The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-03 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION HOUSE.
E. J. Lamiiile, ihopman to Mr. Benson, of Cornhill,
jeweller, was summoned before the Lord Mayor for having
knowingly, by false pretences, obtained, from William
Ward, 31. 10s., with intent to defraud him.
Mr. W. Ward said-1 am with my father, who is a ship-
broker. On Thursday last I went into Mr. Benson's shop
to buy a w-tch chain. I saw the defendant and another
person, who appeared to belong to the concern, in the shop.
The dekuilant *hawed me some chains, which he took from
the window. I %elected one with a key attached, to which
was attired a Least with 31. 10e. marked upon it. As I was I
looking at it 1 asked " whether it was gold ?" He said
it was not the best gold, not of the purest quality, but still
it was gold." I gave him a cheque for 31.155., and received
Zis. change. I believed at the time that it was a gold chain,
and I would not have parted with my money if I had not
believed that it was gold.
Crues-esamined by Mr. Clukson—l know that the chain
is not gold upon the authority of Mr. Thomas, an assayer,
and another, and I therefore caused the inquiry to be made.
I wanted a chain at the time, and I went to the shop of
the defendant without having been asked to go, simply to
make a purchase. He showed me two different sorts of
chains, one of which was of the best quality, the other was
not so good, but still it was all gold. I went with a friend
of mine (Mr. Challis) to Mr. Thomas, to see the chain
tested. 1 went of my own accord, and I showed it to a
jewella at Cheshunt. They both tested it. I have no
friends jewellers. Yesterday I went to Mr. Benson's house,
accompanied by Scott, the Mansion house officer, who put
li the summon% upon the conater. Mr. Benson, upon that
occasion, said that it was the practice of the house to give
' back money if the articles purchased were not approved of,
and he uttered to return the money to me, but I refused to
take it.

Mr. Thceras Wordsworth, watch and clock maker, and
jeweller, at Chtehunt, said—l have tested the chain in one
link of it, and the key and swivel, with sulphuric acid.
The key and swivel are tolerably fine gold. The swivel is
worth about is. 61. or 51., or 40s. an ounce. I cannot tell
the exact value of the key, but, to the beat of my know-
ledge, it is not worth more than 105. or 12s. The chain
would not stand the lowest test ; it is not worth mere than
7s. or 95. The value altogether may be 235. or 245.
Mr. W. J. Thomas, assistant so Messrr. Barber and
Smith, of 3d, Cornhill, jewellers, said—l tested the chain
produced, yesterday morning. My impression at first was
that it was not gold, but afterwards I found that there
was a small quantity of gold in it, by means of which it
was polished. I could not, as a shop-keeper, call it a gold
chain, and I could not sell it to a customer as a gold chain.
I tested it in two di.tinet links.

Crow-examined—lf it were half gold and half metal, I
could call it common gold. The lowest price for a gold
chain like this would be 71. I would expect 71. for it. l'he
gold in the key is not worth more than 11. an ounce.
Mr. Clarkson said he would not call witnesses, as from all
that had been stated there was not the slightest ground for
charging the gentleman accused of having intended
to cheat and defraud the complainant. It was quits evident
that the chain was composed of what was called jewellers'
gold, which it was impossible to work without • mixture of
alloy, and that the chain and key, and swivel, were worth
the money which had been given for them, mid which Mr.
Hessenhad offered to return according to the practice of the
house. lie submitted that in matters of this kind the good
sense of the people had s great deal to do with it, and that
if defendant were to be charged with having, under such
circumstances as had been stated, intended to cheat and
defraud, there was no trader in London who might not he
brought before that tribunal upon charges calculated to
destroy them.
The Lord Mayor said the question was one of too
Important a nature to be decided at i.e.. lie considered
that it was due to the employes dile ibbsdant, who, he
had every reason to believe. WWI sespeetable tradesmen, to
pursue the investigation with ggeallse strictness, and he
should, therefore, postpone lb ibbilen for a few days.
Fl asscie Alayberg. about U pug of egg, a licensed car-
man of the City of Loudon. realms, Me. 40, Milne-street,
Aldgate, was placed at the ber abrgedvith enmesh upon
his wife, by which her lite is en
Daniel Carter, police-constabler :sted that on Friday
night his attention was called to a disturbance at the house
lithe prisoner, when he found the prisoner's wife lying in
the passage bleeding profusely from a wound at the back
part of the head, and partially insensible. He obtained
meantime', and sent for Mr. Brown, • surgeon, in Saint
Mary-axe, who advised the woman's immediate re-
moved to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. She was ae-

