The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-07 00:00:00

TILE POLICE COURTS

MANSION-HOUSE.
A German, named Henry Keiser, a miserable looking
man, was brought before Alderman Finnis charged with
stealing an umbrella from Gresham-house.
It appeared from the evidence of • man named Evans,
who is employed as a messenger at Gresham-house, that
he saw the prisoner go into one of the offices and take a
silk umbrella from behind the door, and walk off with it.
He was stopped and given into custody, and be then stated
that distress had driven him to commit the act. On his
being searched Is. 3d. were found on his person.
Smart, one of the City detectives, said that he was
present at the Central Criminal Court in July, 1863, when
the prisoner was convicted of • burglary, and sentenced
to tour years penal servitude. This term of imprisonment
would, in due course, have expired next February, but he
bad been released upon a ticket-of-leave, and he believed
that since he had been at liberty he had been trying to
obtain an honest livelihood, but partly in consequence
of his conviction, and partly on account of his being a
foreigner, be had not been able to get anything to do, and
he knew that he was in great distress, and he had himself
given him small sums of money on several occasions, in
consequence of his destitute condition.
The prisoner, in broken English, and with tears in his
eyes, assured the alderman that he had done all he could
to earn his livelihood honestly, but he had not been able
to get any employment.
Alderman Finnis remanded the prisoner in order that
some further inquiries might be made about him.
A boy named John Jennings was charged with a street
robbery.
The complainant was the wife of • tailor named Plea-
sent, residing in the Commercial-road, and it appeared that
about 12 o'clock on Wednesday she was in King William-
street when she felt a hand in her pocket, and missed
her purse, which contained some silver. She seized the
prisoner, who was close to her, and saw him hand her
purse to another boy, but he dropped it and ran away,
and she held the prisoner fast until • policeman came up
and took him into custody.
Obee, a city detective, informed the court that the pri-
soner was a notorious young thief, and he was sentenced
to twenty-one days' imprisonment at this court, a short
time back, for a street robbery. He belonged to • gang
who were constantly prowling about Thames-street, and
committing robberies upon the passengers by the steam-
boats, and upon one occasion he met twelve of them, each
amain' • cigar, and as they passed him the prisoner
touched his cap and said to him, Ah, how are you, Mr.
Obee ?" (A laugh.)
The prisoner was sentenced to two months' hard labour.
BOW-STREET.

A ragged, dirty old woman, named Mary Brown, was
charged with stealing a boot from the shop of Mr. Mitchell,
bootmaker, Drury-lane.
The prosecutor said that at about ten o'clock at night
the prisoner came to his shop and began turning over
several of the pairs of boots arranged in front of the win-
dow. He watched her for a few minutes, and presently
saw her take a pair of scissors from her pocket, and cut the
string by
.which a pair of boots were fastened together,
thus releasing one of the boots, which she took up and put
under her shawl. The witness here explained that
the string of each
.pair of boots was twisted round a
piece of Iron wire an such a manner that they could
only be got away by cutting the string, and then only
one at a time. In order to get the other boot
of the pair she would have to cut the string again. The
prisoner appeared discontented at this discovery, and was
about to apply the scissors for the second time, when a
passer-by, not knowing that be was watching bar, called
out, Hobos, Mr. Mitchell, here is a woman 'Walls your
boots." The prisoner then moved off, but he followed and
s her, and took the boot from her. She feigned
but he did net believe abs was really tipsy.