The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-23 00:00:00

POLICE COURT.-YESTERDAY.

DETECTION OF ANOTHER IMPOSTOR.— Richlrd Parkinson,
a man about 60 years of age, was charged by detective-
• officer Kennedy with obtaining money by false pretences,
; namely, by professing to tell fortunes. Mr. Bluck, solicitor,
appeared. for the defendant.
Mr. Wybergh, the clerk, informed the magistrates that
the defendant was charged with telling the fortune of a
person, and obtaining from her the sum of sixpence, for
which offence he wasable to three months' imprisonment.
Detective-officer Kennedy said, last night, about six
' o'clock, I was in Horatio-street when I saiv the female, who
• told me she had been to have her fortune told. I afterwards
went to the house, and saw the prisoner; I told him the
charge I had against him, when he said he never intended
to tell fortunes; "hut when people came to him, and asked
him questions he gave them an answer." In the room
where I saw the prisoner I found three books and three
glasses. (The officer produced the articles).
One of the books produced was the private diary of the
accused, in which were many entries, some in black and
others in rod. The following is the form of prayer, supposed
to be used by the necromancer, at the time he places one of
the glass globes in the hands of the poor ignorant wretches ;
for it may fairly be presumed that none but the most igno-
rant and illiterate would attend and pay their money to
such impostors : —" In the name of the three persons of the
Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I desire that the
mighty angel which rules this planatory orbit, that thou
wilt grant the person who calls on thee in these mighty
names, Tretrogranimatan, Elvin, Eloie, Zeboth, Eloim,
Eseberebier, Adom Jali, Jehovah, Tregrogrammatan,
Sahah God Eheir, io one God the Father, while they take
hold of this celestial ball of glass, to let them see the face
of all suck things which they should think requisite and
proper for the knowledge he is seeking after. In the name
of the Father, &c. Amen."
Several other articles were also found which were doubt-
lessly employed in developing to his poor dupes that which
they believed, while he was reaping a rich harvest out of
their pockets.
The officer, in answer to Mr. Bluck said : I met the
female in the street. She was talking to another person.
It was in consequence of what she told me, that I went to
the prisoner's house. I was in plain clothes. The woman
told me she had been fool enough to go and have her fortune
told, and that he had charged her 6d., which she gave him.
I did not see anything done in the house. There were per-
sons waiting in the room when I went.
Catherine Downes, the wife of William Downes, a
labourer at the docks, of St. Martin's-court, who had a
child in her arms, said : Last night I went to the prisoner's
house. I went because I had heard the people say that he
told fortunes, and that he told a great deal of truth. When
I went into the room he asked me what 'my name was, I
told him, and also that I was a married woman, and that
my husband worked at the docks. He gave me one of the
glass balls to put in my hand, and after I had held it there
for a short time he held it up to the candle, and said, " your
husband intends to go to foreign parts, but he cannot go at
present. It may be in 1854 or 1855, but he won't go at
present." He also said, your husband do( s not go much
with other women. He said when my husband did go to
foreign parts, it would be much better for him to go to
Melbourne than to Sydney. He told me other things which
I do not recollect.
The Magistrate : Did he charge you anything ?
Witness : I asked him what he charged me, and he said
6d. and I paid him that amount.
The police-officer, in answer to Mr. Block, said : The
prisoner lived in a private house. It is not a register-office
for servants,
Mrs. Downes : It is not a register.officr.
Mr. Bluck : I think there is no case against my client.
He gave the woman very good advice, for which sixpence
was not too much to charge. He merely told her that it
would be better if her husband went to Melbourne
than to Sydney, which from what we see of the amount of
gold daily being found there, was good advice.
The Clerk : But it is a penal offence.
The Magistrate : Did there appear to be any secresy in the
matter ?

