The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-04 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. H. W. Bodkin.)
Robert Lilly, formerly groom of the chambers to the
Earl of Cardigan, surrendered, in discharge of his bail.
to answer an indictment, in which he was charged with
theft.
Lady Cardigan said—On Tuesday, the 13th of February,
I had occasion to make a remittance to Masers. Harrington,
linendrapers, of Brighton, and on that day I wrote a
cheque for 18/. les. on the London and 'Westminster
Bank in
cu place where I have a private account.
The cheque pro&ced is the one that I wrote..
I enclosed the cheque with the bill in an en.
velope. I put " registered " on the top. and addressed
the letter to Messrs. Harrington. 170, North-street,
Brighton. That was about ten eclock in the morning. I
gave that Letter to Lilly. I told him there was a cheque
for 18/. in it, and that I wished it to be stared and put
into the post immediately. It was sailed, and I put two
stamps upon it. I gave the letter to the prisoner to port,
and I went out with Lord Cardigan. On my return, I
wrote another cheque for Mr. Redfern, of Cowes, for 30a.
I put that in an envelope. That was also an uncroseed
cheque on my banker. I told Lilly that there was also
money in that, and I that he had posted the other
letter carefully. He said, "I am sure if you have given
me the letter, it is pouted properly." Nothing more was
then said. The prisoner took the second letter, which I
gave to him while I was at luncheon, addressed to Mr.
Redfern, of Cowes. lam not quite sure whether I wrote the
word " registered " upon this ; but I think I did. I am cer-
tain I did so en the Bret letter. At the end of a week
I went down to Dean-park, Northamptonshire. I went
there on the 17th, and the prisoner had gone down on
the day before. While I was there I did not receive the
receipt as I expected, and I wrote a letter to Merin..
Harnngton. They answered that the cheque had not
been received. On the receipt of this letter I spoke to
the prisoner, and told him that it was very extraordinary
that the letter I had given to him had never been re-
ceived at all. He said himself that it was very
extraordinary. I asked him if he had given the letter
to any one else to post, and he said if he had had a
letter given to him he posted it ; but he could remember
nothing about it. I said, " I shall certainly write to my
banker to stop the cheque, and I will hire a detective to
find out what has become of the money." The prisoner
said it would be no use going to a detective, as he would
not find it out ; and he said that letters put in iron-pillar
posts were not always safe, and that they sometimes mis-
carried. I sent him up to London to make inquiries, and
told him to go to the pout-office near Portman-square,
where my letters were generally posted, and I wrote to my
hankers. The prisoner went up to London, and on the fol-
lowing day returned. The lams day I received a letter
from my bankers. I spoke to the prisoner, and told him
that I had received a letter from my bankers, stating that
the cheque had been cashed. I told him I should employ
• detective. The prisoner said he had been to the bankers,
and they told him letters were not safe when they were put
into the iron posts.
Hayes, the hall porter, was then called, and he gave evi-
dence that the day the letters were given to the prisoner
to post, he saw him in the hall with letters in ins hand,
that one was directed in Lady Cardigan's writing, and that
it also had the word registered upon it. He was severely
examined by Mr. Huddeston us to his antecedents. Other
witnesses were examined, and the ease for the defence was
then proceeded with. After the judge had summed up,
the jury retired for half an hour, and then returned a
verdict of Not Guilty, which was received with some
applause, and the prisoner, having been congratulated by
his friends, left the court.