The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-26 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

Mr. Phillips, foreman to Mr. Jearph Bontry Tarrant,
a pewnbroker, in Cable-street, Whitochayel, appeared
before Mr. Benson to answer • summons issued against
his muter for unlawfully detaining & diamond ring
alleged to be of the value of 12/.
Mr. Pelham, solicitor, conducted the prosecution..
The complainant was • poor woman named Catherine
Donovan, • rag-sorter, in the employ of Mr. Cohen, • rag.
merchant, in Fieldgate-street, Whitechapel. A few weeks
since, while sorting rags, she found a diamond ring, which
according to the regulations of the establishment in which
she was employed became her perquisite. A few days
afterwards she took the ring to the defendant's shop and
sew his foreman, who requested her to leave it and call
again in ten days. She did so, and was asked to call again
in twenty-one days. On the termination of twenty-one
days she was directed to come in some months. On the
10th of the present month she saw the foreman once
more, who offered to purchase the ring. Sbe declined to
part with the ring, but said "If you like toadvanes &loaner
H. upon it, you shall have it at the end of 12 months if I do
not redeem it." The foreman consented to lend her 3/.
upon it, and made out two tickets. He fastened one to
the ring and gave her theduplicate. He then said " What
are you going to stand ; what do you intend to give me ?"
i She said that she could not give him any money, but did
not mind treating him to • glass of brandy and water.
He then abused her, and said he would not give her any
money at all.
The foreman, in reply to the charge, said that when
Mrs. Donovan first brought the ring to him she said that
her husband picked it up in the country, and he told her
to call again in • few days. He did this for the purpose
of giving information to the police arid setting an inquiry
on foot relating to the manner the woman obtained pas-
semion of the ring, and be postponed giving her • final
answer from time to time to enable the police to prose-
cute their inquiries and to find the owner, which they had
succeeded in doing. He admitted that he made out •
duplicate for H., but be would deny that he ever asked
her to " stead something to drink." The ring in question
was worth H., and no more. He never intended to do any
wrong to the poor woman. He had been often complimented
by the magistrates of that court for the assistance he had
given to the police and others in the administration of
justice and the recovery of stolen property.
Mr. Benson looked at a copy of the report made to the
police by the foreman, and said that it did not represent
that the woman said her husband picked up the ring in the
country.
Hugh Andrews, a police-constable No. 62 H, said there
was a curious history connected with this ring. A boy in
the employ of Early and Smith, tradesmen in Hounds-
ditch, had plundered them to the extent of 001, and after
his conviction he confessed that be bed purchased a
diamond ring with • portion of the money, and had
thrown it among the remnants and pieces of cloth in his
employers' workshop. Those pieces of cloth were sold by
Early and Smith to Mr. Cohen, the rag merchant. The
woman Donovan, while sorting these pieces, found the
ring, which she took to Mr. Tarrant's shop. He bad
showed the ring to the boy in prison, and be said that it
was the one be had bought. It fitted his finger exactly.
He confirmed the fermium's account as to his giving in-
formation to the police.
Mr. Cohen claimed the ring that was found by his see.
want. He did not allow any persons in his employ to re-
tain possession of any valuable property they might find
among the rags they were sorting.
Mr. Benson said the law bad been recently laid down in
one of the superior courts in the clearest possible manner.
A gentleman found a valuable ring in a railway carriage
on the Great Western line. The railway company claimed
the property, and it was held that it did not belong to
them, although found in one of their carriages, but to the
finder. If his housemaid found • ring not belonging to
him while sweeping his carpet it would become her pro-
perty if no owner appeared for it. The defendant was in
the wrongful possession of the diamond ring now claimed
by Mrs. Donovan. Mr. Cohen had no title to the ring,
and it was not the property of Mr. Tarrant or his foreman.
He thought the ring ought to be in the hands of the police
at present. The ring, as against Joseph Hockey Tarrant,
must not be detained any longer, and it ought not to have
been retained by the foreman at aIL Mr. Benson then
delivered the ring to Andrews, the pollee-eon/table, and
directed him to take care of it until Monday next, when
he would decide whether it should be given to Mrs. Dono-
van or not.