The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-23 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

BOW-STREET.
Yesterday afternoon Victor Widmann, 35, was brought
up by warrant, in the custody of Inspectr Williamson, of
the detective police, and charged before Sir Thomas Henry,
chief magistrate of Bow-street, with being a fraudu-
lent banker, and having absconded) from France with a
large amount of money, securities, k.c., belonging to his cus-
tomers, the aggregate amount being upwards of 120,000 f.
The prosecution was conducted by a French advocate
(M. Albert, interpreter), and the prisoner (who was appre-
hended at Peckham) was represented by Mr. Montagu
Williams, instructed by Mr. W. A. Kilby, Fenchurch-

street.
The present proceedings were rendered necesaary by the '
Act 8 and 9 Vic., cap. 120, which was passed for facilitat-
ing the execution of the extradition treaty signed between
America, France, and England.
The principal witness was
Adolph Picard, who said he was manager to the Messrs.
Schumberger, general merchant' and official assignees
under the prisoner's bankruptcy. The prisoner was the
manager of a bank at Guebwiller, Haute !thin, in France,
and was responsible to the shareholders for the whole of
the moneys invested therein. On the 17th of March he
went to the bank, and found the prisoner had fled. The
bank was an sesociation en rommandite. It was found
that he had taken with him a large amount of money, and
also bills and commercial securities, amounting in the
whole to nearly 100,000 f.
Inspector Williamson and Sergeant Dunicovitch here
produced a large number of commercial securities, which
they found when they arrested the prisoner.
The witness (looking at the documents) said he was sure
some of them were securities that he knew were in the
bank. The prisoner, after be had arrived in London,
wrote the letter to witness (produced), asking him if pos-
sible to arrange matters for him with his creditors. He
admitted taking with him securities to the value of about
90,000 francs, and not 150,000 francs, as had been repre-
sented. He further stated that he had not intended to
appropriate the money to his own use, but that he in-
tended it for the most necessitous amongst his creditors.
The prisoner was apprehended at Peckham, where he was
living under the assumed name of Be:tujois.
' Sir T. Henry—The whole of the property found, viz.,
the 30,000 f. in Bank notes and the 31,000 f. in bills, belong
to the creditors of the prisoner.

Witness—Yes.
Sir T. Henry—And there is still a large amount missing?
Witness—Yes ; 50,000 f. (upwards of 2,000/. English).
Mr. M. Williams, who appeared for the prisoner, said he
had to ask that the prisoner might be remanded, in order
that he might have an interview with his client with
respect to the state of his affairs. lie had but recently
been called upon to defend the prisoner, and he had not
had time to make himself familiar with the intricate
matters connected with the case.
Sir T. Henry thought such an application but fair
and reasonable, and therefore the prisoner was remanded
until to-morrow tthis day).

THAMES.
Two well-known ruffians, named Thomas Dirnmid,aged
18, and John Driscoll, 17, were charged with being con-
cerned with another villain, also named John Driscoll,
aged 18, and three others, with violently assaulting and
robbing M. Karl Erlander, a surgeon, of Upper Berner-
street, St. George's-in-the-East.
The prosecutor, a German, who gave his evidence
through the medium of M. Wintjin, an interpreter, was
passing along Leman-street, Whitechapel, near the police-
station, on the night of the 17th inst., when he was sud-
denly attacked by the three men in custody and three more.
Diamond struck him in the face, another " bonneted "
him by striking his hat over his face. He was
knocked down and knelt upon, and the ruffians took his
Porte-monnaie from his trousers' pocket, his specta-
cles from his lett waistcoat pocket, and his watch
from his right waistcoat pocket. His purse contained
St. 4s. in money when it was taken from him. His watch
was cut off the guard. One of the thieves, John Driscoll,
aged 18, was arrested immediately after the robbery by
Benjamin Archer, No. 101 H, and brought before Mr.
Partridge on Friday, and remanded for a week. The police
believed if time was given they should be able to appre-
hend the others concerned in the outrage and robbery.
The prosecutor was able to identify the prisoners as
taking part in the attack upon him. Diamond was the
first to begin the attack.
Mr. Paget remanded the prisoners until Friday next.
HAMMERSMITH.
On the arrival of the police van from the House of De-
tention with prisoners on remand, it was stated that the
clergyman who was committed on Saturday in default of
finding bail for his good behaviour on account of his
drunken habits, had died in prison. The name of the de-
ceased had been incorrectly entered by the police, his pro-
per name and address being, the Rev. George Evezard, 12,
Blandford-square, and not the Rev. George Heavyside.

