The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-31 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

...... .
John Ikllamy, a little deformed msn, was brought before
Mr. Seeker, charged with administering a drug to Louisa
Meredith, a servant out of place, and robbing her of 235.
and a box containing wearing apparel worth about 51.
The complainant stated that on Saturday afternoon last
she left her situation, at the corner of Bride-lane, Fleet-
street, and went to look fur a cab ut the corner of tarring-
don-street to convey her and her luggage away. She then
met the prisoner, and, believing him to be connected with
the cab stand, requested him to bring her a cab. Shortly
afterwards he drove up with a cabman, and assisted kbe
latter to put her box on the top of the vehicle. She re-
ceived her wages, amounting to 265., from her master,
and as soon as she got into the cab she asked the pri-
molter whether he could recommend her to a respectable
lodging until she could obtain a situation. He replied
that he could take her to one, when she handed
him a halt-crown to pay the cab fare. She also
requested the cabman to stop at the first public-house to
partake of a glass of ale. The cab stopped near St. Cle-
ment's Church, in the Strand, when the prisoner and the
driver had some ale. The former brought her out a glaos
of rum, and a minute or two afterwards she became insen-
sible, and had no recollection of anything until the follow-
ing morning, when she found herself in the police station,
Tower-street, Lambeth. She then discovered that her
money was all gone, and that she had been deprived of
her box of clothes. She gave information to tho police
respecting the circumstances, and described the prisoner,
who was yesterday apprehended by the constable. She
had drank nothing prior to the glass of rum, and was con-
fident that laudanum or some other drug had been admi-
nistered to her. She knew nothing of the bottle of lau-
danum found in her pocket. It must have been placed there
by some one.
Thomas Judd, a cabman, said he drove the complainant
and the prisoner to Clement's-inn-passage, when the latter
and himself partook of some ale. The prisoner took the
complainant a glass of rum, and a few minutes afterwards
he took her out of the cab and placed her box in a house
in Black horse-court. Witness was then paid his fare and
discharged. About an hour afterwards he was called off
the cab stand to take a woman home from a public house
close by, and on arriving he saw the complainant lying
down, apparently insensibly drunk. The prisoner met him
and said she was his wife, and requested him to drive them
home. The female was accordingly put in the cab and the
prisoner jumped in also, requesting him to drive to Broad-
wall, Lambeth. When he arrived at the latter place the
prisoner ordered him to stop at the corner of the street, and
on his alighting he perceived the complainant lying quite in-
sensible at the bottom of the vehicle. The prisoner was at-
tempting to pull her out when a constable came up, and
took charge of her, and while his attention was paid to the
female the prisoner escaped.
Police constable 67 L Paid—About half-past ten on Satur-
day night he saw the cab in Broadwall, and perceiving the
woman insensible he 'vent up to assist her. While doing
so the prisoner ran away. Finding her very ill ho con-
veyed her to the police-station, when. a surgeon was sent
fur and pronouncing that she bad been drugged,the stomach
pump was resorted to. In her pocket witness found a
small bottle containing laadanum, which she asserted, on
regaining her consciousness, that she knew nothing about.
She had no money about her, and could give no information
about her property. Having some knowledge of the
prisoner witness went in search of Min, and discoveredjhim
on the previous eveniug in the White Hart public-house in
the Strand. It was witness's opinion that a portion of the
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laudanum had been nailed with the rum, and another portion
administered to her while insensible in the cab.
The cabman informed the magistrate that when they first
entered the public-house the prisoner had no money, but
when he got in again he had six or seven half-crowns in
his hand. The female was quite sobn when she engaged
him, and he was astonished at her sudden insensibility;
but ho was taken off his guard by the prisoner asserting
that she was his wife.
The policeman, in continuation, said that after he had
apprehended the prisoner he found out the cabman, and
through him the box was discovered at a house in Bos-
well-court. It appeared that the prisoner had represented
to the landlord that the female who left it was his wife,
and attempted to remove it on Monday, but the landlord,
suspecting something was wrong, refused to let him have
it. The property was all safe and had been identified by
the female.
The prisoner declared that he was quite innocent of the
charge. He denied administering any drug to her, or hay.
ing any knowledge of the bottle of laudanum, neither did
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him to Newgate for trial.—Committed accordingly.