The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-07 00:00:00

THB POLICE COURTS.

MANSION-HOI3BE.

CHIME'S or ROBOZILY.—J. C. }bens was charged with
having robbed his master, Mr. M'Kensie, of No. 38, Corn-
hill, stock-broker.
On the 12th of January, Mr. M'Kecsie'a clerk gave to the
prisoner, who was errand.boy, a crossed cheque for 248' 18s.
to pa y into his master's credit at Messrs. Smith, Payne, and
Smith's, and it was afterwards discovered that the rum for
which credit was given only amounted to 2431. 18, , and
that an alteration had been made in the pus-bark. Orr
Friday, the 25th of the same month, when the prisoner was
in the office, the clerk placed 20 sovereigns of hit own money
in his cash.box, in which he had deposited a 51. note, put
the cash box in the iron chest, the key of which was kept
in his desk, locked his desk, and left every thing sate as
he imagined. On the followiag day the prisoner ab-
sconded; but the clerk found his desk locked, the key of
the iron chest within it, and the cash box in its right place,
apparently undisturbed. When the each box, howiver, wee
opened, the sort reigns were not to be seen, but the 51. note,
on which the name of the clerk was written, lay there by
itself. _ . _ _

lt was proved by a clerk in the banking-house that a lad
had, on the 12th of January, paid to Mr. 61.Kenzie's credit
a cheque for 2481. 18s., from which the party who paid it
in received 61., leaving the sum of 2431. 18e. to that gentle.
man's credit.

In answer to a question from Ald. W. Hunts., the el, rk
said he would not have given the money, under the circum
stances, to a stranger, but he knew the boy as a person who
came from the office of the prosecutor.
An officer of the Liverpool police force raid he appre-
hended the prisoner, on hionuay morning, in the river
Mersey, on board a vessel bound for New York, in the
, sect,nd cabin of which vessel he sailed in the assumed name
'of Clark, which he soon relinquished upon finding that it
was all up with him. He then acknowledged that he had
robbed but muter of considerable sums of money from time
to time, that he had paid the passage moue) to America in
Dublin, and that he had spent all he had collected together
in going to Ireland, and coming from Ireland to Liverpool.
He also said, that all the money he had. after all his
depredations, amounted to the sum of Is. Gd., which war
found upon his person.
The prisoner was committed for trial.
_GUILDHALL._

POLICEMEN IN DIb01:1613.-11r. George Furd, of 26,
Botolph.lane, in the city, was charged with assiulting the
complainant, (a policeman) in Wood street, Cbespside,
whilst in the execution of his duty.
Patrick Carroll, 171, stated that about three o'clock that
mulling as be was passing through Chespside in play
clothes he saw the defendant walking along with a small
beg under his arm. Witness went up to him, and asked
him what he bad there, upon which he called him a damned
scoundrel, and knocked him down. With the aid of another
policeman he secured Mr. Furd, and conveyed him to the
stAtion house.
_ .

Mr. Ald. Salomons uked what was in the bag.
The policeman said it was a blue bag, and had some
nude in it. _ . _

The defendant said he was coming from a friend's house,
and had halt a dozen songs in his blue bag, when he was
accosted ►y a person who sppeared to be a brick-
layer's labourer, or a person of that class. This
person asked him w►at he had got in his
bag. He replied that he should not tell him,
The man made a lunge ►gainst him, which forced
him against the wall, upon which defendant pushed him off,
but he did not fail, and asked him who he was. lie said he
was a policeman, and must know what was in the bag.
Defendant saw an officer at a short distance and called to
him. He came up very slowly, and defendant then asked
Lim whether the complainant was a policeman, as he had
called himself such. With some hesitation the other replied,
" it is my opinion that you bad better believe be is a police-
man." From thus evading his question, defendant con
eluded there was some juggle between them, and that his
assailant was rot a f•cliceman, and called up n him to
produce his authority. lie said that ho should do no sueh
thing, and should insist upon seeing what was in the big.
Defendant said to the policeman, '• if this man is an officer
why not say BO ; I will show the bag to you but not to him."
The policeman then said they would all go to the station
house. There the policeman's charge of assault w.di taken
against him, and he was ordered to find sureties to appear
before the magistrate.
Mr. Alderman Salomon called upon the other policeman
to Wee what he saw.

Thomas Hall, 167, stated ho was at the top of Wood-street
and saw the other constable in plain clothes a few yards be-
fore him, and saw him speak to the genthmao, who gave
him a thrust into the road. Tney both called out " police,"
and upuu goieg up ho heard Carroll ask the defendant to
!how him the bag. Witness told the gentleman Carroll
was an officer; but the gentlemsn was obitionte end would
not show what was in the bag. lie, Is4wever, tir,t said ha
would show it to witness, but afterwards said he would not
till he got to the station house.
The Alderman said—Then it was not trues that Carroll
was knocked down.
The witness replied, No ; he saw the gentleman strike I
him, but he did not fail.
Carroll interposed to explain that he meant to say that
the gentleman nearly felled him to the ground.
Alderman Salomon' said that he thought everybody was
bound, for their common interest, to support the polies In
the fair execution of their duty ; and it must be admitted that
the police generally behaved well. Although the magistrates
felt the necessity of protecting them, they were bound to look
at their evidence with some caution. Here the second po-
liceman had contradicted the Grit as to his having been
knocked down, and it was pl,iu the second policeman had
not spoken the truth, for if he had seen his brothel/ constable
strut k with such violence, he would have instantly rushed to
his aid and seised the assailant. Nothing of the sort, how-
ever, took place. Now, although the police might wear
plain clothes to de,ect crime, yet when they were not dressed
as officers they should not act as policemen by themselves,
but have the aid of some of the force who were on duty. At

Teas terhen policemen went about out of uniform, their dis-
guise should carry an appearance of respectabitity with it.
It prisons were to be stopped by men in the glib of brick-
layers' labourers, and submit to be questioned and over-
hauled, they would be liable to be robbed by thieves. How
were the public to dittiegnish between a real police officer
and a bricklayer's labourer ? He thought the public were
justified in refusing to give any faith to persons in such a
garb. The conduct of Carroll wan, in his opinion, highly
censurable, and he should diemiss the charge against Mr.
Ford, and at the same time ram' the consideration of the
whole case to the Chief Commissioner, with a view of getting
some better directions for the guidance of policemen when
in plain closes.
Mr. Ford thanked the alderman, and then retired with
his Wendy.