The Express.
London, England, 1846-10-01 00:00:00

POLICE.-YESTESDAY.

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MANSION HOUSE.—George Moorcombe was brought
up, charged with having forged a letter of character.—Sir J.
W. Hogg said, that on the 21st of September the prisoner
applied to him, at the East India House, far the situation of
tub's footman in his family, and stated that he had recently
quitted, the service of Mr. Robert Versehople, who would
give him a good character; that Mr. Verschoyle was at
Brighton, and had desired that any letter upon the subject
of character should be addressed to him at the Post office
there. The witness wrote accordingly to the gentleman,
touching the character of the prisoner, and received the
following answer :
answer to your enquiries respecting George Moorcombe,
I beg to say he lived in my establishment as lady's footmen IS months,
during that period I always found him sober, honest, willing, and
obliging ; particularly quiet and attentive in waiting at table, and
also attends a carriage very well. Georg,. Moorvombe left me at his
own request, sad I can, with confidence, say he is a Devonshire man.
Trusties I have satisfactorily answered all sour inquiries respecting
George Moorcombe, never having any fault to find with him, I iv-
main, sir, yours obediently, "R. VEsscuovue.
"Brighton, Sept. 22."
Having suspected from the style of the epistle that Mr.
Verschoyle had had nothing to do with the composition,
witnesa caused inquiry to be made at the town residence of
Mr. Verschoyle, who he learned was not at Brighton, and
from whom he received the following communication :
Muntercomee, Maidenhead, Sept. 25.
"Dear Sir,—Prior to your letter of this day I have not had any
from you, and therefore the letter you received is a forgery. I have
not been in Brighton this year. A man of time name of George moor-
combe did live with me as footman for two or three months, when he
was dismissal. I an. very glad that your suspicions were aroused.
I and that you escaped having him in your establisho.ent.—Yours very
"Holism VEnscoorLE.
"Sir J. W. Hogg, he., fie."
A servant in the establishment of Mr. Verschoyle proved
that the note addressed to Sir J. W. Hogg from Brighton
was not in his matter's handwriting.—The Lord Mayor con-
victed the prisoner, and sentenced him to imprisonment and
hard labour for three calendar moaths.
BOW-STREET.—MILITARY OLTTRAOE.—Two soldiers
belonging to the Grenadier Guards, named Jia-Kii Right/ n and
Easter, were charged with assault—Mr. Weeks, the land-
lord of the King's Head public-hcrase Oxford-street, stated
that at about half-past one o'clock yesterday morning, he
was walking with a friend, Mr. Brett, in the Strand, when
the prisoners stopped, and pushed against them. Witness
asked what they did that for, and passed on. The pri-
soners followed them, abusing them, and calling them
" snobs ;" and at the corner of Trafalgar-square they met a
policeman, ta whom Mr. Brett appealed for protection. The
policeman engaged the prisoners in conversation while wit-
ness and his friend went on. As they were passing by the
Horse Guards, the prisoners overtook them, and Mac
Killaghan swaggered against them, so as to separate
them. Witness asked him what he meant ? and Easter
ran towards him (witness), and struck him in the face so
violently as to knock him down. While he was down,
Mac Killaghan kicked him. A policeman came up
shortly afterwards, and took the prisoners in charge.—Mr.
Henry examined the witness at great length as to his state at
the time.—He said that he was perfectly sober.—Mr. Brett,
who said he was landlord of the Rose and Crown, Dart-
mouth-street, Westminster, corroborated the evidence of the
complainant. He was quite sober.—Policeman F 51 took the
prisoners into custody. They were both the worse for liquor ;
Easter worse than the other. The complainant and his
friend were eober.—Serjeant Fletcher, of the first battalion,
third company of Grenadier Guards, said that the prisoners
had been in his company for near four years. They were
both very irregular, being constantly absent without leave,
and had been several times punished for absence. They were
Anent without leave lastnight, and ought to have been in bar-
racks at 10 o'clock. The prisoners said they did not meddle with
the complainant until he and his friend had both insulted them
by calling them "lobsters." They admitted that they were
not sober.--Mr. Henry was convinced that a very brutal
and unprovoked assault had been committed on the com-
plainant, and he would either dispose of the case summa-
rily, or commit the prisoners for trial, as the complainant
wished. He could inflict no higher penalty than 51.—Mr.
