The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-21 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before the Assistant Judge sad a full Bench of
/Magistrates.)

THE JEWEL ROBBERY FROM THE MAMOCIS AND MARCHIONESS

OF HASTINUM.

After our report leftOnturdJ4,
The Marchioness of Hastings having identified the rings
as her property,
Inspector Silverton repeated his evidence with respect to
apprehending the prisoner, and also the same version of
the mutter which the prisoner gave him as well se Mr.
Lambert.

11r. Sleigh having summed up the evidence,
Mr. Ribton addressed the jury for the prisoner. The
matter was of vital importance, and a sensational character
had been given to the prosecution in consequence of the
comments made in some of the daily newspapers. The
learned counsel for the prosecution contended that he had
satisfactorily proved the case, but he did not think that
they would be of that opinion. His learned friend bad
told them that the prisoner had stolen the pro-
perty, and that it could not have been given to him.
But were they clear on that matter? It seemed to
him (Mr. Ribton) out of the question that the priaoner
should have been enabled to obtain the property, bemuse
it was quite impossible that he could have entered the
hotel, and proceeded to the Marchioness's bedroom, and
there rifled her jewel-ease, without observation.
Then, again, if the prisoner bad stolen the rings,
WWI it at all feasible he would have been found
attempting to dispose of the property without the
slightest attempt at concealment ? The version of the
prisoner that the rings were given to him by a lady was not
so absurd as the counsel for the prosecution wished them
to believe. If the rings bad been stolen the thief would,
without doubt, have taken the jewel-case with its contents
entire, and not have left about twenty other rings remain-
ing in it. There were a great many families staying at St.
George's Hotel, each of whom, of course, had a lady's.
maid, and there was no knowing what some of these
persons might not have done.. The prisoner might have been
invited into the hotel by some one, and that person might
have been liberal to the prisoner out of Lady Meetings'
jewel-case. The present was not a case of receiving—it
was for stealing ; and if they could not find the prisoner
guilty of stealing they must acquit him.
The Assistant Judge summed up the case to the jury,
and remarked that everything that could be said, and a
great deal which it had been better should never have been
said, had been addressed to them, but stripping the case
of the fringe that had been attached to it, it became most
simple. The prisoner was found in the possession of stolen
property, and it was for him to satisfactorily account for
it. With respect to the observation of the learned counsel
about selecting six rings instead of taking the whole, it sp.
peared to him that had the thief done so he would have
had to carry the case with the inarchionesa's crest about
with him for some time, the discovery of which would
have been proof positive on his being captured ; and another
reason why he did not do so was, that if the box had been
carried off the robbery would have been very soon dis-
covered. instead of ita being some time before only a
portion of its contents was discovered to be missing. If
the jury believed the story the prisoner told with respect
to the lady giving him the rings, then they would acquit
him ; but if not, they would And hhn guilty of the present
charge.
. . . .

The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict
of Guilty. A former conviction of an hotel robbery at
Bishopwearmouth during the present year was proved
against the prisoner.
Mr. Sleigh asked the Assistant-Judge whether he would
respite the prisoner's sentence until next session, in order
that the prisoner might give any information as to whether
he had any accomplice in the robbery.
The Assistant-Judge said the case being closed be could
now state his opinion ; he did not think the prisoner bad
an accomplice, but he thought some person had given him
information es to the construction of the building.
Mr. Sleigh said it bad been stated in the newspapers
thatithe present trial had been postponed in order that the
Marquis of Hastings might be present at Newmarket
races. Such was not the fact ; the trial had been post-
poned in ordor that the former conviction might be pro-
cured from Sunderland. He would take that opportunity
of informing the court that the prisoner was an adept at
billiards, and by that means he was enabled to get suffi-
cient means to lodge at hotels. Previous to the present
charge he had been found in the upper apartments of ano-
ther West-end hotel, near to a large quantity of jewellery,
but he was fortunately discovered, and his excuse for
being on the staircase was that he had strayed a little too
high for the billiard-room.
The Assistant-Judge, under all the circumstances, sen-
tenced the prisoner to five yearn' penal servitude.