THE HEALTH OF LONDON. —lt appears from the
return issued by authority of the Registrar-General that in
the week that ended on Saturday, May 19, the births
rzgistered in London and twelve other large towns of
the United Kingdom were 4,232 ; the deaths registered,
3,0. The annual rate of mortality was 28 per 1,000
persons living. In London the births of 970 boys and
949 girls, in all 1,919 children, were registered m the
week. In the corresponding weeks of ten years 1856.65
the average number, corrected for increase of popula-
tion, was 1,976. The deaths registered in London during
the week were 1,467. It was the twentieth week of the
year ; and the average number of deaths for that week
I was, with a correction for increase of population, 1,271.
THE LONDON GUARDIANS AND THE SICK POOR.
—.Yesterday, at the weekly meeting of the St. Pancras
guardians, a letter signed by a member of the guardian
board of St. George's, Hanover-square, with respect to a
conference of Loudon guardians, was read. The object of
the meeting was thus met forth :—" With a view to pro-
cure the fullest information necessary to determine the
proper action to be taken in relation to the resolutions
submitted to the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers, the President
of the Poor-law Board, by Lord Carnarvon and others,
members of an Association for the Improvement of Work-
house Infirmaries, you are invited to attend the public
meeting of metropolitan guardians and those of their
friends who are interested in this important subject." The
resolution to be submitted to the meeting was also read.
It is to the following effect :—" That the removal of
paupers from the control of parochial management, and
placing them under a central or imperial authority, would
be subversive of the principles of local self-government,
and that the collecting together of sick paupers in large
hospital. containing 1,000 beds each would not be con-
ducive either tothe cure or the well-being of the inmates."
OPENING OF THE CRIEFF AND METHVEN Jursc-
nos RAILWAT.—The Crieff and Methven Junction Rail-
way was opened for traffic on Monday. The weather was
fine, and the day was observed as a holiday in Crieff and
neighbourhood. The several special and excursion trains
which were run to Perth carried upwards of 1,000 passen-
gers. The line, which passes through the fertile valley of
the Pow, is nearly twelve miles in length, and joins the
Methven, Almond Valley, and Perth Railway
about a mile east from the hiethven terminus.
There are neat and commodious stations at Inner-
'Jeffrey, Abercairney, Madderty, and Belgowan. The
whole route from Crieff to Perth is famous for
its varied and beautiful scenery. The first sod of
the railway was cut on the 23rd May, 1865, and the con-
tractors, Messrs. Grainger, have completed the works in a
most satisfactory manner. Mr. Buchanan was the engineer
of the line. The Board of Trade gave orders for opening
the railway under the conditions that the company should
provide ample accommodation at the Crieff end of the line
independent of the Crieff Junction terminus, and build a
sufficient bridge over the Duchla-rcad. The directors of
the Scottish North Eastern and Crieff and Methven Junc-
tion Railways, along with the principal shareholders, dined
together yesterday afternoon in the County-hall, Perth, in
honour of the opening of the railway ; end at Crieff the
principal shops, banks, and all the public works were
closed during the entire day. —Sccifseran.
CRYSTAL PALACE. ONE SHILLING DAY.—
TuESDAY, Mat 22..—Admissions on payment. 15,441 ; ditto
by season tickets, 1,620; total visitors, 17.061.