Weeks entertained no vindictive feeling, and was not anxious
to have a high penalty, or indeed any penalty at all, in-
flicted.—Mr. Henry said he would not commit them for
trial as the complainant did not wi-h it, but the pubic must
be protected from such men as the prisoners, who, bearing a
bad character in the company, and being habitual drunkards,
rambled about the streets at night, annoying, insulting, and
assaulting quiet and respectable paesengns. They must
each pay a fine of 51., or be imprisoned far two months.
ILDHALL.—Tiir: BITER BIT.—A man in the garb
of a mechanic was placed at the bar, charged with having
a bonnet and shawl in his possession, of which he could not
give a satisfactory account —Police-constable 713 stated, that
on the previous night he saw the prisoner standing at the
corner of a street, in a state of muddiness, having a bundle
under his arm, containing a bonnet and shawl, and some
other female attire. He was asked to give an account of
himself, and the only answer he would give was, " I'm old
King Cole, and a merry old soul." lie was therefore taken
into custody.—Alderman Sir Wm. Magnay : Well, what ac-
count have you to give of the matter F—Prmoner : Why, sir,
I was drinking, and took away my wife's things, and locked
her up before she could get any more drink, and I have now
been locked up myself. (Laughter.)—The prisoner was dis-
charged.
SOUTHWARK.—MATRIMONIAL MORALITY. —A re-
spectable-looking man waited on the magistrate to solicit his
advice respecting his wife. The applicant stated that he
was recently married to a lady 'possessing considerable pro-
perty, of which he was not aware until after their nuptial;
He had not been many weeks married, when, to his utter
dismay, he found that his spouse was a perfect terma-
gant. If he happened to stop out a little late, no master for
what purpose, business or pleasure, she flew at him like a
fury, tore the hair out of his head, which he could ill spare,
smashed the china ornaments, and, in fact, had scarcely left a
whole-piece of china, crockery, or glass in the place. On the
preceding night, in the height of her extravagant behaviour,
she disclosed a fact which, until then, ho was a perfect
stranger to, and upon which subject he now sought the ma-
gistrate's advice. She declared to him that she had another
husband.—Mr. Seeker saictthat if the applicant could pro-
duce the necessary evidence of his wife having a former
husband living, he could easily relieve himself from her
altogether.—Applicant: I have made inquiries, and found
she has two husbands living, besides myself.—Mr. Seeker re-
commended the applicant to give information to the police
of the alleged bigamy, and if there was any foundation for it,
she could be given into custody, and brought before him for
the offence.—The applicant having thanked the magistrate,
retired.
LAMBETH.—A J vEN ILE Bari E.—Yesterday William
Churchill, a youth of 16 years of age, was placed at the bar
before Mr. Elliott, upon the following charge : Mr. Robert
Floyd, a grocer in New-street, Lambeth, deposed that the
prisoner bad been in his service for about two years, and a
communication had latterly reached him that he had been in
the habit of using his horse, while in the stable, in a very
cruel manner. At first he did not credit the statement, but,
anxious to test its truth, he, on the afternoon before, pro-
ceeded to the stable, and placed himself in such a position
that he could see all that went forward. Soon after the pri-
soner entered the stable, and lost no time in commencing to
torture and annoy the poor animal with a short heavy club
with a sharp prod at one end ; he praded the poor beast on
the ribs so as to make him kick out, and while his legs were
outstretched, striking him heavily on the hocks. Having
seen quite sufficient to satisfy himself of the prisoner's bru-
tality, witness rushed from his hiding-place and slapped his
servant's ears and shook hlia well. He then turned the
prisoner out of the stable, but he, with shocking oaths,
declared he would dash his brains out. Witness remained
in the stable for some time to give the prisoner time to cool,
and go about his business, but, on coming out he found him
armed with a large brickbat, which he flung at his head, and
struck him with great violence on the left side of the fore-
head. So severe was the blow that it stunned him for the
moment ; his person was covered with blood, which streamed
from a deep wound, and he was compelled to go to a surgeon.
—The prisoner merely said that his master had been in the
habit of ill-using him.--Mr. Elliott observed, that the pri-
soner, in torturing the poor horse, betrayed a savage dispo-
sition, and that his extreme violence towards his master
proved that though so young he was a dangerous person,
and required proper restraint. —The prisoner was then con-
victed in the highest penalty. the law permitted, namely 5!.,
or in default of payment to six weeks' imprisonment.