DESPERATE OUTRAGE UPON • POLICEMAN.—
About midnight on Saturday, as John Saunders, 153 E, an
officer belonging to the Metropolitan Pollee Force, was on
his beat in the Euston-road, he observed a man of suspi-
cious appearance whom he thought It his duty to watch.
With that intention be followed him to blabledomplace (a
turning leading out of Euston-road), and then into Cres-
cent-mews, where, owing to the darkness of the place, he
lost eight of him for a considerable time, but feeling sure
that the man was still in the mews, he at about half-post
two o'clock proceeded to the bottom of it, where several
empty cabs were standing. On approaching the last one
the man whom he had been watching suddenly
rushed from behind it with a knife in his hand,
with which he struck the constable on the right
side of the head. The weapon pierced the helmet,
and entering the skull inflicted a wound about an
inch deep. The force of the blow felled the constable tothe
ground, and on his attempting to rise the man drew a pistol,
which he fired at the officer, wounding him in the thigh.
The ball entered above the knee, and passed completely
through the leg, causing a copious flow of blood. Saunders
now sprang his rattle, on which he was again attacked
from behind by the rnttian, who struck him several violent
blows with some blunt weapon, and so rendered him in-
sensible. The fellow then made his escape, leaving Saun-
ders in a senseless state, and apparently dead in the mews,
where he was found by Police-sergeant Wheeler, 18 E. He
was conveyed to the Hunter-street police-station, where he
was attended to by Dr. Paul, the divisional surgeon. On
the sergeant returning to the spot in the mews
he found a knife on the ground where the out-
rage had taken place, and also a pistol and the
bullet with which the officer had been wounded. In the
cab behind which the man was concealed the sergeant
found two ounces of gunpowder in a piece of brown paper.
The following is the description of the assailant as given
by the injured man. Age, apparently about 30 ; height,
sft. 10in. ; complexion and hair, fair ; a short tuft on the
chin. He was dressed in a blue pilot coat with two rows
of buttons, dark trousers, blucher boots, Fenian bat,
no collar,but wore ahandkerchief round his neck. Saunders
still lies in a very precarious state, although hopes are
entertained of his recovery. Inspector Williams, of the
detective force of Scotland-yard. together with several
other officers, are using every endeavour to trace the per-
petrator of the outrap.
CLOSE OF THE TAILORS' STRIKE.—The termina-
tion of the above strike, which has lasted exactly six
months, commencing on the2lst of last April, was officially
announced by the central committee on Saturday last, and
the ordinary payment of 6d. per week to the funds of the
union substituted for the 3s. and Is. fid. weekly levies paid
during the strike and up to that date. The committee
have also announced the annual meeting of the association
for next month, when a scheme for the consolidation of
the operative tailors throughout the kingdom into one
association and a balance-sheet of the receipts and expen-
diture of the strike will be laid before the meeting. It is
stated that the amount of subscriptions received by the
committee for the maintenance of the strike and towards
the expenses of the prosecution exceeds 25,0001., about
one-half of which was contributed by other trades, the
other half being derived from the weekly levies on
the tailors throughout the country. The 2,800
men, chiefly the highly-skilled workmen of the West-end
shops, who came out on strike in April last, have
been disposed of as follows :—About 500 obtained employ-
ment in the shops not struck against ; 700 left London to
seek work in the country ; NO were absorbed by the co-
operative shops opened by the men ; 100 have emigrated
to the United States, and about 200 returned to work in
the shops struck during the strike, leaving about 1,000
men on strike at the close of last month. The strike was
kept open for some weeks after the decision given at the
Central Criminal Court against picketing; but the corn.
mittee finding it to be impossible, owing to the peculiari-
ties of the trade, to carry on the strike in an efficient man-
ner without a resort to picketing, and not being desirous
of wilfully violating what had been laid down as law by
one of the judges, within the last fortnight issued instruc-
tions to the men on strike to present themselves at the
shops of their former employers and express their willing.
nese to resume work at the same terms on which they had
left. They, however, were instructed in no case to resume
work if the leaving the union was made a condition of em-
ployment. In not more than two or three instances,
however, was this condition mentioned, and in no case
enforced.

-----
On Saturday, at the Berka petty sessions, held
at Windsor, Mr. Tull, baker to the Queen, was charged
with selling a qtuutern cottage loaf 13oz. deficient in
weight. It was contended for the defendant that the cot-
tage loaves were fancy bread, and therefore be was not
bound to sell them by weight under the act of parliament,
7 Wm. IV., cap. 3?. He was, however, fined 2s. 6d. and
costs.