The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-28 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Serjeant Dowling.)
Edward Smith, 21, tailor, James Smith, 24, seaman, and
William Hankins, 22, labourer, were indicted for attempt-
ing to break and enter the warehouse of William Compton,
with intent to steal therein.
John Barrow, police-constable 90 H, said that at one
o'clock on the morning of the bith of September he was on
duty in Commercial-street, Spite!fields and he saw the
three prisoners come out of Flower and tido-street. Hav-
ing suspicions of them, he followed them to White's-row,
and there saw them against a warehouse door, apparently
trying to take the bar down, but being dark he could not
sea them clearly. One of them caught eight of the police-
man at the corner, and then they all parted, and ran
away. Witness caught Edward Smith, and found in his
pocket a screwdriver (produced), and this corresponded with
the marks on the door he had seen the prisoner at. After
Edward Smith was *barged oaths station, the prisoner said
he had got the tools for the others to commit a burglary,
not at the warehouse where they were standing, but at
another place. They had been standing about five minutes
at the warehouse door.
Charles Carlin, police-constable 163 H, said he bad am-
paredthe screwdriver produced with the marks on the
r,
and found it corresponded. He went to • lodging-
house in Flower and Dean-street, and found the prisoner
James Smith in bed. He afterwards took the prisoner
William Hopkins into custody. He was Weep in the bed
next to the one James Smith bad been in. Both these
men were identified as having been mimed in the
attempted burglary. Witness bad examined the door,
lock, and bar at about half-past ten o'clock. He
examined the door again with his lamp at about twelve,
and he then saw that there were then no marks of violence
upon it.
William Compton, of West Ham, said he was an sasis-
tent to his father, who carried on a wholesale business in
Commercial-street, the corner of White's-row. The door
in White's-row bad marks upon it of • lever and chisels.
The door was quite right the previous night at a quarter
past six o'clock. There were no marks upon it. There
was • large amount of clothing in the warehouse.
The jury found all the prisoners Guilty.
Herbert Reeves, warder at Coldbath-fields, proved that
the prisoner Hopkins had four calendar months for steal-
ing a handkerchief from the person from this court on the
18th of May, 1860. In April, 1863, he had six calendar
months for stealing two shirts.
George Ager, principal warder of the City Prison, Hol-
loway, put in the following extraordinary list of con-
victions against the whole of the prisoners. Against
Edward Smith : Three montha,ll6th March, 1863 ; three
uionths,July 4,1864 ; three months, 0ct.21,1864 ; eighteen '
months, Feb. 6, 1865. Against James Smith : Six weeks,
August 6, 1855 ; six weeks, Jan. 28, 1856 ; three months,
March 14, 1856 ; six weeks, July 16,1856 ; three months,
Jan. 7, 1857 ; three months, Nov. 19, 1857 ; six months,
April 9, 1858 ; three months, Oct. 9, 1858 ; two months,
July 2, 1861. Against Hopkins : One month, May b,
1859 ; three months, June 3, 1859 ; two months, Sept. 15,
1859; three months, Jan. 9, 1860 ; three months, Dec.
10, 1860 ; fourteen days, March 25, 1861 ; two months,
Oct. 17, 1861 ; three months, Dec. 17, 11362 ; ono month,
March 8, 1866.
Mr. Serjeant Dowling said it was fortunate for the
prisoners that this was only an attempt at robbery, or
they would all have been subjected to a long term of penal
servitude. He then sentenced them to be each imprisoned
and kept to hard labour for two years.