The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-20 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-YESTERDAT.

The sittings of the court (or the September general ses-
sion were resumed this morning at the Guildhall, Broad
Sanctuary, Westminstrr, before Mr. Scrjeant Adams, As-
sistant Judge, Mr. Witham, Mr. Augustus Robinson, &c.
The number of prisouen committed for trial was 103, of
which number tti were charged with felony and 9 with mis-
demeanor.

The Assistant Judge shortly addressed the grand jury
after they had been sworn.
Leon Nathan, 34, a Frenchman, was indicted for having
stolen 43 sovereigns and other meuiea, belonging to Solomon
Joel, in a dwelling-house.
This case was remanded from last session, the prisoner
hav,eg, when arraigned, availed himself of his right to de-
mand to be tried by a half-foreign jury.
Mr. Woollen and Mr. Taylor appeared for the prosecu-
tion: the prisoner was undefended.
The prosecutor, • foreigner, but well conversant with the
English language, carried on the business of a chiropodist,
and lived at :co. 9, Poland-street, Soho-square. It appeared
that he and the prisoner were on hnimeto terms, and the
latter was a constant visitor at the lodgiugs of the Somer.
On the 11th of last month be applied to the prosecutor for
the loan of 10s., with which he wanted to pay an interpreter
to ga about with him to dispose of some pawnbrokers' dupli-
cates relating to watches, as he was without money, and the
prosecutor gave him a sovereign to get changed, so that he
might comply with his request. Ile went to a public-
house in Portland-street, and tendered the sovereign in
payment for a glass of gin, but the publican refused to take
it, as it was cracked, and the potmen accompanied him back
to the prosecutor's lodging, when ho (prosecutor) gave ano-
ther sovereign, and, receiving the cracked one back, he re-
placed it in kis purse, in which there were • number of
others. On the 12th the prisoner was still so short of
money that he was compelled to pawn a case of surgical in-
struments. On the morning of the 13th the prosecutor was
woke up by the prisoner entering his bedroom, but he did
not get up, and the prisoner, knowing that he was not well,
advised him to go to sleep again, which he did. ln about
half an hour he woke up, and called out " Leon," but no
Leon was there, and on the instant something came into his
miud about his money. lie at once got out of bed, and
went to a drawer in which about half an hour before the
prisoner entered the room be had seen his purse, containing
431. 10s. in gold, and is. in silver, quite safe. It was then
gone. Without delay he communicated his loss to
the police at the Vine-street station, and telegraphed a de-
seription of the prisoner to Liverpool, having reason to
believe that he would make fur that place, and ho then took
• cab and went in the direction of a pawnbroker's shop,
where the prisoner had pledged a number of gold watches,
and on the way he met with the prisoner in another cab.
Oa seeing him the prosecutor charged him with the theft,
upon which the prisoner drew a knife and said, in French,
" It's either your life or my liberty," and, opening the door
on the other side of the cab, he jumped out and made his
escape. On going to the pawabruker's he found that the
prisoner had redeemed sia gold watches for 211. 10s , the
whole of which sum he paid in gold, and one of the sove-
reigns was the identical cracked one which the publican re-
fused to give change for. The prisoner was apprehended
when he went to redeem the case of instruments, the pawn-
broker having received information, and on his being
searched seven gold watches, he cue of instruments, two
sovereigns, and 17s. Bd. were found upon him.
In his defence the prisoner handed in a long written
statement in French, which was read to the court by an
' interpreter. It was a rambling attack on the pruecutor's
character for morality. His answer to the charge as well as
it could be gathered, was that it was an invention premedi-
tated by the prosecutor, who was aware that he was about
to redeem his watches, and, with reference to the cracked
sovereign, he alleged that he received it from the prose.
cutar's own hands as the price of a pair of razors and some
articles which he sold to him.

The Assistant Judge hieing slimmed up,
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and
The Assistant Judge sentenced him to one year's hard
labour.

