The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-18 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

nabs Daimon alias Phoebe Blakeney, was brought up on
a warrant, charged with having committed wilful and cor-
rupt perjury in the year 1833, by making an affidavit in
Doctors' Commons stating that she wu the daughter and
neat of kin of the late Mrs. Etna Elam, widow of the late
Lieut. Elam. _ _

Mr. liuTldiestonc appeared for the prosecution, and said
that he should only be able now to give such evidence as
would justify a remand, as he could not produce the officials
from Doctors' Commons to-day.
Mr. Lewis, for the prisoner, said that unless evidence of
perjury was given at once, he bad a right to claim her die-
ter,g:but, as she wished fora full inquiry into the mat-
should only ask that she be enlarged on her own re-
Vatnees. . iladdleatone said he should require very substantial
bail.

Mr. Lewis rid if this severe course was pursued he
should insist ow hie client's &mbar^ unless evidence of
perjury was g 0 to at once.
Mr. Alamos& Challis said that be was In possession of
the dmiaratioss aa oath on which the warvansrma granted,
rid hs west have ball for the rrieettWe •
Ares sew rattier &Islamism isWI Free cam was
gar Ws, sad. *at Ike alslsmel ppropiros, it
appeal art is 1807 a Xis Wks Mei maid Limo-

nant Joseph Elam, of the Bth Garrison Battalion. In 1828
Kis Georgina Elam was born, and in 1829 Lieutenant
Elam stied. Mrs. Elam died in 1833, and Miss Elam was
taken charge of by Mrs. Dawson, the prisoner, who had
been under the protectioa of the Earl of Portarlington, and
who represented herself as a friend of her mother, and that
she would take care of her. Miss Elam went to school with
Mn. DAWI,OII'S daughters, at Mrs. Robinson's, at Ealing.
Miss Elam continued under Mrs. Dawson 's care till she went
to Rouen, in France, about two years ago, to Knish her educa- '
tion. In January, 1851, an advertisement appeared in the
Times for the " next of kin of the late Mn. Elam," bat
Miss Elam did not hear of it until October last, and on ap-
plication at the place indicated in the advertisement, she
wu referred to Doctors'-commons, where she ascertained
that Phew Lawson had taken out letters of ailmini,tra-
tion to the estate of Mrs. Elam, under the title of her
daughter and next of kin, and had gained possession of her
property, which was sworn at under 5,000.. The amount
was afterwards sworn to be under 4,000/., and the stuck had
es

been sold out by Mrs. Dawson.
Miss Georgina Elam stated that she was 23 years of age,
and lived at 3, Torrington•street, Torrington-square. She
did not remember her mother's features, but recollected liv-
ing with her in C arzon-street and afterwards in Clargewstrect,
She remembered the time of her mother's death, and did
not recollect seeing Mrs. Dawson before that. She was then
at Brighton, and Mrs. Dawson came and took her away,
and placed her at Mrs. Robinson's with her daughters,
where she remained until June, 1831. She was brought up
as one of Mrs. Dawson's children, who was very kind to
her, called her mother, and was called Georgina Dawson.
She had ceased living with her for two years, and had since
resided at ltouen with some friends. She had been at Mrs.
Robinson's as late as 1843. Mrs. Dawson took her away.
Mrs. Dawson always called her mother Mrs. Elam, and had
asked her if she recollected her. The witness became pos-
sessed of her baptismal certificate about two months ago,
which she had obtained previous to her going to France.
She remembered being called Mies Elam, but she was not
baptised till she was three years old, er friends applied
to Mrs. Dawson to know under what name she should be
married in France, and she said in her own
name " Elam," and offered to get the certificate.
At this time witness had the certificate, on dis-
covering which Mrs. Dawson was much annoyed. The
reason for obtaining the certificate was, that witness might
know who and what she was ; and, also, because in France
young ladies could not be married without producing their
certificates of baptism. (Laughter.) Mrs. Dawson had
never told her her mother had any property. She had made
enquiries at Doctors' Commons and found—
Mr. Lewis here objected to the witness giving evidence of
written documents.
After some discussion a verified copy of the warrant of ad-
m' tration, in which Mrs. Dawson represented herself as
the daughter of Mrs. Elam, was tendered.
This was also objected to, and it was proposed to call Mr.
Cotterill, solicitor to the prosecution, to prove what he saw
at Doctors' Commons, and then to ask for a remand, when
, all the official documents wou dbe produced. It was, how-
ever, arranged that the case should be at once adjourned—
the' prisoner being required to produce two hail in 2501.
each, and be bound herself in 500 f. for her next ap-
pearance.
The necessary bai, being provided, the prisoner was libe-
rated till the neat hearing.

