingham sentenced Bison to be whipped, and to re-
ceive eight strokes and seven days imprisonment, and the
female to be impriaon. I for two months with hard labour.
It appears that, according to the terms of the Whipping
Act, the number of strokes ordered by the meg:strata are to
be mentioned in the commitments.