The Express.
London, England, 1860-02-07 00:00:00

(Befr ro Mr. Paine.)

Pradorie Alexander 2 hotapsoa surrendered to take bit
tried on an indictment in which he was charged with brief;
stoles •quantity of cubic feet of gas, the property of the Gas-
light and Coke Company.
Mr. H. Girard wee counsel for the proascrution. The pri •
sonar madefended by Mr. Ribton and Mr. F. H. LOWi&
It appeared that the prisoner had been in the occupatiou
of a room called Rosman-hall. in Rosom rn.ttrest, Clerken-
well, which be let out for emporium lectures, belle, and
comets, and the gas was supplied by the pviesontors. In
consequence of his bologna arrest of payment, and as nothing
could be got as account It yes intimated to Inns that the
supply would be oat off but he begged that it might aor,
as he was wider a contract with a teetotal society to supply
them with the nes of the room and gas for lectures two or
three nights a week, and said it should le p.id. He offered
first half a sovereign, sad then said be would endeavour to
get 11. After a second application the fitter went and
out the Res off from the mall, took away the
supply pipe, that is, the piece which parts from
the meta to the meter, and plugged up the
hole in the main. and that in os
meter also. Nevertheless
the teetotal society hid their gas as usual, and the rondo-
Her gave a better light fur at Wet three nights after the
supply pipe had been taken teem the meter; but in °ore-
pence of information which reached than, they thought it
t to remove their furniture, r.fitting., forma, banners,
(rota the ball, when it weediscovered that up In one
of the corners of the ceiling a pros at gut had been attached
to the end of a dirtied pips, which was connected with a
main at the back of Northenopton•buildings, and to the end
of the pipe which supplied the chandelier, so that a supply
was procured direct from another main, the meter having
been supplied from the main In Roseman-street. It was
calculated that about 300 feet would be «mourned on each
of the tines occasions when it wee nerd by the teetotallers
(several of whom gave evidence), and the value of which wee
put at about 4e.).
The cross-examination of the teetotal witnesses by Mr.
Ribbon, particularly one named Pennefather, who rid he
wee teetotal to the backbone, and had been so for twenty
years, was most amusing, and created great annulment in
wart.
_ _ _

Ribton, in his adieus to the iory, complained in very
strong terms of the manner in which, he said, the company
had trea,rid this man, who had always borne a most irre-
proachable character, in resorting to the criminal law end
tlfffhim with a felony der such eireurnatenose, for it
t un
possibly amount to anything beyond • breech of
°attract. The company connected to supply him with gas,
and be contracted to supply the teetotare with it, end
though at the moment he was unable to pay up the sneers,
he did all he could to do et,, end had not the company cut his
supply off he would have continued to cany on his room.,
and been enabled to pay. As it was, he was oompelled to
give up his premises to another person, who had paid the
11114111711; and in moaning to the mode he had of getting •
supply from the old pipe, he bad no more committed • felony
than • man would in cutting • slice of his own bread for his
luncheon. He declared he would have done the same
thing himself and defied the company, and had the
company asked to be paid for the extra gas need, of course
it would hive been paid. The prisoner had, as he
considered, been improperly deprived of hie supply
through the meter, and it woe done in his absence, and he
thought he had a right to resort to the other pipes for what
he himself was under contract to supply, as be fully intended
to pay for and not to purloin it, and if the prisoner had not
paid for it, then their remedy wee the county court,
Witnesses to character were then called.
The learned Judge said he thought the ca street between
the company and the prisoner wee determined when the
supply was out off. It seemed to be admitted that the pri-
soner placed the piece of gut on the old pipe, by which means
he got the supply in another way, and the question wee, did
he then wilfully sad deliberately intend to steal the gas and
Ini4eutry for it, or tidok he might do so temporenly, as his
supply had been slopped, without any intention of
brand. If the jury had any doubt about the matter, they
weld give him the bank of it.
Major, retired, sod after a short deliberation, found the
primmer Net Guilty.