BOW-STREET.
Mario Baring was charged with the following barbarous
cruelties to animals.
Two boys, street-sweepers, and a police constable, de-
posed that the prisoner was iu the habit of stealing eats in
the neighbourhood of Drury-lane, where a great number
of those animals hail been lately missed by their owners,
and taking the skins off while the cats were quite hot, after
sha had cut their throws, its it appeared that the skins were
most valuable when taken oil just as the cats were killed.
The witnesses stated that they had seen the prisoner throw
eats into the gutters, and that it was enough to make them
sick to see the dead bodies of the wretched animals exposed
reeking hot to public view. One of the witnesses, named
S. Smith, a street sweeper, was so disgusted that he remained
up one or two nights to watch for the cat destroyer, and saw
the prisoner throw them in the gutter in l'arker-street,
Drury-lune, on Sunday morning, and also on this moming.
Ile told the prisoner that she ought to be ashamed of her-
self; but she replied that they were not eats, but " wild
Ilampshire rabbits." (A laugh.) There were about a dozen
cats thrown in the street at one time by the prisoner. The
constable stated that he had made inquiries respecting the
prisoner, and found that she hail been turned away from
one ludginir-house for cooking the cats on the fire. (Sensa-
tion.) Ile hail frequently seen the urisoner about at night;
and his attention having been called to the facts this morns
hap he took her into custody.
he prisoner said that what had been called cats by the
witnesses were rabbits, but if even they were cats, and
people chose to cat them, she saw no harm in it. She hail
a son a priest, and was known to the clergyman of thu Sar-
dinian chapel, who assisted her, along with some needle-
work which she did, to get a living.
Mr. Henry said that the evidence clearly rendered the
prisoner liable to severe punishment under a recent act of
parliament fur the protection of animals. 11cr practices
were barbarous in the extreme, and he would punish her to
the full extent by sending her to the House of Correction
fur three calendar mouths, with hard labour.
The prisoner, who seemed quite hardened, was then
locked up by the gaoler.
W ESTMINSTER.

A few days ago, a lad named Thomas White, errand bo
in the cmployntent of Mr. Peers, a very respectable printer
at Kensington, was brought to this court charged with
having uttered a forged cheque fur 461. 10s. upon Messrs.
Coutta and Co. It was then stated that on the previous
evening the accused bad presented a forged letter purport-
ing to be nritteu by the Rev. Mr. Rowdier, of 2, Onslow-
square, enclosing the cheque above named, bearing his sig-
nature, at the shop of Mr. Kirby, chvescmouger, Queen's-
buildings, Brompton.
Yesterday a very respectable looking man, addressing
Mr. Arnold', said that he had sten the account of
these proceedings in the newspapers. Thinking it very
shocking that any person should suffer innocently, he had
considered it his duty to come forward and state that the
accused was nut guilty of the charge, but that his (the
speaker's) son was the person who had obtained the money
as described at the request of a person who had accosted him
as he was walking along, and had given him the letter and
bad received the cash.
Upon the lad originally accused having been placed in
the felon's dock,
Mr. Arnold said to Mrs. Faulkener, who in the first exa-
mination identified the prisoner—You stated on the former
occasion that you were positive he was the person who
brought the letter to your shop and obtained the money
although he was differently dressed. 1 put the question
twice to you, and you stated that you were the more posi-
tive upon hearing him speak. Have you any reason to
alter that opinion? Do you still positively identify him, or
have you any doubt ?
Mrs. Faulkener-1 don't seem to have the least doubt.
Mr. Arnold now requested the stranger who had just
made the disclosure above referred to to stand forward with
his son.
. . . .

