The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-09 00:00:00

ANOTHER C.E.S

&motel Dunstall, Zl, shopman, pleaded guilty to an in-
dictment charging him with stealing 11 money order forms,
the property of her Majesty's Postmaster-General.
Mr. Metcalfe informed the court that the prisoner had
been a shopman to a tradesman in Brighton, who also kept
a branch post-office in that town. The prisoner, who
assisted in the peat-office duties, suddenly decamped,
and it was found that eleven forms for money
orders had been abstracted from the money order book.
In a few days afterward■ some of these orders filled up
were presented for payment, one at York and three at
Brighton, and some of these were paid, but in consequence
of an informality in one the prisoner was taken into cus-
tody, when four of the blank forms were found in his pos-
session.

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The prisoner had nothing to my in extenuation, and
threw himself on the mercy of the court. . .

The Commou Serjeant sentenced him to five years' penal
servitude.

THE POLICE COURTS.
(THIS DAY.)

BOW-STREET.
THEATRES V. MUSIC HALLS ACAIi.

Mr. Humphreys, of the firm of Humphreys and Morgan.
accompanied by Mr. John Hollinphead, honorary were-
tau of the Theatrical Law Amendment Society, applied
to Mr. Vaughan for a summons against Messrs. Holland
and Sweeney, for allowing stage-plays to be enacted at
Weston. Music H9ll, without a proper license, and in
contravention of the 6 and 7 Viet., sec. 68.
It was stated that the application was made in no un-
friendly spirit, ani the proprietors of the hall were duly
apprisedof the intention to proceed against them, if they
persisted in continuing the entertainment in their bills.
He (Mr. Humphreys) invited his worship to examine the
play-bill, a programme of the piece which was called
the Mountain Sylph, an operetta, by the late
Mr. Harnett, and selections from which were given
in costume and character, in a manner similar to
that exhibited at the licensed play.houses. The
programme or list of characters was sold in the room, and
he proposed to call Mr. John Hollingshead, a member
of the Dramatic Authors' Society, and a gentleman well
known in literary and dratr.atic circles, who had witnessed
the exhibition, atter paying for admission to the hall, and
who would describe what he saw.

Mr. Vaughan—Will your witness be prepared to say
that it was a dramatic performance, containing a regular
plot, or was it merely a selection from an opera or drama
—a disconnected scene merely ?
Mr. Humphreys drew his worship's attention to the
clause of the act forbidding any dramatic performance,
whether play, drama, opera, farce, or pantomime, or any
part thereof.

Mr. Vaughan—Let me hear your witness.
Mr. Ilollingshead stated that he witnessed portions of
the operetta called the Mountain Sylph, which were given
much in the same way as at ordinary theatres, with regard
to costume and action, although there was a difference
in the arrangement of the scenery necessitated by the
construction of the platform or stage. The characters, for
example, instead of coming on the stage from either
side, entered and returned through a dour at the back
of the stage. lie saw the usual dramatic action
during the performance—such as the presentation of a
shawl, by one of the characters, to the lady repre-
senting the Mountain Sylph—much, indeed, as he
had seen when present at the performance of the
same piece at any of the London theatres. Mr. Hollings-
head gave other examples of the action and dialogue or
libretto of the piece, and observed that the society which
he represented had no animus whatever in this matter,
having entered upon these proceedings with no other de-
sire than to ascertain the actual state of the law, and to
bring about • settlement of the question which should
be satisfactory to the profession and to the public, and to
obviate future litigation upon the subject.
Mr. Vaughan—You can take a summons. e
It was stated that Messrs. Holland and Sweasey had
been informed of the present application, but they were
not in attendance.