The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-12 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

MANSION -HOUSE

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Richard Foster, a stoker— on board the Seine, a vessel
plying between Loudou.bridge and Boulogne, was brought
before the Lord Mayor, charged upon an information laid
under the directions of her Majesty's Customs, by Alfred
Parsons, one of the officers of her Majesty's Customs, with
having secreted on board the ship Seine • quantity of
spirits, contrary to the 28th section of the Supplementary
Customs Consolidated Act of 1865, and thereby rendering
bimselt liable to a penalty of 100/.
The charge having been read over to the prisoner, Mr.
Goodman, the chief clerk, salted him if he was Fruty or
nut guilty!
The prisoner replied, guilty.
The prisoner was brought before the Lord Mayor on
Saturday last and tined 40s. for a similar offence.
The Lord Mayor said he was sorry to think the prisoner
should be so foolisb,after what he had said to him on Satur-
day, ea to render himself liable to • penalty of 1001., which
it was entirely out of hie power to mitigate. The prisoner,
he said, must pay the tine of 1001. or go to prison for gig
months in default of payment.

James Hoge, also a stoker on board the Seine, was also
charged with secreting two bottles of spirits.
This being the first offence, the prisoner was only fined
204., or in default to be imprisoned for ten days.
Jan Spicer and Maria Spires, husband and wife, were
brought up on a charge of stealing a purse containing 4s. Gd.
from the person of Mrs. Frances Woolfeg, on Fishmongers'.
ball Pier, London Bridge.
It appeared that the prisoners were standing on the pier
waiting with a number of other people for the Woolwich
boat, when the captain of a boat which tuns from ',endue-
bridge to Chelsea saw some movemetts which excited his
suspicions, and he spoke to the pier master, and they both
watched the prisoners, and saw the mace put his hand into
Mrs. Woolfeg's pocket and walk away. He went after
them sad found the purse on the male prisoner; and it was
identified by the lady.
The prisoner said he picked up the purse.
The Lord Mayor said it was evident they were both there
for the purpose of picking pocketa, and it was equally evi-
dent that the male prisoner stole the purse in question. He
sentenced them each to three months with hard labour.

Joh,' Alerdern, who hu been twice previously remanded,
wu brought up for final examination on a charge of steeling
a quantity of shawls and some skirt lengths the property of
his employer, Mr. Knox, of 42, Chemmide, warehouseman.
The prisoner was committed for trial.

Mr. William Winn, the extensive contractor, of Curtain-
road awl elsewhere, wassuromoned at the instance of Robert
Howard Valentine, an inspector of nuisances, acting for the
Board of Works for the Hackney district, for
.permitting an
accumulation of bard core and other offensive matter to
remain upon his wharf, which was a nuisance and injurious
to health.

Mr. Ms s clerk represented the Board of Health ; and
Mr. Beard, of Basinghall-street, the defendant, who pleaded
not guilty.
The complainant deposed that on the Nth ult., and on
three other occasions twee, he visited the defendants wharf,
io Hertford-road, lEiwki4, and there found a heap of hard
core, consisting of broken clocker), oyster shells, dust, and
fish bones, which was a nuisance. When he first visited it,
the heap was about a quarter larger than on his last visit.
la his opinion a greater portion of the beep consisted of
organic matter. The heap would not be a nuisance if put
lower down the yard. A Mn. Allen i house adjoins the de-
fendant's yard, and she bad stated that she had been ill
through the stench from the defendant's yard.
Cross-examined by Mr. Deard—Had known the de-
fendant's yard fur many years. During the last three years
the defendant had kept it in good order. His system was to
hare the dust sifted sa soon as brought in by the carts. The
soft core, such as vegetable., and other offensive matters,
was immediately placed in carts and taken away so soon Si
the cart was full, and the sifted dust was removed daily.
All the yard was very clean. All he had to complain of wee
the heap of hard core.
The medical officer of health for Hackney was then
called, and confirmed the last witness, and added that
he had been told Mrs. Allen was ill through the smell from
the heap in question. He thought such a heap might gene-
rate diarrlices.
In cross-examination the doctor said he could not smell
anything offensive until within six or seven feet of the yard.
He went into Ms.. Allen's house, but could not smell an
offensive in it. The window was ehu and that might
be the reason. There was another wharf cSis by the defen-
dant's from which offensive smells came. The proprietor
of that wharf had been summoned before the board.

