The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-12 00:00:00

POLICE.

MaXSlOX•itOUsr.—Vestertlay a young man of respectable ap-
penance awl family, named .41lerion, was brought betore the Lord
Mayor; charged 'with having stolen a gun, the property of 11r.
Wilbraham, a gunsmith, in the City.-
Mrs. Wilbraham. wife of the prosecutor, deposed, that the pri-
soner came to the shop about a month ago, and asked to ace a per.
cusaion gun. She showed him one, and lie put it to his should, r,
and said that it would exactly suit. He then asked whether he
'could try it, and she told him that her husband was on the premises
In another street, and he might go there with her husband's sun,
end make the experiment.
The son of Mr. Wilbraham stated, that he went out of the shop
with the prisoner, carrying with him the gun, and that they had
not gone far, when the prisoner said to him, " I want some caps—.
go back for them, and give me the gun." Witness then gave the
gun to the prisoner, and went back with a shilling, which the pri.
soner gave to him, leaving the prisoner in possession of the gun.
He had not, however, gone many yards towards the shop, when he
stopped short, thinking that he had not done right. The prisoner
was rather too quick for him ; neither he nor the gan was to be
seen. Witness, about three weeks afterwards, saw the trimmer
waiting in the street, apparently fot a atage-coach ; an officer was
procured, and he was taken into custody.
The officer stated that he saw the prisoner on the top of a coach.
The last witness pointed him out from amongst tour persons who
were sitting together. Witness asked the prisoner (but previously
told him that he NIS not obliged to answer the question) what lee
had done with the gun ? The prisoner replied. " Don't ask me
any questions." The case had been remanded for some d ty*, and
it appeared that in the mean time the friends of Allerton were not
idle.
When he was yesterday brought up, sonic respectable persons
appeared, and interested themselves very much in hes behalf. They
pleaded his youth (he appeared to be idiom 23 or 24), and the re-
spectability of his connexions, in his favour; and his solicitor,
Mr. Humphreys, thought that the identity was not capable of being
proved, and represented to the Lord alayor the great probability
that there was a miat •ke. His Lordship thought that, from what
he had heard, there was no doubt of identity, and he called upon
all the witnesses to re-state their evidence.
Mrs. Wilbraham, upon being asked by Mr. Humphreys, in the
course of the repetition of her statement, whether site might not be
mistaken, said, that she did not wish to swear the young man's life'
away.
The Lon° Mayon—l see how this is. Here is a 7oung man,
of respectable family, who has committed what appears to ba a
most deliberate act of felony. All the circumstances show it. Ilia
friends intercede for him, and try to get him off, upon the store of
respectability. Is it to be supposed that I can countenance an at-
tempt of the kind, whew it must be obvious that upon such
duce I must have committed a person in low circumstances? His
Lordship then asked the boy whether he was not sure that Allerton
was she man who had taken the gun? (The boy rather hesitated,)
—The Lord Mayor then desired that the oath should be adtniais=!
treed to Mrs. Wilbraham and her son. This was done; and
his Lordship said to each of them, " Have you any doubt as to the
identity of the prisoner ?"—Both of them said that they were SUM
he was the person.
The Loh DMaws—l aid sorry at bring obliged to commit