The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-28 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

Darid Wells, sen., and Charles Wells, coal and potato
dealers, of 29, King-street, (lerkenwell ; Richard Lana, of
13, Wingrove-plaoe ; and Edward Willson, of 9, Queen-
street, Clerkenwell, were charged with unlawfully, with
divers other persons, combining, confederating, and agreeing,
by means of certain false and fraudulent pretences, to cheat
and defraud Mr. Paul Millaret, wholesale jeweller, of 19,
Ifyddelton.square, Clerkenwell, of his goods and moneys.
Mr. Cooper, banister (instructed by Mr. 'Wontner, of
Firow.hill), for the prosecution; and Mr. Lewis for the
defence. . _ _

Mr. Cooper said that the Great Northern Railway Com-
pany, which had • coal depot at King's-cross, had lately
suffered through certain persons who had pirated their
name, and sent about respectably-dressed men as agents,
who got orders by assuming to come direct from the
company. Among these persons was the prisoner
Wells, who kept a coal store in King-street,
where he wrote up " Great Northern Coal Company?'
He had • similar establishment in Shaftesbury-street, hew
North-road, and lately had a third in Mark-lane. The way
in which the defendant conducted the business was this :
He had two or three coal vans, on which he had • board
with the Inscription in large letters, " The Great Northern
Company's Coal King's-cross." He also had
printed bills with s' r headings, and to render the
delusion more certain, there were printed thereon the words
" H. Clarke, ageut." Instead of having the beet coals, the
public were supplied with an inferior coal, only fit for com-
mercial purposes, thus bringing the railway company into
disrepute, and in other instances coal merchanta, whose
names were similarly printed. The fraud did not always
end in this manner; for in the present instance, not content
with supplying an inferior coal, which they described as the
best Walls End, the defendant actually robbed the customer
in the quantity by delivering fifteen sacks instead
of twenty. At the police station or. one of the
prisoners was found a receipt, showing that the
CZ=r Wells had purchased of the railway company two
the worst description of coal, vie, Elsi. r, and the
price he had paid for them was only 14s. per ton. At the
bottom of the bill given by the prisoners to the prosecutor
it is stated that should any cause of complaint arise through
the misconduct or neglect of the servants of the company,
the same may be reported at the office, thus inducing the
Ipublic to believe that the men were railway servants. The
earned gentleman stated in conclusion that having proved
the above facts he should ask for the committal of the pri-
soners on the charge of conspiracy. He then called
Police-constable Greathurst, 209 G, who said, onTueeday,
the 19th instant, he was on duty in St. John-street-rod,
between seven and eight in the morning. He saw a van,
laden with two tons of coal, stop at the corner of Raw-
stone-street. Another van was following it, laden with
coke, and five empty sacks were taken from that and
put on the coal van. Suspecting that some fraud
was about to be perpetrated, he followed the
vans as far as the complainant's, and saw them shoot 13
seeks of coals, putting the sacks upon the empty sacks ;
they then called the servant and counted 20 sacks. Having
emptied the coke they drove off, having five sacks of coal in
the Tau. He took the men to the complainant's, and the
elder Wells went with them, and when the men who
delivered the coals were given into custody the
elder Wells said "Don't prosecute them. I'll make you a
present of one or two tons of coals or do anything else you
wish." The prosecutor declined, and the men were locked
up and sines then • summons has been issued spinet the
elder Wells. The cheque which the prosecutor had paid
for the coals was returned to him by the elder Wells. On
searching Willson he found upon him a ticket for one too of
Walls End. "Lee and Strange, sellers, chief-office, 85,
Shaftesburyatreet ; Willson carman." On one of the vans
which was given up to the elder Wells was the nem et

" William Lee, Mark-lane, City. Upon going there he
found that in August hot there was an office taken in the
seine of William Smith, and that they wrote up "Great
p Northern Coal Comany, Lee and Co., nraagers," hut left
in February. At Wella's shop there IS a large printed
board with "Great Northern Railway Coal Company"
on it.

Other evidence having been given, 'bowing that all the
prisoners had acted together,
Yr. Cooper asked for a remind until Wednesday next.
Mr. Corr(' remanded the priwesers until that day, but
consented to take hail for the whole of them.
MA.BYLIEBONE.
_ _

A German Wu band, four in number, were charged
with annoying Mr. Babbege, the eminent mathematic Lin,
by playing near his house, and not going away when de.
sired. They were also charged with causing an obstruction
in the street.

Mr. Seeker observed that it was an offence in law to
continue playing when they were told to leave by any
one to whom their noisy instruments were an annoyance.
There was, however, another offence committed by them,
which was that of causing an obstruction. No one had a
right to put himself in a position to occupy the public high-
way, or to play their noisy instruments within the hearing
of persons who are pursuing grave occupations. This stzeet
was not to be infested with persons who disturb the inhabi-
tants. He should inflict a mitigated fine on each ; but if
they were spin summoned, he should inflict the full
penalty of 21., to which each was liable. Ea.
Each defendant was tined 55., cats included.
Another street musician was charged with annoying Mr.
Babbage.
Mr. /libber said he had been disturbed at his work front
morning to night by these men.
The magistrate lined the prisoner ss.' and added that
until the penalty was paid the instrumentt he was playing
should be detained.

The magistmte (speaking to a sergeant of the 1) division)
mid—Let somebody see the street is kept quiet from these
musicians. The police should look to it. If summary juno.
diction will not put a stop to the nuisance I shall be obliged
to commit parties offend* in a like manner to the sessions.
The penalty was paid by a gentleman who was a lover of
music, and near to whose house the instrument was played.