The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-03 00:00:00

Tilt BRITISH PRESS.

POLICE.
........a.w.......
GUILDHALL.

A young men named John Blanchard, a journeyman carpenter,
was brought up for final examination yesterday before Mr. Alder-
man Seholey, upon suspicion of having stolen • valuable violin.
The circumstances of this case, although they lie ih a small com-
mute, were investigated with unusual minuteness twice In the
course of the past week, and on the let occasion Mr. Alderman
Lucas devoted above an hour to the subject, examining the wit-
nesses with • greater dexterity and keener interest than in any in-
stance that has occurred at this office for some months.—
The prosecutor, John Prentice, a musician residing lo Gibral-
tar-row, Lambeth, went into the tap of the Rose Inn, Smithfield,
last Tuesday afternoon, and, after playing a tune or two upon his
violin, feeling very drowsy from having been professionally en-
gaged at a party all the previous night, he deposited his instru-
ment in a bag, placed it in a corner by his side, and fell into a
doze—a sort of half abstraction of his mental and physical
powers, during which he saw the prisoner, who was sitting close
by, reach the bag across him, and pass it on to some other men in
the room. As soon as he could collect himself lie inquired after
and searched for his violin, supposing • that it had been hidden
somewhere as • Christmas Joke. Finding, however, that It was
not forthcoming, he complained to the landlady, went out for a
constable, with whom he returned in three or four minutes, and
every place was again searched with the same result as before. lie
then gave the prisoner into custody. There were grounds of sus-
Ppicion against the prisoner in addition to the testimony of Mr.
rentice eye-sight, for soon after he ( Prentice) entered the house
he mentioned that his violin was worth seventeen guineas. This
awakened the attention of tli prisoner, and when he further stated
that he was going to play in Drury-lane that evening, and must
think about starting, the prisoner said to hint, " Do not go yet ;
you are drowsy—take a nap, and you will still be in time."
The difficulty was to arrive at a right understanding as to what
degree sleep had established its dominion over the prosecutor—
how far his perzeptions had become confused, and insensibility had
crept over him, the probability appearing to be that he did not see
the violin taken, but missed it when he awoke. He swore posi-
tively that he was sufficiently awake to see the fiddle pass, and
sober enough to be able to identify the prisoner as the person who
took it from his side. He was well aware, he said, of the serious
nature of an oath: he had never taken one before, but yet heiwould
now .unhesitatingly and solemnly swear that he saw the prisoner'
take the iostruutent. Still, however, the Magiatrate could not get
him to specify the time that elapsed between his seeing the elan
pass him and his raising the alarm; he would only answer, "as
soon as lie could recover himself," or something tantamount
thereto; but whether that recovering occupied half a minute %sr
half an hour he could not be brought to state. Yesterday he was
as positive and inflexible as before.
William Hunt, a porter in Covent.garden market, stated that he
was in the tap-room when the prosecutor arrived he seemed very
much intoxicated, and after playing& tune he went out and came in
again ; lie had the violin still with him ; he then sat down, and
slept soundly for three quarters of an hour, and when he awoke he
looked round and asked who had his violin. " Did I give it you ?"
he said, addressing himself to witness. He told him he did not,
to which the prosecutor replied, " I thought I did; Oh, I gave It
to you," speaking to the prisoner. The prisoner denied it, and
several persons at this moment left the tap-room. After a lapse of
half an hour a constable was fetched, and before he gave charge of
the prisoner, Prentice pointed him (the witness) out as the thief.
The prosecutor first said he had given it to the prisoner, and then
that lie had taken it from between his knees.
William Empsoit, an old man, living on his property, who
lodges at the inn, stated the prosecutor to be very drunk when he
came in, and that he slept soundly for an hour ; and that when he
awoke and missed the violin, upon his coming to complain to the
landlady, care was taken that no person should leave the room until
the constable had made the search.
Mr. Brown, the landlord, and Griffiths, the officer, both thought
the prosecutor, though intoxicated, was perfectly sensible of what
was going forward, and could talk rational. The officer stated that
there was a countryman in the room, who had said he saw the
violin passed to a woman, who conveyed it out of the house; but
upon being questioned by him upon the subject, he declared he
knew nothing about it.
The prisoner protested his innocence, and denied that he had
MT said any thing to the prosecutor beyond twice refusing to let
him make free with his liquor. One of the prisoner's late em-
ployers gave him an excellent character for sobriety and integrity.
Mr. Alderman SCHOLEY said the prosecutor had sworn so posi-
tively to the fact of the prisoner being the first person who took
away the violin, that die should feel it his duty to commit him to
Icengats for trial.
The depositions against him were ordered to be drawn up, and the
prisoner will be brought up to-morrow that they may be read over
so him in the form they will be returned to the Sessions, agreeably
to a recent order made by the Judges.