The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-03 00:00:00

When lurked wby she had done this. she said she had wad, ,
as else tbuught, for the best ; end Mrs. M'Culloch then
asked her it ale had ever authorised her to ect in such a ,
'runner, and she emphatically said " No." -Mr. Coates de- i
marided of the prisoner ti e sl none she then had on hire
and she produced six, five of which only were his ; 01;1
other was Mr. M•Culloch's, and she said she hod by mistake!
taken one of Coate:* instead of her master's to the pesos-
broker's, and she replaced it with her master's,
which was left. The rrisoner expreesed sorrow
for what she bad done, and begged cn her,
knees her master's forgiveness. He told her in pack
up her things, make out bee accounts, and leave the house
Mr lel'Cullnele bad always reposed the greatest cenfideuce
in the prisoner's honesty up to that time, taco although
she had not complied with his orders in submitting te him
weekly accounts of the household :pease a, and he paid her
money to pay the tradesmen's hills according to the amount
which she re-presented was due, but she was under notice
to quit when this rubbery 11:$ detected. Until the disco-
very took place that the plate in use was hired, neither the
prosecutor nor his wife had the least idea that it was not
their own, it matched so exactly. The prosecutor went
into the kitchen, and found the prisoner, inst.:ad of making
up her account', p--ring over • confused masa or pieces of
paper relating to matters that had occurred years before ;
and finding that it was impossible for him to get the ac-
counts, and as Mr.. M'Culloch had declared that she could
mat sleep in the house it 60 dreadful a 'remain remained, he
ordered her to quit directly. She th n said she had
pawned the plu'e fur her mists, as, and that she pitied him.
Ile wished to know what she meant, when, with reckless
insolent e and daring of invention, she imputed whoredom
to Mrs. M•Culluch, and ted that she had Men carrying
on an improper intercourse with " that black demon,"
meaning an East India gentleman, a Madras mega.-
trate, who was on intimate terms with air. M'Culloeh.
She mentioned the names of two persons with whom she
asserted Curls intete.eurar had taken piece, and declared that
if Mn. Al.Culloch dared to appear against her, she would
so blacken her that she would not in able to appear in
society 'gain. This drendful accusation excited the utmost
indignation, and the prisoner abruptly left the house. The
same night the matter was placed in the hands of Inspector
I Cumming, of the B division, and the next morning she
made her appearance at the house, and Cumming, who was
there, asked her distinctly if she had been authorised by
any one to pawn the plate, and the only answer she gave
was that she had done it for the best, and he told her she
was in custody. She gave up three duplicates first, and
then five more, all relating to property of her issidet's,
which she had pawned; and on searching her box, fifty-
three other duplicate,.' relating to other property not her
master's, were found by Cumming. The property stolen
comprised Led and table linen, blankets, valuable curtains,
and a considerable quantity of plate, value altogether 80!. ;
and she gave the onsetsr a list of the whole. She said to him,
" Oh. sir, 1 know my case is in your bands, and i hope yau
will intercede with my master and mistress lot me; they
were both very kind. My master was exceed.
;ngly kind, and I never had a better mistress."
Finding that he did not intend to do any-
thing of the kind, she then entered upon a volley of abuse
of her mistress, called her a common woman and so on, bin
as it had nothing to do with the suhject of the charge, he
thought it better not to repeat it before the magistrate.
She said she had pawned the plate to screen her mistress,
but denied that her mistress authorised her to pawn it.
When first charged the prisoner said her mistress owed her
40/., and then she made it 801.. and at last she increased it
to 1201., but instead of this, she was indebted to the prose-
cutor in the sum of nearly 201., for bills still owing, which
she had from him the money to pay. When else pawned
some of the pate she said she purchased i' herself at the
Duke of Buckingham's sale at Stowe, and with respect to
other portions of the property, that it was her has-band'e,
and that she was compelled to raise money on it to extricate'
him from difficulty. To Mr. Carter she represented that
her master and mistress were but newly married, and as
they had a great many visitors, they required to hire plate
I occasionally, and asked him if he could let them have plate
to match what they bad of their own. She showed Inns a
specimen, and he said he could match it, and she took away
some which he selected from the stock. lie repeatedly
asked her for payment for the hiring of it, and
she made a variety of excuses, but at length be
threatened to go to Mr. M'Culloch's place of
business and get either the plate or the money
from him, and then she paid him 41. 19a. on account.
The property was produced and identified, aid both Mr.
and Mrs. M'Culloch swore that they never knew that any
part of it was in pawn, until it was discovered through the
call at the silversmith's.

In cross-examination the pr.:taunter said his wife had u
much money as she required for her own use. lie allowed
her 2001. • Tear as pin money, and she had never complained
that it wu insufficient; on the contrary, she thought it •
handsome allowance, and it wu much more than she had
expected before marriage ; but he had a good business.
They lived very happily together, and he was only too glad
to place her in the enjoyment of every comfort his meads
would admit of.

