The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-04 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURT&

BOW-.STREET.

James Dennis Maloney, Late clerk to Mr. R. Jones, soli-
citor, 5, New.inn, was brought up on remand, charged
with stealing two sums of ss. each from his master.
The learned magistrate declared that during the interval
of remand he had been considering-11 matter, and had
come to the conclosion that the charge amounted to one
of forgery, for which offence it would his duty to com-
mit the prisoner for trial.
The facts are these :—On the 15th of December the
prisoner was sent by his master to issue several writs of
summons, one in an action hi which Mr. fitephanos
Xesos was defendant, providing him with money to pay
the fees for the lame, being ss. on each writ. The prisoner's
duty was to have these writs issued at the writ department
of the Record-office, 'damped with the seal of the Court of
Queen's Bench, and nodoubt with regard toall the writs but
the one he did so. But the writ or pretended writ against
Mr. Kenos having subsequently passed into the hands of
another clerk who was instructed to have it served, he
noticed that the impression of the seal was reversed. This
led to inquiry at the Writ-offiee,when it was found that no
such writ had been issued. It seems that the genuine seal
is impressed in blue ink, which remains damp for • few
minutes, and thus enabled him to transfer the impression,
though somewhat faintly, to another form,whioh of course
had never been stamped at all. In another instance the
same trick bad been resorted to, but so clumsily
executed, that the genuine impression on the writ which
had actually been issued had been nearly obliterated in
the proems, and the attempt had been made to improve
its legibility by " touching it up" with pen and ink.
Altogether there had been five instances in which the pri-
soner had committed the same fraud in each case for the
Name sum, sa. The prosecutor was desirous of exhibiting
every possible leniency towards the prisoner, and would
have been satisfied that the offence should be dealt with as
one of larceny, which the learned magistrate would have
power to dispose of summarily, but Mr. Flowers held that
it was clearly a forgery, with which lie could not deal sum-
marily under an circumstances, and being • counterfeiture
of an official seal, it was far too serious a matter to be so
treated, even if it came within the limits of his juris-
diction. _ _

The prisoner was prepared to plead guilty if the cans
could have been dealt with at this court, but finding that
be was to be sent to the Central Criminal Court, he elected
to reserve his defence.

He was accordingly committed for trial.

MARYLBSONE.
Mr. Sullivan, the sanitary inspector of Paddington, at-
tendsd before the magistrate to ask him to condemn two
pads of fish which were in a putrid state. He maid this
was not a case where he had erred the fish, but where Mr.
Davis, of Woodchester-street, Harrow-mad, and Mr. Kers-
lake, of Moscow-road, fishmongers, had waited upon him
to show Lim how they were imposed upon by the whole-
sale tradesmen of Billingsgate. They had to take the pads
without their being allowed to inspect them.
The magistrate inquired if they paid for fish in such a
state.

Mr. Kerslake said they were compelled to. The prac-
tice of the market was, that when the boats arrived a pad
was opened as • sample. The salesmen then put up the
pads to auction, and nu one was allowed to Inspect them.
A crowd of sometimes 30 or 40 would get round, and so
the pads were knocked down to the highest bidder, and he
had to pay for it at once and carry it away. As they all
wanted fish, the bidding was very spirited.
The magistrate—Do they not warrant the fish?
Mr. Kerslake—They do not.
Mr. Sullivan said—Mr. Knox once advised the buyers
to proceed against the City authorities if they would not
' reimburse them for fish in such a state, and bought under
such circumstances. Re had written to the solicitor to
the City Sewers Commissioners, and received the follow-
ing reply : "Church-mutt-chambers, Old Jewry.
" Sir,—Your letter addressed to Dr. Letheby has been
handed to me by him. I have well considered the matter
therein referred to, but I cannot advise the Commissioner,
of Sewers to prosecute the salesman, se if th-y did they
could not possibly procure a conviction. Salem's In Bd.
liar
sell the packages of fish directly thej arrive,
sarirp Lie only being opened and seen. All fish sold is, how-
ever, subject to the examination of the inspectors ap-
pointed by the corporation, and the usual course is for
each examination to be made, and the fish, if unsound,
' condemned, the money paid being thereupon re-
' turned by the salesman to the purchaser. It is •
practical impossibility for either to see the fish at the
time of sale, and the purchaser is protected as I have
stated above. In this case the purchaser removed the
fish from the market, and it is clear he can have no claim
on the salesman, having accepted the fish ; nor can any
liability attach to the salesman, as he could have had no
knowledge of the state of the fish, which the purchaser
did not have examined by the persons authorised for such
purpose.—Your obedient servant, A. J. E.true, soli-
citor to the Commissioners of Sewers.

"The Sanitary Inspector, Vestrybell, Paddington."
The matter dropped by the magistrate ordering the fish
to be destroyed.

William Pretty, a childi seven years of age, brought be-
fore Mr. Arnold two or three days ago for throwing a light
into the letter-box of the New-street, Vincent-square, Post-
office, and who wee then given over to his friend., yes-
terday again appeared.
Mrs. Shopland, who was absent on the previous occa-
sion, proved seeing the boy throw a lighted inciter match
into the box. Smoke then issued from the opening, and
she immediately went into the l'ost-othoe and called at-
tention to the circumstance.

Mr. Osborn, solicitor, on behalf of the Post-office autho-
rities, said that, had the offender in this instance been of
a more advanced age, they would have felt it their duty
to have pressed the matter, which they were most cer-
tainly bound to do on public grounds, as there had bees
recently two or three cases of a similar description. With
so juvenile an offender as this they must leave the matter
entirely with the magistrate.
Mr. Arnold said he did not think he could dispose of the
case at all, as such a child could not be dealt with by law
as a responsible person. He then handed the accused over
to his of for wholesome correction with a birch rod,
pointing out to him that he should use his beat ender
yours to keep his out of mischief, and that the acme-