The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-17 00:00:00

POLICE.

Bow:ii•REET.
Yesterday Peter Nodes, and Wm Leach, the two men charged
with a highway robbery upon Ilk John Moulton, a fanner at
Friern Barnet, as described in our paper of Tuesday last, were
brought before Sir It. Birnie for final examination.
' It will be recollected that at the first examination tfie prisoners
protested their total innocence of the robbery, and declared that the
prosecutor, whom they confessed having seen at the Orange Tree
public-house, was very drunk. The charge was of so serious a
complexion. that the Chief Magistrate felt it to be his duty to have
the tone:tett inquiry instituted into al: the circumstances, and with
that view he on Monday directed Ledbetter, an active constable of
I the establishment, to go down to Culney Batch and the neigh-
bourhonti. anti to spare tia pains in ascertaining all that was neces-
sary to the investigation. the prisoners stated that they slept to-
gether at Leach'a mother's on the night of the robbery ; thin Led-
bitter ascertained to be false; and hi alto procured the following
evidence in corenberation of the testimony of the prosecutor :
Lorton fletly, a carpenter living at CA' dney Batch, stated that on
Saturday night last, Klima a quarter before twelve o'clock, the pro-
secutor knocked laudly at his dam, and called out, For God's
sake let me in; I have been robbed and nearly murdered by two
footpath.... The witness let him in, and saw that he was bleeding
dreadhilly, and in a very faint state. Ile washed and dressed his
wounds as well as he could, and assisted him home. The prosecu-
tor appeared to the witness to be perfectly sober.
John Jewett, ostler at the Orange Tree, deposed that he saw the
prosecutor at that house on Saturday night last. The two prisoners
came in between nine and ten o'clock, and had a pint of porter.
Mr. 3loalton had some beef for supper and drank sonic porter, but
at a very moderate tate. IVitnestwent to bed at a little alter ten
o'clock, and Mr. Moulton was then perfectly sober.
The prisoners merely repented that they were innocent. Leach
seemed agitated and marewhat desponding. Nadel., on the con-
trary, seemed perfectly at his ease, and evinced a good deal of
levity.
The prisoners were fully committed to Newgate for trial. Na.
den's rather, a decent old man, was present, and it was impossible
to observe hia extreme grief and anxiety without feelings of cont.
mine:ration.
MARLBORODDII-STREET.
FEmabt PiMPOCKE7o.—Vntertlay Narott Whitehead, who
upon a former °torsion described herself as a niollert member of the
pea, was charged, in concert with a female•who had escaped, with
having robbed a lady of her perse, containing two pounds three
shillings and eleven-pence.
Mrs. Stringer. of Margaret-street, Cavendiah.square, deposed,
that between twelve and one o'clock yesterday she was in Regent-
Street, and when standing at the corner of Princes-street, looking
at tonic articles in a linentirapees shop, with her reticule in her
hand unclasped. containing a bead purse, in which was a sovereign
and a half, tour hali.crowns, three and sixpence in silver, and five-
pence, a young man who was in a gig came up and asked her if
she had not been robbed of her puree, and informed her that the
prisoner had stolen it.
Wm. Muter, a gentleman's footman, deposed that he observed
the prisoner and another female pass the lady, stop, repass, and
put her hand into the reticule, but whether she took anything
out he could not say. Ile instantly gave the alarm, when the
prisoner and her companion were stopped, but die latter effected her
escape.
Mr. Divine deposed that he observed the prisoner put her hand
into the lady's reticule, and instantly join her companion ; and
that, on the alarm being given a bead purse wan thrown down by
the companion, about three yards from the prisoner. He secured
it, and stopped both the women, but a mob gathered round, and
insisted that the prisoner's companion could not have committed
the robbery, and therefore he had no right to detain her.
Clement, the officer, stated that he had search. d but found
nothing on the prisoner. The bead purse site claimed as her own ;
it contained some duplicates ia the name of Reid, which she said
was her name.

The prisoner, in her defence, said she lived in Darlington-row,
31ile-end, and thai she had turned back to buy some oranges
when she passed the lady a second time ; but she was quite into.
cent of the charge : the bead purse and tickets were her property ;
she was not in company with any female whatever.
Mr. DYER observed that as most probably the other woman
could be found, he should remand the prisoner for a week.
STAGE-COACH es.—Mr. Eames, of the Angel I nn,S t. Clement's,
was summoned upon an information by Byers, the informer, to chew
cause why he liad not, agreeably to the 7th section of the 50th of
George 111., caused to be painted upon a coach running from Lon-
don to Bath, the number of inside and outside passengers which he
was allowed to carry.
A Sulicitor who attended on behalf of Sir. Eames contended that
the Act of 50th of George 111. was a dead letter, inasmuch as it
had been repealed by the of George IV. cap. 95. AIL Hen.
ridge then read the Act under which the information was laid, from
which it appeared that the legislature had enacted that every coach
should have, either upon a brass plate, or other metal, or else in
letters of an inch in length, dic names of the proprietors, the num
ber of passengers the coach was allowed to take inside as wellas out,
and the number, and which inscription was to be written within a
certain period upon each coach, under a penalty of 50s. and not
exceeding 101., whereas the Act of George IV. went to repeal the
former Act, for It therein stated that In lieu of such inscription
which was authorised by the 50,h George 111. " There shall be on
every coach a number, &c."
Byers, in reply, contended that he had laid a number of infor-
mations against different coaches, and this was the first time that
such an objection had ever been raised—although it was of no ef-
fect, as what. Sir. Henridge considered to apply to his case was only
cited in the preamble. The latter Art did not mention the word
" repeal," consequently the legislature had never intended to re-
peal the provisions of the former Act ; and had it been so, other
coach-proprietors would have taken advantage of it ; for it went to
overthrow all the salutary restrictions upon coachmen.
Mr. DYER observed, that as it was a case which he did not re-
collect ever having to decide on before, he would deter giving an
opinion for the present.
At this juncture Sir G. FARRANT, Mr. Coxiasir, and Mr.
WINGFIELD came into the office, when the question was dis-
cussed,which ended by Mr DYE it ordering the evidence to betaken,
when a new difficulty arose, Mr. Eames, the defetutant not being
present: and the Magistrate considering that the defendant
ought to be present, said he would permit the case to eland over,
which Byers, after some hesitation, agreed to.