The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-07 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

BOW-STREET.

Mr. Durkin, the superintendent of the F division of
police, applied to Bir Thomas Henry for an order ti
destroy a large quantity of obscene books, prints, &c.,
recently seised at a house in Old-street, St. Luke's, being
the property of the notorious Dugdale, who estimated their
value at from 8001. to I,OOW.
Mr. Raven, from the office of Mr. Willis, of Hunter-
street, appeared for Dugdale, and for some members of
his familyy. who, it appears, have an interest in Dugdale's
Pr
•27tRaven contended that two works entitled respectively
"Jack Sheppard" and "The Secret* of Freemasonry,"
were sot -obsoene, and did not, tome within the pro-
onion of the e.g.

Sit Thonsas Henry concurred in this view, and ordered
those two books to be given up to Dugctale's representa-
tives. lie wished to know whether it wee disputed that
the rest were obscene P

YT. Riven thought he could not contest the fact that
they came clearly within the act. He had been instructed
that • small number of them were not amens, but he
should not feel justified in attempting to support such an
argument.
Sir Thomas Henry said that if such a contention had
been set up he should have taken care that it should be
thoroughly investigated. He should have ordered the
books, ka, to be detained until the expiry of the Gen-
teneNs which Due was now undergoing for another,
but not wholly dissimilar offence, when he °Quid be again
prosecuted for the possession of these infamous pro-
ductions.

Mr. Raven said he would not pretend to dispute the
offensive character of these publications, but would sub-
mit to the judgment of the learned chief magistrate.
Sir Thomas Henry had not the slightest hesitation in
condemning them all, and• should give his order to Mr.
Durkin to destroy them at once.
The "property" thus condemned consisted of the
printed but unbound sheets of 36,000 volumes of obscene
books and pamphlets, 46 lithographic stones, each to print
six page size illustrations to the abovementioned books,
with 318 printed impressions from the stones, 16 copper
plates engraved with equally disgusting designs, and
between 700 and 800 impressions.
The work of destruction was immediately commenced.
At the Bow-street Police-station, Superintendent Durkin
and a staff of constables were engaged for some hours in
burning the sheets.

WESTMINSTER.
John Bower, private in the 2nd battalion of Grenadier
Guards, was charged with causing the death of William
Pemberton, a comrade, in the Wellington barracks.
Corporal George Richards, of the 2nd battalion Grena-
dier Guards, said that between 9 and 10 on Wednesday
night he was in the canteen belonging to the barracks
hn a glass of ale, and saw the prisoner and the de-
ceased there. They were having high words. The deceased
called prisoner some name, when the latter struck him in
the face with his fiat and knocked him down between the
tressels of the table, so that his body could not touch the
geocraldalthough his feet and were resting on it.
was facing witness, and prisoner's back was
towards him. Prisoner gave a swinging kick with
all his force, and kicked deceased in the face.
Witness immediately ordered two men to fall in
and march prisoner to the guard-room. After seeing
him thus secured witness returned to the canteen, and
ordered four men to pick deceased carefully up and take
him to the guard-room. When placed on the bed the
doctor was sent for. Witness then saw the deceased was
dead. Prisoner was handed over to the civil authorities
by the order of Colonel King, the commanding officer of
the regiment.
In reply to questions from the magistrate, witness said
that deceased did not strike the prisoner at all, nor chal-
lenge him to fight. They were neither sober nor drunk.
Both had been drinking, and were unfit for duty. De-
mated never spoke after he received the kick.
Mr. Smyth, the solicitor for the prisoner, cross-examined
witness, and elicited that there was a woman in the party
at the canteen, and that deceased put his arm round her
and kissed her, which caused an ill-feeling. Witness did
not hear deceased challenge the prisoner to fight.
Mr. Arnold said it would be his duty to remand the
prisoner until Saturday on the charge of wilful murder.

Mr. Motum, the secretary of the Society for the Pro-
tection of Women and Children, Haymarket, attended
with the Rev. R. G. Baker, the vicar of Fulham, for a
warrant to apprehend a person who had attempted to
obtain money by falsely representing herself as the lady
superior of the Foreign Girls' Protection Society. Mr.
Motum stated that there was no such society in existence,
and that a man named Bedweli, who had represented
himself as the secretary, was committed for trial that day
at the Marylebone police-court on three cases of obtaining
goods by false pretences.
The Rev. Mr. Baker, in reply to the magistrate, said he
had seen the woman, and the man who styled himself the
secretary, as he brought a letter from her to him respect-
ing the society. He had previously known herinFulharn, and
he called upon her at a house in Pelham-crescent, Bromp-
ten, where he saw her table covered with papers relating
to an institution for the reformation of young girls
brought from abroad. She represented that she bad been
appointed by the committee as the superintendent, and
asked for his assistance to promote the funds, She pm,
duced a paper containing a list of names, but he had
since ascertained that there was no such institution or
committee.

The officer in Bedwell's case said the gentlemen
mentioned as the committee never gave any sanction for
the use of their names

Mr. Dayman thought there was a difficulty in the case,
for be found that her name did not appear. Bedwell's
name appeared as the secretary,and she might have been
duped by him.
The officer told the magistrate that they had been
living together u brother and sister. Bedwell was not
his right name.
Mr. Dayman suggested that the matter should remain
in.abeyance until the trial of Bedwell, when evidence
might be adduced which would connect them more closely
together.
Mr. Motum said he would adopt the magistrate's sug-
gestion.

