The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-18 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSION&

(Bofors Mr. W. H. Bodkin, Ass Mont Judge.)

Georpe Grate, 52, cooper, was hadieted for stealing 31b.
weight of mutton, ,sine 211. 4d., the property of Samna
Emanuel.

This was a most daring robbery, and the result of the
trial was somewhat extraordinary. The prosecutor bops
the Wheatsheaf public-house, In Lanan-street, White-
chapel, and on Fluky, the 29th of September, there was a
pot on the tap-room ire, in which was a piece of mutton
boiling for dinner. The prisoner and another man were
there, and the latter was for some time eating mussels, and
having finished them he went away, leaving the shells on
the table. The servant girl had temporarily left the room,
and the allegation of the prosecution was, that during
her absence the prisoner had taken the mutton and
walked off with it as the servant saw him leaving the
place with something tied up in a handkerchief. In about
five minutes after the prisoner was gone the girl went
and looked into the pot on the fire, and missed the
mutton, and in its place she found the mussel shells. The
case was strengthened against the prisoner by the fact that
no person could go into the taproom without being seen by
the servant girl, and she stated that no one had entered but
the prisoner and the man who had had the mussels. The
prisoner was next day taken into custody, and charged
with stealing the mutton, which be denied, and said he
had only taken the mussels. Another person, the wife of
a licensed victualler in the neighbourhood, said she bad
one day a piece of beef boiling in the taproom, and no one
entered but the prisoner. When he was gone she found
the beef was gone also.
The prisoner seemed to treat the whole affair as a good
joke. and after the summing up by the learned judge the
jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
In answer to the Assistant-Judge, the foreman of the
jury said they found the prisoner not guilty, because it
was the next day when the prisoner was taken, and she
mutton had not been found.

Hollow Ddange, 34, and Jules Delange, 38, were in-
dicted for stealing a quantity of lace and other articles,
value 101., the property of Louis Alphonse Foulllet, in
his dwelling-house.
Mr. Albert interpreted the evidence.
It appeared that Hortense Delanp was forewoman at
a fashionable dressmaker's, of No. 18, Princes-Crest,
Hanovcr-square, and of course had complete control over
the articles which were need. Madame Anna FoulHet from
time to time missed eeversl valuable articles of silk, lace,
&a, and in consequence all the persons employed there
were suspected of surreptitiously taking them away.
Accordingly this was communicated to the pollee, and
Henry Dawson, 301 A, was sppoirted to watch the work-
people as they left the premises of their employers.
On the 10th of September Dawson saw the female
prisoner leave the premises, and she was immi•
ffittely joined by the other prisoner, who was
waiting for her. He continued to watch them
for several othor nights, and on the 18th he saw them
meet as usual, and go to No. 1, Stephen-street, Totten-
hira-court-road. On the following Saturday night Dawson
went to this place, and having entered the house, told the
prisoners that he was a polioe officer,that a quantityof silk
and lace was missing, and that be wanted to know if they
knew anything about it. They said they did not, and
then the officer asked them if they had not been to Mr.
Neste's, • pawnbroker, in Duke-street, Manchester-
sqaareand pledged something there about three weeks
before. The feme prisoner said she had pledged bar
ring there, but nothing else. She bad a bag in her hand,
which, on being examined, contained a number of pawn-
brokers' duplicates, some of them referring to lace and
silk which had been stolen from the prosecutor's premises.
The female prisoner said she was very sorry that she had
taken the lace, and the officer said he should take her into
custody. He took the male prisoner for being eonoerned
with his wife in stealing the property, and he said he knew
nothing about it. Dawson went back to No. 1, Stephen-
street, after the prisoners were in custody, and in the back
parlour he found a box, which he opened with a key he
li
found on the male prisoner and in it were 45 yards of lace,
20 yards of ribbons, 15 yais of braid, and other property,
and 37 duplicates. There were also a number of silk and
other dresses, partly made. Several pawnbrokers pro-
duced • large quantity of property pawned by the pri-
soners.

The jury found both the prisoners Guilty.
The prosecutrix was called into the box, and she said
that she hail been robbed to the extent of 3001. or 4001. in
goods.
The Assistant...Tudge said this was a very shameful case,
as the woman was in the receipt of very good wages, and
was placed in • position of trust and revonsildlity. As
regarded the man he oonsidered him to be a very worthless
fellow, and he had no doubt that he was the instigator of
the woman to commit these robberies. if. sentenoed them
to be each imprisoned and kept to hard labour for two
years. This was a use that almost merited • Lenten of
penal servitude.

William Whatmilla, 21, was indiotad for obtaining b 7
false pretences from Robert Woodman the sum Cl
with intent to defraud.

It appeared that some angry feeling existed between the
prosecutor and the prisoner at Slanmore. One of the pri-
soner's horses was damaging this prosecutor's property, and
it was put into the pound. Next day the prisoner, smart-
ing under the penalty he had to pay, got hold of one of the
prosecutor's horses and put it into the pound altl-ongh it
was alleged that it had done no damage. The prosecutor
had to pay It. Os. 4d. to the pound-keeper to get it out,
and it was alleged that this was a case of obtaining money
by false pretences.
F,r the defence it was urged that serious damage had
been done to the prisoner's field by the prosecutor's hoses.
After • hug discussion the jury found the prisoner
Guilty, but with an expression that there was an ill-feel-
ing between the parties.
The Assistant-Judge deferred pawing sentence to next
session, to give the prisoner an opportunity of reimbursing
the prosecutor for the expenses to which be had been put
by these proceedings.