The Express.
London, England, 1849-08-10 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

BOW-STREET.
ROBBERY AT THI POST-OFFICE. —John Luckhurst, who
has been ten years clerk in the Inland department of the
General Peet office, was charged with stealing a letter, sup-
passel to contain a sum of money, the property of the Post-
master-General.
Mathew Peake, &constable at the Post-office, stated that
on Tuesday evening he was in the hall of the Post-office,
and about 8 o'clock he saw the prisoner enter the hall by
a back entrance up the steps, and throw away two small
pieces of paper, which fell at witness's feet, and one of which
was found to contain writing. The prisoner next stopped
behind a pillar, where he continued tearing paper, still
keeping his eyes fixed upon witness, who, however, did not
appear to take any notice of the procuoings. In a short
time the prisoner crossed the hall with a female, and when
they came near where witness was standing, he said
to her, " This is our Foreign-office," and after
parting witA her, he went out at the front
,entrance. Witness then picked up all the fragments
land having communicated with the superintendent of the
1 department, they were pasted together, and on the envelops
were the words " Mrs. Whiney, Brinton, Brennenham, Nor-
folk." Anialur portion had the signature "A. Whitley,"
with a thread passed through, as if to secure a coin that
might have been enclosed The papers which the prisoner
had thrown at his feet he had kept separate from the others,
and they appealed to form parts of the same letter. Witness
apprehended the prisoner on the following day, when the
nature of the charge was explained, and the fragments of the
letter were shown to him. His reply was that he had no re•
collection of Puck a letter, but that he had received a letter
front his father ou that evening, which he tore up in the hall.
He was then shown the word " Norwich," on the corner of
one of the fragments, and he said that it was not in his hand-
writing.
Mr. John Gardner, a clerk in the Inland department,
proved that the prisoner was on duty with him on Tuesday
evening, employed in inspecting " blind letters," which are
such as are imperfectly addressed, and it was part of his
duty to write upon each Cue name of the pest town to which
it ought to be forwarded. The pieces of letters produced
belonged to what was termed a " b.ied letter," and might
have passed through his hands.
Mr. Peacock, solicitor to the Post-office, said that there
being an address on the letter, he had to apply for a remand,
to give time is c anmunicate with the person in the country
whose name it bore.
The prisoner said nothing in his defence, and he was or•
dered to be remanded for a week.
MARYLEBONE.

CHARGE OP ATTEMPT= AIUIOX •O•INST A FEWALI.
—Nisaleow E,CAPI.—An elderly woman, named Judith
Ralph, was charged with arson at the house No. 7. Little
Barlow-street (adjacent to this court), in which dwelling she
occupies an apartment.
Elizabeth Fowler, wife of Richard Fowler, the landlord,
who residrs in the same street, deposed that on the previous
eight, between eleven end twelve o'clock, she was aroused
from her brd by an sham that the house No. 7 was on fire.
She rushed forth, aid on entering the back kit hen, which
wee the prisoner's room, she found a Timid., of straw upon
the floor in a blue. A great many persons were at this time
in the kitchen, having been attracted thither by loud cuts
of " fire •;•' and on witness asking the prisoner, who was sup-
pond to be the delinquent, why she did it, she made no re-
ply. She was much the worse from drink, and from what
she (witness) could collect, prisoner bad bad a quarrel with
her daughter, which led to the commission of the offence.
Cecilia Ralph, the daughter, stated that she and her
soother were in very indifferent circumstance', and for some
time past had beea necessitated to Bleep upon straw. She
(witness) made up the bed as usual, when her mother (the
prisoner), with whom she had some words, and who was
intoxicated, took up a quantitrof the straw and put some on
the hearth and in the grate; she then set fire to it with a
candle, and witness with some difficulty put it out, and the
eandle also. Prisoner relighted the candle and again set fire
to the straw upon the hearth, and in an instant the flames
eommunicated with the rest of the straw which was in the
kitchen. She (witness) used her best exertions to extinguish
the flames, and her screams for assistance brought out of his
bed mother ledger.
Thomas Hammond, the lodger alluded to, said that but
for hie exertions the house would mat likely have been
burnt down. There were in the whole 28 inmates, many of
them children. When he (witness) forced his way into the
kitchen the flames were bursting through the door.
Police-constable Cutting said that he took the prisoner
into custody and told her that she was charged wi•h a crime
of a very serious mature, when she said " Many better people
than live in this house have been burnt to death." She was
then conveyed to the Hatt a and locked up.
The daughter was recalled, and, in answer to Mr. Long,
she said that prisoner lighted the straw because she (witness)
should not sleep upon it. Bke remarked to her that she
might set the house on fire, and she told her she did not
care.
The prisoaer, who made no defence, was committed for