Cagby, 31, and William Skinner, 33, were in-
dicted f x having stolen three sacks of coal, the praperty of
the Great Northern Railway Company.
Mr. Cooper and Mr. O'Brien prosecuted. Mr. Ilorry ap-
peared for the prisoners.
It appeared that the prisoner Cagby was a carman in the
employ of Mr. Wiggins, contractor to the Great Northern
Company for the delivery of coal, and Skinner was
what is termed in the coal trade " • trounce r" to Cagby.
On the 17th of August they left the King's Cross Station
with four tons of vial to deliver at the residence of the Earl
of Jersey, for the use of the kitchen. They took the van
down a mews to shoot the sacks at the proper place, and it
happened that Sir Alexander Cockburn, tho Attorney-
General, hail st:bles there. Sir Alexander's groom, a man
named Beard, ever having seen either of the prisoners be-
fore, observing them delivering coal at Lord Jersey's, very
coolly walked up to Caghy, and asked him if he could spare
him a sack. Caghy evincing not the least indisposition to
enter upon a gross piece of roguery, at once replied in the
affirmative and took one sack to a loft over Sir Alexander's
stables, and there shot its contents. The groom having suc-
ceeded so far, asked Caghy if ho could spare him more,
and•„Cagby complied, and, in like manner, delivered two
other socks. This was all observed by the Attorney-
General's under groom, one Mason, who having had a
quarrel with Beard about Mrs. Beard, told Lord Jersey's
porter of the matter, and the porter told Lord Jersey, and
Lord Jersey the cempsny. Cagby received the full price
from Lord Jersey's servant for four tons, and bey empty
sacks were counted, and for the three sacks taken to the
stables Beard rewarded him with three shillings and a pot
of beer. They were apprehended on the 27th of August.
The evidence of Beard and Mason clearly proved the guilt
of Cagby, but not the complicity of Skinner.
The jury Acquitted Skinner, and found Caghy
They recommended him to mercy on the ground that he
had Seen led into temptation by the witness Beard, whom
they thought ought to be strongly reprimanded.
The Assistant• Judge agreed with the latter part of the
verdict, but not with the recommendation. lie did not
think a man entitled to a recommendation who could so
easily be prevailed upon by a total stranger to commit a
very serious rubbery and breach of trust. Ile then sen-
tenced Caghy to nine months hard labour, and with regard
to Beard, said his conduct was detestable, and his expenses
would not be allowed.

-IT'llis;;sStreelinsatisrges, a well deemed man, 27, was
Indicted lee omboulioi throe ow of mosey, amounting to

131. 3•. GI, which hs had receistd for and on account of
Charles J.,hn Stewart, his master.
Mr. Clarkson prosecuted. The prisener conducted his
own defence. . .

The prosecutor a u a bookseller in King William-street,
Strand, and the prisoner bad been in his service, as clerk
tad cashier, fur about seven years and • half, his salary
during the last three years and a half being 21. per week.
Suspecting that something was wrong, Mr. Stewart fixed a
day for an investigation of the accounts, and when that day
arrived the prisoner told him be need not enter upon any
such task, and then admitted that during the last four
years he had robbed him to the extent of from 3.501. to
40W. The prisoner bad been married about that time.
The prosecutor, nevertheless, went on with the investiga-
tion, and the result was that he found that the total
amount received by the prisoner and not accounted for
was over 6001. The prosecutor was astounded at this, but
did not give him in eharze ; and after some conversations
he said lie would not prosecute him fur the embezzlements.
The prisoner left town, with Mr. Stewart's knowledge,
but subsequently it was discovered that he had forged his
master's name to a cheque on a City banking-house for a
sum remitted to them from the country on Mr. Stewart's
account, and that the same proceeding bad been taken
with a post-office order. t'pon this Mr. Stewart
caused the prisoner to be apprehended, and on
the ease of forgery being gone into before
a magistrate, the charge of forgery broke down, and the
prisoner was sent for trial on thee° charges of embezzle-
ment. The payment of the three sums to the prisoner was
proved, and Mr. Stewart showed that they had not been
accounted for.

The prisoner, in cross-examining the prosecutor, admitted
his defalcations, and endeavoured to show that Mr. Stewart
had pardoned his effence, an 1 had made the matter one of
debt. Mr. Stewart denied this, and said he certainly had
no intention to prosecute him for the embezzlements, and
the cause of his being taken into custody wu the discovery
of the forgeries.
Prisoner—What wu the reason the case of forgery broke
down ?

Prosecutor—The reason was this. The magistrate thought
that because I had given you a general authority to collect
and receive money for me it was no forgery for you to sign
my name to a bluker's cheque, and get the money and
keep it.
The Arsistant•Judge remarked that that certainly was an
extraordinary decision; and now it was mentioned, he
reeellected noticing it at the time in the newspapers.
Mr. Clarkson said he certainly held up his hands with
surprise when he heard it at Ilow•street.
The Auistant-Judge said that it was as much as saying
that because he gave a person a general authority to receive
money on his account, it was no forgery for that person
to write his name to a cheque for all the money he might
have at his banker's.

1 he prisoner, evidently a persona education and talent,
addressed the jury. The substance of what he said was
that Mr. Stewart had made the thing a debt, and that it was
very hard nod unjust upon him that he should now be pro-
secuted. lie admitted the defiiiencioi, but Mr. Stewart,
he repeated, had treated the total amount as a dcbt due,
and he asked the jury not to give full credit to that gentle-
man's evidence.

Mr. Stewart said he never treated it u a debt, but at the
time he had no intention of proaccutiog for the emberalo-
mcnt.

The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
The Assistant-Judge said the case was one of the grossest
he had ever witnessed. He sentenced the prisoucr to be
kept in penal servitude for 4 years.