Cityirrer. PALACE AND Sorra Lownow TtuicrioN
Rau.ws.r.-The directors' report states that the proprie-
ton were informed at the adjourned half-yearly meeting
held on the 28th of May last, that the directors were com-
pelled to withdraw their bill for improving the communi-
cation between this company's line and the City. The
bill for a working union of the three great southern rail-
ways, to which the proprietors gave their assent at an
extraordinary general meeting, held on the same day,
having also been withdrawn, the directors recapi-
tulate to the proprietors the exact position in which
this company is now placed. Having done so they say:—
The shareholders of both companies having thus for-
mally recorded their opinion that this is a fit case for ar-
bitration no difficulty ought now to exist in arriving at a
speedy settlement. Although the circumstances under
which the traffic of the line is worked remain unaltered,
the directors have much satisfaction in stating that the
weekly returns prepared by the London, Chatham, and
Dover Company indicate a very considerable growth in
the receipts. The mileage proportion of receipt i attri-
buted to this company for the 26 weeks ending 28th June
last, is 6,605/. against 4,880/. for the corresponding period
of last year, being an increase of 33 per cent. The direc-
tor do not admit the oorrectriees of these returns
or of the principle on which they are calcu-
lated, as the amount to which this company is
entitled will be determined in the suit alluded to.
That the increase will continue to be 've may
reasonably be expected from the vast amount of building
now going on at Upper Norwood and other fasces con-
tiguous to the line, and from the conveyance of goads and
coals—a source of income which for the present remains
undeveloped. There must also, sooner or later, be a GM•
siderable accession of traffic from other neighbouring com-
panies whenever the South London lines are properly
utilised by junctions and arrangements which are already
demanded by the rapidly increasing population of the
districts contiguous to the company's railway. Under
these circumstances, the board cannot refrain from reite-
rating their belief In the value of the company's under-
The directors cannot conclude this report with-
out expressing their regret at the greed inconvenience
which the debenture holders are suffering from the non-
reeeipt of interest for so long • period. To effect the
earliest mettle:pent possible will be the unceasing (whist-
Your of the board, as they fully recognise the tact that the
satisfaction of the claims of the bondholders must be the
first step towards • dividend on the shares.

LONDON AND NORTH WE TERN RAILWAY. —The
accounts of this company, though not yet finallyaudited
or approved by the board of director's, show a balance
eutiment to admit of a dividend for th, past half-
year, at the rate of five and one quarter (di) per cent. p-c
annum.

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14.11VIAIN AND 8011r11 WIRITRRN RAILWAY.

• The report of the directors states that the half-
yearly accounts to the 30th June, 1868, atm+, the net
mienue for the six months, after deductiug interest on
Ibarie and all other preferential charges, to be 156,2 :31.
2e. Id. , add the surplus at December, 1837, 10,3031.
9s. 10d. Balance available jut dividend, 166,1,56!. 11s. I Id.
From the above sum the directors recommend th it a
disidend be declared at the rate of 4 per amt. per 411U1/114
pa)nble on the Ist September, amounting on 7,772,851.
Se. 7d. of paid-up capital, to 166,4671. 14e. 6d. ;
to be earned over to the current half-year, 11108/.
17e. Id. The gross revenue for the half-year ending 34th
June, 1868, shows an increase as compared with the
amount for the corresponding half year of 1867 of 38,1631.
This has been earned on a similar length of line owned by
tie company, and shows a progressive development of the
renounces of the country served by this rid.way and its
blanches. The average rate of interest on the mmtgage
debt remains the same as in corresponding period of 1611,
it standing for the last half-year at 4.40 percent. 'Phi,
increase in the amount of debenture stock issued in the
half year is 363,0001. The decrease in the terminable mort-
gage debt of the company during the same period is 260,0601.
The train mileage has been increased by. 49,692 miles ;
but notwithstanding this the expenditure in the locomo-
tive department shows a decrease of 3,4421., owing to the
reduction in the cost and the consumption of fuel, and to
some savings effected in wages. An increased expendi-
ture of 6,4681. in the carriage department has been caused
by a larger amount having been expended on the altera-
tions of the rolling stack, as ie fully explained in the re-
port of the locomotive superintendent annexed hereto.
The. permanent way and works hive been maintained
during the past six months in an efficient state. The
renewal of permanent way account, which in
June, 1867, stood at 37,26:» has been reduced in
the twelve months by 14,0921., the sum to the debit
of that account now stand:ng at 23,2731. The di-
rectors have in the ensuing session of parlia-
ment to make application for powers to raise additional
capital to the extent of 330,00W.' to provide for the
above and other expenditure. The act for enabling the
Postmaster-General to acquire the established public
electric telegraphs is a measure of great interest to the
company. On its introduction into parliament the di-
rectors deemed it necessary that the company should ho
Petitioners against it. Arrangements had from time to
time been made with the Electric Telegraph Company,
by which telegraph communication had been provided for
the use of this company over all parts of the railways on
which it had been considered necessary to establish it, and
those arrangements, although they secured to the com-
pany no direct present income from the public messages
sent over the South Western Railways, were of an ad-
vantageous character, and of which it was higly neces-
eery that the benefit should be preserved to the company.
Some years ago. the company succeeded in obtaining a
legislative provision in favour of the transfer of this com-
pany's debenture stock without payment of ad valorem
duty. This exceptionally favourable legislation the go-
vernment has seen tit to repeal, but whilst this company
are somewhat losers by the change, the discussion which
was brought about has obtained for all railway companies
alike a considerable relief, viz., by the substitution of an
ad valorem duty of 2e. 6d. instead of 10s. per 1001.