The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-06 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION HOUSE.

George 11. Small, a yonag man, who was described in the
police sheet as an author, was brought before the Lord
Mayor, charged with having stolen a great coat in " His
Lordship's Larder," In Cheapsidc.
The investigation into the circumstance* of the ease,
which was one of rather a peculiar character, luted a con-
siderable time.

John Beeves, waiter in the " Larder," said—On Wed-
nesday evening the prisoner was dining at the house, and
stayed there upwards of two hours. He then got up and
said he would go outside to see whether it rained. He
came in again, but instead of sitting where he sat before,
took a seat in the middle of the room, took up a paper, and
continued some minutes longer. I then saw him delibe-
rately.get up, take a great coat from off the nail over the
place in which he was sitting, place it on his arm, walk up
to the desk, to settle for what he bad had, bid Mr. Jones, the
proprietor, " good night," and walk away. Two er three
minutes afterwards a gentleman came out of a box for his
great coat, and made inquiries of me, and I told him the
prisoner had taken a great coat from the nail he pointed
at. I have heard that the prisoner is an author.
Cress-examined by Mr. Garry, for the prisoner—I did
not see the prisoner hang up the coat, neither did I see him
enter the dining-room. I had no suspicion that the coat
was not the prisoner's own. He has brew in the habit of
coming to our house for some months.
Metropolitan policeman (N 151) said—At a quarter pest
seven on Saturday evening the prisoner was given into my
custody in Cavendish-street, New North-road, Hoaton, and
taken to the station-house, where the charge was read over
to him. He said he knew nothing at all about the coat, and
I then went to his lodgings with another officer and Mr.
Jones, the proprietor of His Lordship's Larder." The
address the prisoner had given at the station-house ; and in
the back parlour, under a bed, my brother officer found the
' pair of gloves produced in my presence. There is a mark
on the thumb of one of the gloves.
Mr. J. D. Jones said—l keep " His Lordship's Larder."
On Wednesday afternoon I saw the prisoner enter the house
without a great coat. He has never worn a great coat since
he has visited my house, but always a brown body coat
which he now has on. He left my house about six o'clock,
and bade me good night, and went away with a coat on
his arm, without, I believe, paying me. Two or three
minutes afterwards the waiter spoke to me upon the subject,
and that called to my mind the circumstance of having seen
him with a great coat on his arm, as I had seen him
wear • great coat. &boot five weeks previously the pri-
soner had introduced himself to me u the author of a poem
called the " The Lost Chief," the subject of which was
the Duke of Wellington, and I subscribed for a copy.
Since that time be has been hanging about the house.
I went to the printer of the poem, and from him to the
bookbinder, who went with me to the lodging of the pri-
soner, where I saw the latter in the back room on the
ground floor, and I told him that he had stolen a great
coat, and that he must come with me to the station-house.
He was unwilling to go, but at lot consented, and when
we got outside the officer took him into custody. The
owner of the coat was with me. In going to the station-
house the prisoner threw away a duplicate for a waistcoat.
I afterwards returned to his lodgings with the officer, and
on searching diligently we found the gloves produced be-
tween the bed aid the bedstead. The o gnu of the gloves
was with me at the time. It was my turn to take the
money that day. He did not pay me. No one else has
I authority to take money in my house.
Mr. William Hutchings, clerk in the London and
Westminster Bank, said—l went into Mr. Jones's house
on Wednesday to dine, as usual. I took off my
great coat, and pat into one of the pockets my neck wrapper
and a pair of gloves, and then hung it on • peg in the room.
I then had my dinner, and after dinner I went to the usual
place where the coat hung, and it was gone. My hat was
on the peg. I informed Mr. Jones of my lost I pointed
out to the witness Reeves the peg on which I had hung my
coat. The gloves produced are mine, and when the officer
found them in my presence they were placed one on
another, and I knew them to be mine. I once saw the
prisoner in the dining room, but never spoke to him.
Neither the coat nor wrapper has been found. I solemnly
believe these gloves were in the pocket of my coat when I
hung it up.
Croes-examined—l have worn the gloves • long time, and
there is a small hole In one of them, and they are lined
with wool. There is also • seam in them from which I
know them.

Mrs. Isabella Sparks—l lodge in the house in which the
prisoner resides. I let him in on Wednesday night, between
11 and 12, with a great coat on. He had not been in the
habit of wearing one. I have not seen it since. It was not
the coat he is now wearing.
The prisoner, in opposition to the advice of his solicitor,
made the following statement :—I have one thing to state,
my lord. It is, that Mr. Jones is decidedly wrong in say-
ing that he saw me enter the room that day without a
great coat. Mr. Jones is very, very seldom in the room in
the daytime, and was not there when I entered it. He
states, also, that I did not pay him. Very naturally. He
had just come from above, where I had previously paid hie
clerk at the desk, which is his office. I went out to see if
it rained, which I found it did, and returned to wait for a
few minutes. I took down my coat and went to the desk.
Seeing Mr. Jones there, which is unusual, I said
I've paid my bill, Mr. Jones; I don't think it rains
so much. I shall bid you good night." He bode me gad
night, as also did the clerk. With reference to these
gloves, which have been sworn to, they are my own pro-
perty, and I can ?rove from whom I purchased them two
years ago in my native town ; and as to their being under
the bed was a matter of eery little moment, when haq a
room in which he can put his things where It is convenient.
I have nothing more to say, than that the charge, brought
against me are most decidedly wrong.
Mr. Garry, for the prisoner, said that his client was a
gentleman of high &equipments, and that the poem to
which allusion was made had received the strong appro-
bation of the present Duke of Wellington. He con-
tended that the evidence was by no means conclusive, but
The Lord Mayor briefly repeated a few of the leading
facts produced in evidence, and committed the ptis)aer fur
trial at the Central Criminal Court.
MARLBOROUGH- STREET.

The Rev. Henry Henegsti, curate of Crofton, Titchfleld,
Huts, was brought before Mr. Bingham, on a warrant.
charging him with obtaining 161. from Thomas Waters, of
Fareham, Hants, by false and fraudulent pretences.
It was deposed that the rev. defendant, who is a married
man with four children, superintended the national school
at Crofton, the governess of which was a young woman,
about 19 years of age, named Macfarlane. About three
weeks ago the rev. gentleman suddenly left Crofton, accom-
panied in his flight by Miss Macfarlane, and proceeded to
Boulogne yid Folkestone. Subsequently other circum-
stances came to the knowledge of the county magistrates.
who granted a warrant for his apprehension, wnich was
placed in the hands of Superinteadeat Harvey, of the
Hants constabulary, who, alter considerable trouble, traced
the rev. defendant and his frail companion to London.
From information he had received he went on Thursday
I last to a coffee-house in Oxford-street, when he under-
stood they were staying, and there saw Miss Macfarlane,
who, in reply to his inquiries, said the defendant had left
her several days before without a farthing in the world,
and site had not seen him since. Mr Harvey at once paid
her bill, and placed her in the care of a friend till his re-
turn to Fareham. Superintendent Harvey next procured
Mr. Bingham's signature to the warrant, and proceeded to
Pinner, near which place he apprehended the defendant
on Sunday night, and he was now placed at the Lbw to
I answer the charge of need and forgery.
Superintendent Harvey was sworn, and said that last
night he took the prisoner into custody near Pinner; he
was in a railway train, and witness took him therefrom on
the present charge. Witness had no evidence here to-day,
and he wished his worship to remit defendant to Fareham.
Mr. Bingham said the superintendent was entitled to
take defendant there under the warrant backed by him
(Mr. Bingham).