Mrs. M.Cultoeh gave her evidence without embarrass-
ment, with regard to the accusations made against her by
the prisoner.
Mr. Ballantine said=-It will almost be insulting to ask
you, Madam, but is there the least poesible foundation for
what the it:Watt. asserted.
. . . _

Mrs. 111Culloeh—Not the least, toy husband is satiafied
u to that.

Mr. Ballantine—Did you ever hear a word about it until
after you had discovered that she had been plundering you
of your plate, and she was charged ?
Witness—No, sir; certainly not.
Mr. Ballantine—And yea hare always lived with your
husband on terms of happiness and affection, and are so
living with him at prevent ?
Witnets—Oh, certainly.
It appeared from the eron-examination of the witness
that the prisoner had paid bills for her and had lent her
small sums when she happened to be short of change, but
she had always been repaid—but ss she could get her
to settle her account she would not undertake to swear she
owed her nothing, but if anything it was very little.
In the cross-elimination of the witnesses angry words
passed between the counsel engaged on the one aide and on
the other, and
Mr. Rihton eomplaintd that he was not treated as he
ought to be by the Assistant-Judge.
Mr. Parry proposed to examine a witness to show that
the prisoner had kept a brothel only a month before she got
this situation.

This led to a discussion, in the course of which an alter-
cation took place between the counsel and between Mr.
ltibton and the assistant judge.
The evidence tendered was rejected.
Mr. Ribton then addressed the jury for the prisoner,and
argued that the evidence did not conclusively make out a
case of felony, but one of illegally pawning the property ;
and that the presumption was that she did not intend per
eminently to deprive her master of it. He said the lan-
page the prisoner had used towards her mistress was most
Improper and groundless, and could not in the least degree
be Justified. In the course of his address he complained of
the manner in which he had been treated by the court, and
expressed that when he bad a jury to appeal to, he did not
care for any observations that 101 l from the bench with re-
gard to him.
The Assistant Judge, in summing up, remarked that for
some reason which he could not comprehend, Mr. Ribton
appeared to attack him systematically, but he slid his
duty to the best of his ability, and his character was power.
fill enough to resist any attack made upon him. Mr. Ribton
was the only' gentleman in that court who thus invariably
attacked bins.

The jury after some deliberation asked if they could con-
viet of illrgelly pawning.
The Assistant-Judge told them they could not. If they
thought she had no felonious intention, they must ;acquit
her, but if they thought she pawned the property and ap-
propriated the money tc4herself, they would find her guilty.
It must be treated as a case of robbing ready furnished
lodgings, where the property was generally pawned. There
might be no intention to deprive the owner of the goods,
but if there was an intention to appropriate the money to
the use of the person taking the goods, why they were
guilty of stealing.
Mr. Itibton asked if the Aufistant.Judge meant to :lay
this down as law, because if so he should take down the
words.

The Assistant-Judge indignantly asked Mr. Ribton how
he dared to ask him such a question.
Mr. BaDentine protected against the attacks mad. upon
the Aseistant•Judge. He could say for not only himself,
but for the bar rnerall7, that they entertained a high
opinion of his (the Assistant-Sedge's) cervices to the public,
and of the courtesy and kindness they had always experi-
enced from him, although on some occasions points might
have betn warmly dieeuesed between them.
Mr. Parry, Mr. Metcalfe, Mr. Binds, and Mr. Daley ex-
pressed their entire concurrence in Mr. Ballantine's re-
marks.

Mr. Ribton said he oonsidered the Assistant Judge had
always treated him harshly and unfairly in his capacity of
advocate.

The Awi•tant Judge laid he telt deeply whet Mr. Bat-
lantine and his colleagues had said. Mr. Ribzon was the
only gentleman prsctiaing there who pursued this system,
and there was no gentleman there who had more occasion
to th2ok him for kindness, both in public and in private,
than Mr. Ribton.

Mr. ltibt.m—l am sorry to say, my lord, that I sum not of
the same opinion.
The Assistant Judge—l expected so.
The matter then dropped.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. l'arry &aid it was truo that she had been a brothel
keeper.
_ _

The Assistant Judge said he could not punish her fur
that. He sentenced her to one year's hard labour.
The case lasted MOTO than Ave hours.

THE POLICE CO URTS.
BOW-STREET.
Thomas Thompson, alias Sp Skelton Scott, Brandin,
&c., was brought up in custody ofoo.,
Monford, the officer of
the Mendicity Society, charged with attempting to obtain
money from Lord Palmerston, by fats pretences.
Mr. Ralph W. Orey, the private secretary of his lordship,
stated that a letter was received at the Home-Mlles on the
25th of July last, addressed to Lord Palmerston. The
writer represented himself as a branch of the Brandlin
family, of Northumberland, and requested the noble lord's
attention to a letter in the handwriting of Lord Grey,
which was enclosed, and from which it appeared that his
lordship had contributedl2/. to his relief. The purport of
the writer's appeal to Lord Palmerston was that ho should
follow the gsweenesimami: of Lord Grey, and send him a
subamipties. It that mar mamba ago witness
was asked britels if ha Ira amp knowledge of
this Jabs ,"as a onnados a/ the family of
that aaaw is the of laglaati sad witaewr beim his-