eordingly taken there, and it was' found on examina-
tion that she had sustained such injuries at the base
of the skull, inflicted either from a blunt instru-
ment or by a fall, that her life was in danger. The polies
amstable Carter, seeing the prisoner coming out of an ad-
jelinksg house, and haying been intimated that he committed
nasaalt, took him into cannily, and asked him why he
bol treated kis wife in that manner. The prisoner replied
his wife had fallen down stairs, but on the road to the
seation-hottee he acimitted that he had struck her with a
oridlietick, subsequently saying he threw it at her; the
aaninestick was found by the constable at the bottom of the
Min, bent, which he produced.
Mr. Bpiller, an attorney, who appeared for the prisoner,
said as there was a certificate that the wife was not out of
danger, all he could do (the assault being admitted), was
to ask, as the prisoner was well knows, that he should be
admitted to bail.

The Lord Mayor (to the prisons)—l fled from the certi-
ficate before me yaw wife is not out of daapr ; you may be
tried for murder.

Prisoner (e•iolly)—I hope not.
Lord bleyor—l bops not also; bat certainly I cannot
think of &omitting you to bail. I shall remand the ease
for a week. _ _

GUILDHALL.

John Gorrod, of 77. Tower-street, Waterloo road, was
summoned by Emma Maria Laidler, for neglecting to con-
tribute rewards the support of his alleged male illegitimate
child.

The complainant stated the defendant's first wife was
her sister, and had been dead two years when she (com-
plainant) married him, not 'snowing that, under the ex-
isting state of the law in that respect, the contract was
illegal. The defendant had subsequently repudiated his
liability to support her, and she now applied that en order
might be made to compel him to support his child.
The defendant admitted the paternity of the child, and
expressed his willingness to contribute any amount the ma-
gistrate might order towards its support.
Mr. Alderman Piaui, said this was a very distressing
case. The complainant, who appeared a very respectable
young woman, had been seduced by the defendant under
circumstances of a peculiar nature, and he considered the
defendant's conduct in taking advantage of the complain-
ant's ignorance as to the validity of the marriage extremely
disgraceful. The usual order for 2a. 64. per week and
costs was then made.
hunts Gardiner and John Hawkins, a master ratcatcher
and his assistant, were charged with being found unlaw-
furl in the City sewers.
Police-constable 137 said he saw the prisoners coming up
the sewers grating in Throgmorton-street, and took them
into custody, when he found on them a key that titled the
grating and 18 rats.
Sir Chapman Marshall.—Well, Mr. Gardiner, how do
you get your living'
Gardiner.—Rat-catching, sir. That's my regular occu-
pation.
Sir C. Marshall.—But what Irwin'm had you under-
.

ground, damaging the sewers?
Gardiner.—We catches no end of rats there, sir—
(laughter)—and when ono) we gets into the sewen we
keeps on running and catches the rats as we goes (laughter)
—and we sometimes gets fifty in an hour, and sells 'em for
2s. per dozen. We got in at the Custom House, and
worked our way all round Whitechapel—(laughter)—and
from there to Comhill. I means to say as how there's
no man knows more underground than I do. I can find
my way all over London through the sewers. (Laughter.)
I've been at it for years, but my assistant, Jack, has only
been nine months in the line. (Laughter.)
Sir C. Marshall—What are the rats required for ?
Gardiner—Why, your honour, them sporting gents at
the west end pays sixpence a piece for live rats, and that's
why we goes into the &swirl and catches them. We often
meet the men beloogiug to the commissioners In the sewers,
but they never interferes with us as long ea we don't do no
injury to the walls.
Sir C. Marshall—As you have been locked up all night
I'll discharge you, and I bops you will not p into the
*ewers stain.