The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-23 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSION&

(Before Mr. rashley, Q.C., Assistent-Judge.)
Ames French, 33, was indicted for steeling a silver watch,
the prorty.o: tomesuel Strange, from his person.
Hr. prossesattd ; the prisoner was defeaded by Mr.
Tindal A n.
This was a ewe of skittle sharphig. The prosecutor wee
enticed to a public-lumen, the Alpha drew, in. aledonian voad,
by • seen he met in the street, and during game
at skittles
he was robbed of hie watch—bow he could sot tell, but ha
saw it peened by another man to the prisoner, who made ad:
Wham taken by the police the prisoner said had won it
lil on a bet, but this was positively denied.
• ' The prisoner was found Guilty; and the constable fa the
woe, Taaapluo, 315 N, stated that he bad homes him for
yews is one of a pag of Fracas who Lived by skittle end
card sharplog.
The Automat-Judge said skittle sharpie, be supposed,
led an ass, life, and one of the chatters they rem Ise detec-
tion. 11 was one of the wits which they Warred, end they
mast take the consequence. when caught. Hs Denim:iced the
primmer le he kept to heed Lbw/ der • res.

Mew Henry Templeman 89, servant, wee indicted for
stealing& quantity of plate, valor 30k, the property of James
Walker, his mister, and two costa and riding-whip, the pro-
perty of Reginald Bedew, in the dwellieg-housie of the said
Jamie Walker. He pleaded guilty.
Mr. Cooper made • short statement on behalf of the
prisoner, who was sentenced to hard labour for one year.
Yiehael Go/ding, 23, en old offender, was convicted of
stealing a watch from the person of William Elliott,
He had been convicted before, and the court now sentenced
him to five years' penal servitude.
Thomas Rogers, St, a notorious begging-letter impostor,
who hoe been convicted no lees then nine times, was indicted
for obtaining money by false pretences from Henry John
Means, Esq., M.P.
The Aseittent-Judge add the prisoner we.s liable to maven
years' penal servitude. It was clear that, after nine naia-
des', upon one of which he was sentenced to 18 months, a
short Imprisonment would have no effect upon bun, and he
should therefore mutest* him to penal servitude for four
pers
Kr.. F. H. Lewis was counsel for the prosecution.
(Before Mr. Payne.)
John Woodcock and George Penn, privates in the 2nd Bat-
talion of Coldstream Guards, surrendered to take their trial
upon a charge of unlawfully assaulting sad beating Joseph
Hatcher, a police-constable, in the execution of hie duty.
Mr. Poland, In the absence of Mr. Bodkin, conducted the
prosecution, instructed by the
They were found Guilty TbrtZeury, and Mr. Payne,
having remarked that the court pass nevem sentences
on soldiers guilty of these Mihaly outesgee and using their
belts, directed that they should be insprieoned and kept to
hard labour for eix months.
William Donis, another gtuudsman, was indicted for
having stolen • purse, and the sum of 131. 10s., from the
person of Chariest Cottingham.
This transaction occurred at a coffee louse near Rosemary-
kuse. The prosecutor, the master of • ship called the Coiling-
wood, fell in with the prisoner at a public-honk—the Blue
Pig—and trailed him, u be said he had no money. They
then went to the coffee-shop, and had something to eat. The
prosecutor fell asleep ; when be woke up the prisoner was
gone, and he found that during his nap his pocket had been
=of • purse and about 131. 10s., which was sate when
at to deep. No one but the prisoner was seen to be
near enough to commit the theft, and within a short time of
the robbery he was found at another coffee-shop changing
gold, for the poserkion of which he could not account in any
satisfactory way.
The jury found him Guilty.
Mr. Payne said it was a moat disgraceful robbery, and
sentenced the prisoner to 12 months herd labour.
Joseph William, 38, was indicted for feloniously breaking
and entering the dwelling-house of Thomas Cook, and steel-
ing therein • coat and an umbrella, value IL, the property of
Charles Dalkon. He pleaded guilty, and °Quirked also to
previous convictions for burglary. The prisoner handed in
• statement which ran as follows : It is with the greatest
anguish of mind at my pentad perilous situation that I beg
to crave your mercy, and I must you will extead it to me. I
won you it shall never be abused. I have • wife and Ire
children totally dependent upon me, and I expect my wife to
be confined in May. I have been travelling with glue
shades, and stands of flowers, and fancy ornaments all the
winter, but was obliged to lay by through a bad leg. I then
had all my children laid up with the ertuill7prix
et one time, and my wife an out•patiemt at ftr-
tholomew's Hoepital with a poisoned hand, and
king in the greatest distress I oommitted that I will
sever think of again. Trusting you will be as merciful as
you oan I will endeavour, with God's help, to leDillYo my
past character. My poor wife is totally blind with one
eye and has a large pearl growing over the wher and I
hope you will give me as lenient a sentence as possible, for
which I shad ever be grateful ; for I call your attention to
• the fact that I found the door open, and that it was nix
' o'clock in the morning when I did it. I own to my former
convictions, but pray for mercy."
The AsetWint-Judge, after considering the cave, said it
would be a perversion of justice to sentence a housebreaker,
who had ken already convicted at the Old Bailey of •
burglary, and had undergone lung terms of imprisonment,
to lees than penal servitude, and that for a term of Ave
years.
The prisoner was sentenced to that term.