.... ___.
The latter, a boy younger than tbc accused, less than the
accused, and as minim him in complexion and appearance
as any two persons could possibly be, was then sworn, and
said—My name is Henry Hanker. I live with my father,
a shoemaker, at 93, Lein-street, Subo I was coming
across the park when a man came and tapped me on the
shoulder. !le looked to me like a gentleman's servant, and
said, " Con you spare ten minutes ; I want you to go on a
little errand Mr me 1" 1 said " Yen." I then accompanied
him, and he appeared to go into the house, 19, New-street,
and fetched me a letter, which he gave mo. He said the
family had gut a dinner party, and he therefore could not
spare time tug. himself; and I was to take care of what
they gave me at Mrs. kaulkener's, to whom I was to deli-
ver the letter. 1 went with it to Mrs. Faulkener's, the
butcher's, as he told me. I had never aecu her before.
She gave me 15 sovereigns and a half and a al. note.
She put the note in a bag with the gold. I was taking it
back to where 1 bad received the letter, when I met
the person who had sent me, running down New-
street without his hat. I gave him the bag, and he gave
me a shilling for my trouble. Hu also gave me a letter
to put in the post. I don't remember the name of the
person to whom it was directed, but the address was Corn-
hill.
Mr. Arnold—ln what park did he meet you ?
Witness—ln St. James's—close to New-street, Spring-
gardens—on Monday three weeks, at about five minutes
past five. 1 know nothing whatever of the prisoner. I
never saw him till now.
Mr. Arnold—You have heard the statement of this wit-
ness, Mrs. Faulkener. What do you now say with respect
to the prisoner's identity ?
Mrs. Faulkener —1 went so far as to say I thought it was
the boy.
Mr. Arnold—Do you say so now ?
Mrs. Faulkener-1 don't know any difference of the one
boy from the ether. I'm sure 1 didn't mean anything
wrong. I'm sure it ha disturbed me very much thinking
about it.
Mr. Arnold—l was induced to place every reliance upon
the weight of your testimony that this was the boy.
Mrs. Faulkener—l see now the difference.
Mr. Arnold—Can you say now who brought the
cheque ?
Mn. Faulkener —I certainly say the other must be the boy.
Mr. Arnold—You believe not the prisoner?
Mrs. Faulkener—Certainly. It was only one sight I got
of him, as I said.
Mr. Arnold—Pardon me, you went a great deal further.
I thought you might be labouring under a mistake, because
I have known such things occur as that when persons are
sent for to se* a prisoner charged with a similar offence as
that committed against them, they have erroneously come
to the conclusion that, aaa the caramstanees of the case
are similar, be must be the person. 1, therefore, in order
that no mistake should affect the prisoner, put question
upon question, and you declared that you had no doubt
whatever of his identity, and you were even more positive
when you heard him speak.
Mrs. Faulkener—lt was a sort of faltering voice.
Mr. Arnold—You have acted most improperly and un-
courteously. Owing to the facilities given by the public
press, the father of the boy who has given evidence became
acquainted with what had taken place here, and has very
properly come forward and exonerated the prisoner whom
you identified. Had it not been for the report published of
the previous examination, the father of the boy would have
known nothing about what had occurred hem Your teed-
mony would have been unitopeaebed, I should have felt it
' my duty to have committed him, awl ha would in all pro-
behility have been convicted and transported.
' Some witnesses having been calles47wbo gad the seemed
an excellent character, and the Wing stated that
they bad no other charge ain't
Mr. Arnold immediately dsahaepd the asseseg, snaring
him that he left that court widest the WOWS impaddna
upon his character.