The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-10 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSION&

(Before the Aesistant-Judge.)

William RichardAon, 23, barman, was indicted for steal-'
ing a watch, the property of John Archer, from his person.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted ; Mr. M. Williams defended the
prisoner.
The prosecutor is a corn dealer, living in Howard-road,
Stoke Newington, and about 12 o'clock on the night of the
13th of lieptember he, together with his wife, arrived by
train r.t the King'scro., nation of the C••• •:t Nnrthern
Railway. He got out of the carriage, and, while assisting
his wife, he was bustled by several men, and be felt his
watch snatched from him. He saw the prisoner close to
him, and seized hold of him, bet he struggled violently to
get away. The prosecutor called him a vagabond, and said
he had robbed him of his watch. The prisoner coolly re-
plied that he had made a mistake, but assistance being at
hand be was given in charge. As they were going towards
the waiting-room the prisoner said the prosecutor must be
mistaken, and tried to put the watch back into his (prose-
cntor'sl pocket, but • policeman observed this, and took
the watch from his band.
Charles O'Leary, constable in the service of the Great
Northern Railway Company, said be was on the arrival
platform on the night in question, sod saw the prosecutor
with the prisoner, and the prosecutor said he had taken
his watch. Witness took the watch from the prisoner's
hand. When he did that witness was surrounded by
several men, who tried to get the prisoner away.
Newcomb Gunn, 248 Y, said he received the prisoner
into custody, and took possession of the watch and pro-
perty found on the prisoner.
Mr. M. Williams addressed the jury for the prisoner, but
they returned a verdict of Guilty.
Several previous convictions having been proved, the
assistant-judge sentenced him to bo kept to penal servitude
for seven years.
(Before Mr. Payne.)

_ .
John Lawless, 24, John Burke, Zi, and Jaws Mateo, 20,
who were tried and convicted last mission of violently as-
senting John Langford, a police constable of the metropo-
litan police force, while in the execution of his duty,
were brought np to receive the judgment of the court.
It will be remembered that in this case the prisoners
assaulted the constable in • shooking manner, knocked
him down, kicked him, and permanently injured him. It
woe • moat brutal affair.
Mr. Cooper, who appeared for the prosecution (in-
structed by Mr. Pollard, of the Treasury), briefly called
th, facts to the recollection of the court.
Mr. Payne said such outrages must be severely
dealt with. The prisoners had behaved more like
demon. than men. Drink, however, was the primary
cause of it all. Strong men such as the prisoners when
they had taken too much drink were very dangerous
characters. The sentence of the court upon them was as
follows:—Lawler and Burke fifteen months' imprison-
' ment with hard labour, and Maley to eight months' im-
prisonment, also with hard labour, and at the end of that
time to enter into his own recognisance@ in the sum of
211. to be of good behaviour for six months.
ihnnis Linagair, ZS, a coachmaker, tried on Monday
last, and found guilty, for assaulting Richard Smith. a
constable, while in the execution of his duty, was placid
in the dock. . . . .

Mr. Payne said/the public mind must be disabused of the
idea that they punished offences on the pocket more
severely than on the body. The sentence was eight
months' hard labour, and to find one surety to be of good
behaviour.

In aneser to the judge the foreman mid they thought it
• just sentence.