The Express.
London, England, 1866-12-06 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Bodkin, Assistant-Judge.)
Joseph Henry On eh, 29, describing himself as a " civil
engineer," was indicted for obtaining from William Car-
penter a cart, value 281., by false pretences.
It appealed from the evidence that the prosecutor is a
wheelwright, living at Sunbury, and on the 25th of May
last the prisoner went to him and entered into an agree-
ment for a cart, which he was to purchase for 28/., and
which was to be delivered at the prisoner's residence at
Laleham, near Feltham. The cart was accordingly taken
to the prisoner's residenceon the 26th of May, but the
prosecutor was informed that the prisoner was not at
home, he having gone to Staines, and that he had
better take the cart back, which he did. The seine
afternoon, however, the prisoner called upon him and
said he would give him a cheque on a bank for the
amount agreed upon. The prisoner wrote a cheque upon
Ashley's Bank for 251., and said he would leave dl., because
he did not wish to overdraw his account. The prosecutor
then gave him • receipt for 251. The prosecutor paid the
cheque into Ashley's Bank the following day, and two
days after that he received a notice from the bank that
the account in question was closed. He allowed his cart
to gi on the faith that the prisoner had an account at the
bank. He subsequently found that the cart had been
taken to a Mr. Boden's, of 163, Waterloo-road, who had
advanced 101. upon it until such time as he could find a
customer for it. It seemed that when the prisoner
called upon Mr. Bolen he asked him if he could ware-
MIDLAND CIRCUIT. —Lusconv, Dec:. 5. house a cart for him, and asked him if he sold car-
riages upon commission; and he told him that he did
(Before Sir W. F. Channell.) so. The prisoner then said that he had a cart at the
Joseph Bones, labourer, aged 44, was charged with the Waterloo station, and gave Mr. Roden an order to fetch
wilful murder of Eyre Peahen, at Billinghay, on the 16th it away. The prisoner said the cart was built nt Staines,
of August last. and as it had not been built exactly to his order he wanted
Mr. Dugdale appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr, . it warehoused until such time as Mr. Bedell could sell it.
Mellor (by direction of the judge) defended the prisoner. a Mr. Roden received the cart accordingly, and two or three
Upon being called on to plead, the prisoner uttered days afterwards the prisoner called upon him, and ob-
some incoherent expressions about knowing his victim tallied 101. on the secnrity of the cart. it is almost need-
ever since they went to school together, and this led his less to say that the prisoner never appeared to make any
lordship to inquire of the governor of the castle as to the further inquiries about the cart, and was not seen again
prisoner's conduct during the time he had been in his until he was apprehended by Robert Allison, a polies-
custody. constable, on this charge, on the 19th of November, at 27,
Mr. Foster replied that the prisoner was one of the . Church-street, Stoke Newington. When he was charged
most extraordinary beings he had ever bad in his charge ; with this offence he denied having made any false pretence
sometimes he was capable of understanding everything whatever when he obtained the cart.
said to him, whilst at others he did not appear to know Albert Harris said he knew the prisoner's signature .He
anything ; sometimes he was very quiet, and at others so had an account at the Metropolitan Provincial Bank,Corn-
violent that it took two or three warders to restrain him. hill, and the last cheque he drew, and which was honoured,
Mr. E. F. Broadbent, the surgeon to the castle, was then was on the 19th of March, 1864, and that cheque overdrew
called, and he gave it as his opinion that, although the his account to about 51. odd, which the bank had not been
prisoner was capable of distinguishing between right and since able to recover.
wrong, he was not at all times in a propel state of mind, The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
and was certainly not in a sufficiently sound state of mind I The Assistant-Judge asked if anything was known of the
to plead to so serious a charge. He was a very dangerous prisoner?
and violent character, and would no more care about Mr. Inspector Carpenter, of the London, Brighton, and
thrusting a knife into a man than he would of eating his South Coast Railway—who happened to be in court on
dinner. some other case—said, from the description given he be-
After a few words from his lordship, • lieved that the prisoner was the same person who had
The jury returned a verdict that the prisoner was of can- committed a fraud, by means of • false cheque, upon the
sound mind, and was therefore incapable of taking his station-master at Seaferd, a station on the Brighton Rail-
trial, and way. If time were allowed be believed that be should be
His lordship ordered him to be detained in custody until able to rove the case againt the prisoner.
her Majesty's pleasure should be known. The Wady mid,s under these cirmunstanees he

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.