The Express.
London, England, 1858-03-18 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

BOW-STREET.

W. dile/mon, aged 21, a clerk in the Union Bank of
London, and the son of a member of the Common Council,
and Fanny Hill, a young woman, who described herself u
the wife of an architect, lodgining at 35, Great James-street,
Bedford-row, were placed at the bar, before Mr. Henry,
charged with stealing a pares containing a half-sovereign and
about 7s. in silver, from the person of Jane Harvey, a monied

Tltepronentri deposed that she was the wife of a coachman
living at 66, Gloucester-mews, and was herself in the service
of a gentleman's family at present residing at St. Leonard's.
Oa Tuesday evening, about half-plat seven o'clock, she was
walking from Ruseell-square towards Bedford-square, on
her way home, when she met the two prisoner. arm-in-arm.
The male prisoner, stopping her, Bald, le this Keppel-
street r. Witness replied " I think it is." He then coked
the name of the square at the end of the street, and she
told him "Russell-square." About this time the female
prisoner pressed rudely against her (witness's) side while the
conversation wan going on. The male prisoner then asked
the way to Southampton-row and Queen-square.
Witness pointed out the direction of three places
to the best of her ability, after which the prisoners
walked on. Witness, having her suspicions aroused
by the conduct of the woman and the number of questions
put to her by the young man, put her band into her pocket
and instantly missed her purse. She was then certain that
the prisoners had robbed her, and she reeolved to follow them.
She did so, keeping a short distance from them. After pro-
ceeding a little way along Keppel-street they turned round
and walked back again, crossed Bedfurd-square, and passed
along Bedford-street to Tottenham-court-road, at the corner
of which the rule prisoner (who had looked back and seen
witness following him), whistled to some man on the opposite
side of the street. The whistle wu answered by another
whistle, but witness did not see the man who responded to
the signal. The prisoners then crossed Tottenham-court-
road, turned into dark back street in the neighbour-
hood of Rathbone-place, and subsequently walked back
again, recrossing 'Tottenham-court-road, parsing again
through Bedford-square and Keppel-street. Witness still
followed them, hoping to meet with a constable
shortly, although not one had yet appeared on
the route. In Keppelatreet, the male prisoner, seeing
that she was still behind them, left the young woman,
and walking up to witness, asked her if she was lost P She
replied, " You know what lam following you for." At this
moment she saw two men in the street, and telling them that
the prisoners had robbed her of her puree, asked one of them
to go and fetch a constable. Ile went into Russell-equvre
and found one on duty there, No. 22 E, to whom witness
then stated the case, and gave the prisoners into custody.
Police-constable 22 B, corroborated this latter statement.
He took the prisoners to the station, where they were searched,
a porte-monnale, containing gs. in silver and four pawn-
brokers' duplicate*, were found on the female prisoner, but
the purse stolen from the prosecub II was not found. Neither
of the prisoners had a half sovereign. At the station the
female prisoner admitted that the knew Russell-square end
the district very well, but she did not think that the young
man did. She gave her address, and witness went after-
wards to inquire at the house in Great James-street where
she lodged. He was then informed that she did live there
as Mrs. Hill and had been tliereabout eighteen months, Mr.
Hill having been there three years. Ho was told that ate
bad been a servant in the family of Mr. Deputy Aitchison,
the male prisoner's father.
Mr. Henry—Did the male prisoner deny the statement of
the proeetutrix P
Witness—He did not deny having asked the way to the
various pieces mentioned, but he denied Miming robbed her.
At this point the male prisoner's attorney requested that
he might send for counsel, and, atter an adjutuament for this
purpose, Mr. Metcalfe attended for him.
In the meantime Mr. Hill, who said he was the husband
of the young woman at the bar, requested that be might
have the keys which had been Liken from his wife by the
constable.

The &petrel:on was granted.
The prosecutrix added that in the middle of the night, after
one o'clock, a constable brought the male prisoner's brother
to her resident., and called her up. She got up, and the
brother proposed to " compromise" the case. Witness de-
clined the offer, stating that she had placed the matter in the
hands of the police, and it must remain with them.
Mr. Metcalfe cross-examined the prosecunix with con-
siderable oe, but without eliciting a single dis-
crepancy her statement. She had felt the purse in her
pocket shortly before.
The sergeant at the station (11 E) who took the charge
deposed that the proescutrix gave precisely the same account
of the affair to him, and it was so clear and straightforward
he felt bound to take the charge. Finding afterwards that
the prisoners had given their right addresses, and that the
young man was very respectably connected, he thought it
right to send a constable to ascertain if the prosecutrix had
also given her right address. The prisoner's brother wished
to accompany the officer, but the latter had nothing whatever
to do with the proposal to compromise theca.
Mr. Metcalfe said his answer to this extraordinary charge
was that the prisoners knew nothing about the puree, and
that the prementrix must have lost it la some other way. The
fee* he believed, were, that the young man Aitchison sad
his brother had gone to spend the evening at Mr. Hill's, at
whose hones they met a young midehipurao. Mr. IEII pro-
posed that the prisoner's, brother, the midshipman,and him-
self, should go out and have a game of billiards together ; and
to compensate the wife for their absence, Hill pro that
the younger Aitchison (the primmer) should take her out for
a stroll. This was how they came to be walking together
when they met the prosecutrix and asked the questions as to
the way—probably not withiag to get too far away from
home. Surely upon such evidence as this the magistrate
would not iodic* upon a most respectable family the distress
which would be occasioned by the committal of a youth like
the prisoner, who held a most responsible situation, and bore
an excellent character, as he hod numerous witnesses to
show.

Mr. Henry—l could not dismiss the charge without ex-
qmsang a strong opinion upon it, It is shown that the
female prisoner, with whom he was walking arm-in-arm,
knew Hassell-square perfect/y wia, and, residing as she has