The Express.
London, England, 1857-04-18 00:00:00

THE POLICE COURTS.

THIS DAY.

AN INCOIII,IOIBLI THlzr.

Thomas Vincent Bonfield, a youth, only 16 yeah of an,
wad placed at the bar, charged with repeatedly robbing hie
father of considerable sums of money.
The father, a very resectahle-looking man, • tailor,
ourying on laminas in Ebury-staiet, who wand very
much distressed in mind, stated that his an
bad canoed him much anxiety and grief, and had so fre-
quently plundered him, that ho wan obliged to give him into
custody at last. With a view of reclaiming him after be
had lost a ray excellent situation at the foreign office
by his dishonesty, be apprenticed him to the .
but he there beleved so ill that the captain of
the ship. was glad to get rid of him, and upon
his running away took no trouble to recover him. Pei-
souse bad pommel himself of • key of hie father's street-
door, and paid, from time to time, nocturnal visits, In the
course of which he took everything he could lay him
hands upon. He came two months sio, while pro.
sender and his wifa were in bed, and emptied tooth
their pockets. On Friday three weeks he let himself in
with his key, just after dark, and took 7!., which his father,
who has • large family had saved to pay his rent. His
boast among his acquaatances, and in the presence of his
was that nose but ignorant persons worked, and
that he, • enlightened, did not intend to do so.
Prisoner w en asked whether he had anything to say, re-
plied, with the utmost unconcern, "nothing'
He was fully committed for trial.
SOUTHWARK.
-- CACTIOX TO SERVANT&

.....
Mary Calmar, V 24, wee brought before Mr. Dunham,
charged withthers emaling two bags used by guano mar-
e,hants end o, the property of Masers. King, Leey, and
Co., sack and general merchant., Green Men Granary, Her-
mondsey-wall, and 70, Murk-lane.
Mr. Edward Levy, who attended to prefer the complaint,
stated that they had in their employ at Green Man Granary
four hundred persons, where there were upwards of twenty
thousand pounds worth of property, chiefly consisting o
sacks and bagv which they expert daily to the amount of
fifty or sixty thousand, end about the same number ere also
sent out for home consumption. Beingroblied to an enormous
extent recently by some of their workpeople, he called in the
police on Friday avming, and, without any previous know-
called all the workpeuple into a room previously pre-
pared for their reception, where three constables and a female
searcher were As soon as they found what was about to
commence, about thirty of them dropped bags, which they
bad concealed under their clothes for the purpose of carrying
away. The prisoner made a hasty retreat from the premises
and after she left witness looked m a large tin pot need by
the prisoner to boil her tea, and found two of the bags. She
was afterward, given into custody, and it was the wish of the
firm that she should be punished, as a caution to the other
in their employ. Their exportation in those articles alone
amounted to nearly 300,000 a year, and the losses by the
plunder of their servant. were enormous.
Sergeanttlpton, 18 11, said he took the pot to the prisoner's
lodging, in Bull-court, where he found her, and she acknow-
ledged it to be her property. lie then told her that two
legs belonging to her resider were found in it, when she said
she was sorry, and was willing to pay for them, promising
never to steal again.
' Mr. Bomb= told the pnwner that in the place where she
was employed a wholesale system of plunder was being daily
committed toe very serious extent. Instead of acting honestly
towards their employers, they were not satiefled without
appropriating their property to their (the servants') use. He
must try what severity would do to atop ouch depredations
by sentencing her to two months' hard labour in the House
of Correction.

WANDSWORTH.

=MOM Or wnsrmx srmigo FIZZ TO • STACIE OF HAT.

Willi., Roberts, • young man who was described as a
platelayer, having no fined residence, wee upon his
confession with setting tire to a stack of hay • to
Mr. Charles Smith, a fanner, of Merton-lane, Winb
and causing damage to the amount of 1001.
Sergeant Earl, of the City Polies, deposed that about •
quarter-pest eight o'clock o• Monday night last, the prisoner
came up to him In Arthur-street, London-bridge, and said he
wanted to give himself into custody for setting Dm to a stack
of hay, four miles on the London side of Kingston. Witness
asked him when it occurred ? and ho stated on the Friday
night before, between ten and eleven o'clock at night. Wit-
ness then asked him what he had done with himself since it
it happened, and he said that he had concealed himself
about a quarter of • mile from the place, where he remained
until Sunday night, when he left and went to London.
He also said that he wished to give himself into custody,
as ha knew the parties were after him. He stated
that he had been drinking all the day on the Friday,
and in the evening he asked a beerehop-keeper to
give him • lodging. He then went into a Held,
and while entering a shed at the side of s house a dog dew
at him and bit his hand. A gentleman came down stairs
and Do asked him if he would provide him with a lodging.
The gentleman refused and turned him out and threatened to
give him into custody. After that he lit his pipe with a
Lucifer match, and while looking for his bundle discovered
that the bay Mack was on fire. He did not raise any
alarm, end immediately ran off. Witness took him before
the Lord Mayor, who remanded him, and subsequently
ordered him to be brought to this court
for examination.
Sergeant Golding, of the V division, said be remembered
the alarm of fire, and it was not before ho obtained assistance,
and also the use of local engines, that the fire could be
eanished. The damage done to the stack, which con-
of nearly fifty loads of bay, was upwards of 1001. Mr.
Smith's bailiff found the prisoner's handle in the Reid.
The witness also stated that he had no prosecutor present.
Mr. Smith refused to attend, bemuse the stack was insured
in the Royal Exchange Fire-office, and be considered that
the company ought to nt°. Ho bad been to the in-
surance company, and they had said that Mr. Smith ought
to prosecute.
Mr. Hayman said the owner of the bay
trt to prose-
cute, because the insurance was merely aprivate engage-
ment. He then reminded the prisoner for attendance of
• prosecutor.