Robert Fanhund, foreman to Mrs. Allen, also spoke to
the unpleasantness of the smell from the bard core.
Dlr. Beard having addressed the court for the defendant,
and complained of the Hackney Board of Work' taking
these proceedings, when their own officers admitted that the
defendant did KU he could to keep the wharf in • good state,
observed that he really thought the real object of these pro-
ceedings was to drive Mr. Winn from the wharf altogether,
and get him out of Hackney parish. He was prepared by
evidence of several medial gentlemen, and also by the
neighbours of Allen, to show that the heap of hard
core was neither a nuisance nor injurious to health, and he
asked the magistrate to dismiss the summons. lie then
called

Dr. Letbeby, medical officer of health for the City of
London, who stated that be bad had gnat experience re-
lative to the state of duatyards, not only in the metropolis
but in the country. He yesterday visited the defendant's
yard, and found the businem carried on in the most ex-
emplary manner—in fact, it was a model duatyard. As soon
as the arts arrive the dust is shot out, and all the vegetable
or animal matters are at once taken from it and placed in a
cart. The stuff remaining is sifted, and the fine ashes
and the large cinders, called bream, are also taken
away. The hard core was what was complained
of, and his opinion was that there was nothing in that heap
which could be offensive to any one a short distance from it,
and most certainly there could be nothing that was injurious
to health. There is nut sufficient organic matter an the
heap to bring about sufficient decay to be injurious to health.
Mr. D'Eyocourt intimated that deer the evidence of so
eminent and scientific • wittier he could not make an order.

Mr. Beard observed that be had two other medical gen-
tlemen present, Drs. Horner and James, to confirm Dr.
Letheby, if it were thought p
Mr. D'Eyncourt thought not; remarked ripen
the fact that Mrs. Allen bad not been called by the prose-
cution, be dismissed the complaint, a decision which ap-
peared to give great satisfaction to a crowded auditory.

LA M BET H.
Entity Cornett, a female advuoced in pregnancy, Was
charged with stealing slb. of meat from the shop of Mr.
James Swift, a butcher, on Gipsey-hill, Norwood.
Mr. Swift said that tho prisoner came into his shop and
purchased and paid for baH.a-pound of suet, but before
going away be saw her take the piece of meat produced and
put it into her basket. Having been a considerable loser
by such a system of plunder, be sent for a constable and gave
her into custody.
The constable who took the charge said that at the sta.
tion•house the prisoner said it win her little boy who had
put the meat tato the basket ; but the child stoutly
denied it.

The solicitor who attended for the prisoner spoke of the
high respectability of his client, who, he said, was in the
employment of Mr. Strange, in the Crystal Palace, and had
borne an irreproachablecharacter,and she could not account
for the meat being in her buket in any other way than by
mere accident.

The magistrate observed that there could not be the
aligbtest doubt of the prisoser's guilt, and that this =
of robbery was carried on to a very peat extent. He
therefore commit her to prima for 21 days.
A permit from Mr. Strange's eetablailimest subsequently
attended, and gave the prisoner a good character ; but the
magistrate, considering the fact of her endeavouring to shift
the offence on to her child, did not see the slightest ground
for altering his judgment.
_ _

Shine Haan; amiddle-aged foreigner, whose appearance
and manner betokened a disordered intellect, was charged
before the Hoe. G. C. Norton, with destroying a cross, and
other articles of an ecclesiastical character, placed in the
Rowan Calholiz Cathedral, St. George's, Southwark.