The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-17 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Payne.)

Henry Blair, who was convicted with another of attempted
burglary, and sentenced to four years' imprisonment—two
years upon each count—was brought up, and made a most
extraordinary request
Prisoner—My lord, I wish you to help me. My health is
so bad that four years' imprisonment will no doubt kill me.
I wish you to help me.
Mr. Payne—What can I do for you? You have been
convicted for attempted burglaries
•two caws. What
can I do for you
Prisoner—My lord, I beseech you to give me five years'
penal servitude.
Mr. Payne—l cannot do it. Yon have already been
sentenced to five years' penal servitude ; you return and re-
commence your invasions against the law. You have now
been sentenced to four years' imprisonment, at which you
demur, at so short a period of your return—only a few
months. You must apply to the Secretary of State, for I
cannot alter my decision.
Prisoner—My lord, you can do something ; send me for
five years—l'll never come before you again. I will no
longer be a thief. I beseech you, my lord, to help me.
Try me for the " keys." (Some skeleton keys were found
upon the prisoner when he was taken into custody).
Mr. Payne—lf I had tried that case I should have sen-
tenced you in conjunction with the other two cases of
attempted burglary to ten years' penal servitude. Yon do
not seem to like four years' imprisonment.

Prisoner—My ant
Mr. Payne—Well, you will be attended by the medical
officer, and will receive every consideration.
Prisoner—My lord, I am ill ; you can do something for
me. Try me for the "keys." I got into this scrape
through lying drunk.
Mr. Payne—l cannot do so. You may consider yourself
fortunate. Reform when you return.
Prisoner—My lord you can do something for me. I'll
send you some people to speak for me, who appeared
against me before. Pray, my lord, I beseech you, to pity a
poor thief, who will be a thief no more. Try me for the
" keys," and give me five years. I beseech you to do so.
(The prisoner covered his face with his hands, and on
looking at the judge said, " 11l thieve no more," and was
apparently sincere in his manner.)
The Judge said he could not do so. Four years was
shorter than five, and he could reform when ho again came
upon the world.
Prisoner—l think you might try me upon the " keys."
I shall be a reformed man.

Mr. Payne—l hope you are sincere.
The prisoner was then removed, apparently in tears.

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FATAL GAROTTE ROBBERY.

Mr. Humphreys held an iniry at the Sea-
bright Arms Tavern, Hill-street, Hackney-road, last even-
mg, respecting the alleged murder of Joseph Welling,
aged years.
The jury having been sworn, proceeded to view the
.ody of the deceased and the scene of the supposed murder.
Rebecca Welling, No. 16, Gloucester-place, Hackney-
road, said that the deceased was her father. He was •
carpenter. On the night of last Monday week he re-
turned home in a very excited state and said that he
had been robbed and knocked down by two men.
They Lad taken 184, out of has pockets and had
stolen a coloured pocket-handkerchief. He said,
" I have been garotted and robbed." He was
shortly afterwards attacked by illness, and he became
ineenaible on Thursday. He expired on Saturday. Wit-
ness believed that her father had died from the effects of
the injuries inflicted upon him by garotter'. Witness's
mother had become ill since the deceased was attacked,
and she was notable to come before the court to give evi-
dence. The deceased was not quite sober when he was
attacked by the robbers.
George h. Pearce, No. 8, Gloucester-place, said that last
Monday week he saw the deceased speaking to a young
man near Tuileries-street, Hackney-road, at half-past five
o'clock in the evening. He was not sober. Witness could
not form any opinion as to whether the young man was
leading the deceased home or not.
Elisabeth Harvey, a girl about fifteen years of age, said
that she resided at No. 19, Middleton-street, Old Bethnal-
, green-road. On the evening in question, at about six
o'clock, she had occasion to call at her uncle's house, No.
120, Gloucester-place. While standing at the door she
saw two men kneeling upon the deceased, who was lying
upon the ground. Witness did not call, but she knocked
st the door, and when the men heard the knock they
jumped up off the deceased's body, and ran down • narrow
passage called Gloucester-passage. The deceased then got
up and picked up his bat, and stood against the garden-
wall of some housm. He said, "So you are off, are you r
Witness did not know the two men. Witness did sot
think the should know them if she saw them again.
Mr. W. Tolbat King, M.R.C.S., said that he was first
called in to see the deceased on Wednesday, the 9th inst.
On Thursday he was almost insensible, but witness rallied
him for a short time, when he went off again. He died on
Saturday. The pad *erten examination proved, in his
opinion, that death was due to natural causes, accelerated
by the sots of violence. . .

-The jury returned en open verdict, " That the deceased
died from congestion of the lungs, accelerated by injuries
which he had received in the public street, but by whom
thaw injuries were inflicted there is no evidence to show."

THE DAMAGE TO THE PLYMOUTH BREAKWATER.
—At the west end of the breakwater protecting Plymouth
Sound a long artificial foreshore is carried out to seaward,
for the protection of the lighthouse and adjacent works
against the inroads of the heavy billows rolling in from
the Atlantic in bad weather. This foreshore consists of
many thousands of tons of heavy blocks of stone thrown
into the sea along a natural reef of rocks. Each winter a
small portion of this loose stone is generally displaced at
every heavy gale, and some of the blocks are occasionally
washed over the breakwater. During the very heavy
gale that prevailed on the morning of the Bth instant a
much larger displacement of those stones took place than
has been known to have occurred for Beveled years. A
large number of enormous blocks, several tons in weight,
were washed over the breakwater and down its slope on
the inland side. A survey has since been made of the
damage done, and an estimate of it at 10,0001. bas been
reported to government. This estimate has, however, been
made with a very wide margin for contingencies, and it is
believed that an equal quantity of stone to that washed
up can be replaced an the foreshore at a cost of some
thousands of pomade ler.— Western leorieiey News.