Mrs. Downes : No ; I knocked at the door, and the son
said " Come in." There were four or five persons waiting
when I went, and two came in afterwards.
The Clerk (pointing to the book and glasses :) But how
do you get over them ?
Mr. Bluck : They are merely ornaments.
The Clerk : It is against the law.
The Magistrate : I can see through it ; I know all about
it. I have had my fortune told. (Laughter).
Mrs. Downes : After I got in the room he carefully shut
the door. He also told me I should soon be better off than
I am at present.
The Magistrate thought the case was clearly proved, and
committed the prisoner for three months. It was clearly
'extorting money, and such a system ought to be suppressed.
The prisoner was then conveyed to the bridewell in the
custody of the officer.
EMBEZZLEMENT BY A CLERK.—Sanzuel Gray, a clerk in
the Electric Telegraph Company's office, was charged with
embezzling the sum of three pounds, the property of that
office.
It appeared that the clerk, a most respectable looking man,
had been entrusted with an order for some goods at the rail-
way station, and three guineas to pay the carriage of them.
He returned the order signed, indicating that the money had
been paid, but did not appear himself until afterwards, when
he was in a state of intoxication.
The prisoner admitted the offence with which he was
charged; and, in order to make further inquiries, the pri-
soner was remanded for a week.
ONE OF THE SWELL MOB IN TROUBLE.—Benry Heal was
charged with attempting to pick the pockets of several ladies,
as they were leaving the Theatre Royal the previous evening.
Detective-officer Bates, said as the company were leaving
the Theatre Royal, last night, he saw the prisoner attempt-
ing to pick the pockets of several ladies, one of whom stated
she felt him touch her pocket. The officer followed him and
took him into custody. The prisoner said, " I am the
traveller for a London house, and I will make it answer
your purpose." The officer told him he had known him in
London, and in his pocket he found a memorandum book,
in which was inscribed the various places he intended to
visit. The officer proceeded to read the times at which the
theatre was occupied by some popular actor, from the
book.
The Magistrate : But he does not say he intends
visiting these places for vicious purposes. He may have
other motives.
The Officer : He does not say so.
The Magistrate : Then you have no, right to prejudge the
man. Did you see him do anything.
Officer : I knew him in Londou.
Magistrate : Did you ever see him , doing anything
there ?
Officdr : I have seen him in the company of pick-
pockets.
Magistrate : What did you see him doing last night ?
Officer : I saw him by the side of the ladies, attempting to
pick their pockets.
The Magistrate : Have you any witnesses.
Officer : No. But one lady said she would be here. It
was her who said she felt the prisoner at her pocket.
The Prisoner : Then there is a case at once if your can
produce the lady.
The case was remanded for the female to be produced.
ROBBING AN EMPLOYER. —Edward Dumphy, a smith, in
the employ of Messrs. Bathgate and Wilson, was charged
wth stealing 2 cwt. of copper.
It appeared that the detective officer, whilst engaged in
searching for the property, found it at a marine store dealer's,
named Cash in Water-street. This copper had been pur-
chased by the store keeper's wife, during his absence in
Ireland, at the rate of 6d. per lb., it being worth about
ls. 2d. It was clearly proved that the prisoaer had sold the
copper, and as he could not give a satisfactory account of
how he became possessed of the copper, he was committed
for two months' imprisonment, the magistrate considering
the conduct of the marine., store dealer very reprehensible
in
.purchasing it.
FELONY.—Sinton _Lynn, who has been befui so appre-
hended with another person, on a charge of stealing some
iron piping, but who were discharged because the officer
could not' appear at the time, having been again appre-
hended, was remanded until his accomplice was found. The
property stolen belongs to the 'Woods and Forests.
ExT.Narvis ROBBERY OF TooLs.—George Robberds, a
journeyman joiner, was charged with stealing a large
number of joiners' tools, the property of various persons.
The tools stolen consisted of almost every variety used in
the trade.
It appeared that, in the early part of the, present month
several joiners' shops were broken open on the Saturday
night, and from each place a large quantity were taken
away. These tools live since been traced into several pawn
shops, where in most instances they had heen pledged by the
prisoner soon after the robberies were effected..
The charge being duly s'ubstatitiated—the tools being
identified—the prisoner was committed for trial on two
charges,, the pawnbrokers being ordered to give up the tools
to the owners, as they had no right to take such things in
pledge as workmen's tools-

AwMARINE STORE DEALER UNLICENSED.----Philip .3.P Car-
mick, marine store dealer, Parliament-street, was charged
by an officer of the detective force, with having in his
posession a quantity of iron, supposed to be stolen, and
which he had not entered any account of in his books,
contrary to the act of parliament.
The officer spoke to finding the iron in the cellar, and
upon asking how it came into the defendant's possession, a
woman stated she had purchased it while the defendant was
in Ireland. The defendant denied all knowledge of the
iron being in his possession. The woman stated she could
not tell from whom she had purchased the iron. Mr. Snow-
ball, who appeared for the defence' argued that the defen-
dant was not liable for the acts of his servant, but,
The magistrates taking a different view of the matter, and
censuring the store dealer for receiving such property, which
they must know had not been come honestly by, ordered his
license to be suspended, and inflicted the mitigated penalty
of 44)5. and in default of payment, two months' imprison-
ment ; observing " if there were no receivers there could be
no thieves."

EMBEZZLEMENT BY A BUTCHER'S Boy.—Patrick Phillips,
was charged with embezzling, 40s. from Mr. Charles Eley, of
St. JOlitn,rnarket. On-thd 7th of November last, the was left in oharge of the shop, from which he