The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-24 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, JuNE 23.

After Peweel petty larcenies had been tried, thirteen pereons, viz
E. Lowe and wife, T. Bailey, E. Savage, A. Wood, W. Dunford,
C. Illulherring. 31. Burke, A. Finnerty (a girl aged II years), M.
Flynn, M. Callaghan, E. Thomas, and J. Smith, were put to the
bar for passing and procuring counterfeit money. Most of them
were ordered to be confined twelve months each in the House of
Correction, and to give security fur good behsviour for two years
after the expiration of the twelvemonth. Mr. Holland and the
Hon. E. Law were the Counsel for the Mint. In the case of Fin-
nerty the Counsel did not offer evidence. Savage w..s acritted.
The prisoners were chiefly old offenders. On the trial of L. Lowe
Mr. Field, the Inspector to the Mint, borrowed a halfpenny from
Mr. Powell, the SAicitor for theyosecution, which he rubbed over
with part of the contents of a thimble, found on the prisoner ; the
halfpenny had the instant appearance of a thin plating of silver,
which was shewn round to the Jury. Such an exhibi.ion was too
inviting to an ingenious idea to be lost; a witness in another case
scraped up the crumble% from the Inspector's hand, and instantly
furbished a halfpenny of his own. The stuff in the thimble was nitrate
of silver.
Reed, an officer, in his evidence against Danford and {Coed,
stated that the latter, who has
.passed as the wife of Masted,
having made her escape over evening, came next morning to Marl.
borough-street office, to speak to the male prisoner, whets site was
recognized by a witness, and committed with him.
Margaret Callaghan tried an ingenious expedient to invalidate
the evidence of Roberts, an officer. Besides watching her from
shop to shop, he spoke positively to her at Bow-street, from her
having a child in her arms. Before she same tip for trial to-day,
she exchanged children with another woman, dressed it in her own
child's clothes, and held it to the breast, while the other woman
held the prisoner's child at the door. Having asked Roberts what
there was in her appearance that made him know her, he replied,
herself altogether, and her child, which had the same dress on.
" Now," said she, he has sworn false. for my child is at the door !"
She played oft another ingenious trick. %When the officer proposed
to search bee, recollecting she had a had shilling left in her pocket,
she offered to turn her pocket out herself'; having got the shilling,
she put it in her mouth, and swallowed it, saying, " You may
search, it's no go ; 'tis gone."
Mr. BOLLAND made a humorous remark, that though the
money was on her person, he had no means of offering it in evidence.
A vast quantity of base coin was produced in the different cases,
balf.crowns, shillings. and sixpences—in some instances to the
number of twenty found on one person, from the stone die ;
thirty or forty others were made of Britannia metal, from plaster.
of-Paris casts, and all of them wrapped in separate pieces of paper,
dusted with a white powder, to prevent friction.
The House of Correction having a tread-mill, the worst offenders
see sent there for punishment ; but a passer of bad money having
a child in her arms, was sent there out of humanity, ass affording
milk and other necessaries for the infant, not to be obtained sj the
New Prison.

A rather extraordinary request was made by T. Boiley, who
begged hard to be sent to Newgate. Friends have freer access to
prisoners there than at other gaols. Bailey's request was rclused
for the next 12 months, the House of Correction having a finer view
of the Hampstead and Highgate hills.

POLICE.

BOW-STREET-

Yesterday Mrs. Edwards, and the Lady's maid, Bqty Junes,
were brought up for reseaamination, on vari,ius charges of
swindling.
There wore several persons present, who had to complain of
having been duped by the prisoners; but it appeared, upon hearing
their statetpeats, that they had giien credit incautiously, and that
whatever moral guilt there might be in I%lra. Edwards's mode of ob-
taining their goods, there was no case (except Mr. Harris's) which
the law could lay hold of.
The prisoners stood at the bar perfectly unmoved, amid the cla-
morous complaints that were made against them, and Mrs. Edwards
occasionally indulged in sneering remarks upon the folly of her a:-
eusers in giving credit so easily, and then flying tea Magistrate
when they found themselves deceived. The cool impudence of her
juvenile companion too was moat remarkable.
Mr. HALT. 9 remarked, that Mrs. Edwards had a great deal to
answer for already, and it was most sincerely to be wished that her
career could be stopped. She had already been the means of
getting a youth who was in her service transported; and the
wretched girl who rood by her side was in a fair way of sharing
the same fate.

Mts. Edwards denied that she had been the cause of the youth's
punishment.
Mr. Harris added to his former evidence, that he saw the spoors
and table cloth which had been stolen, at eight o'clock on Tuesday
Evening, sate in Mrs. Edwards's room, and at eleven the same
night they were missed. After that hour he heard a noise in
the passage, and listening, he heard the prisoner Jones opening
the aloof to let out the cook, who had two parcels under her arms.
The cook said something, and Jones replied, " It is Bow.lane, you
fool." Not long sifter, Mr. 11. again heard a holm in the passage,
and, going towards it, he heard Jones say to Mrs. Edwards,
" Hush ; they are coming." They were just leaving the house
when witness stopped them, and found in a basket carried by Jones
a silver spoon and a pot of honey, his property. lie had no doubt
that they were about to abscond altogether, and intended to steal
the spoon.
Mr. HALLS said he considered that the last act, coupled with the
missing of the oilier articles, and the Test of the circumstances,
warranted him in committing the prisoners for trial for felony.
There had teen a sufficient renr.oval of the spoon, and he should
leave it to a Jury to decide whether there was or was not a felonious
intent.

While 11r. Harris* was givirg his evidence, Mn. Edwards' rage
was almost ungovernable. She reddened and bi• her lips and heaped
the most unqualified abuse upon the witness—•• What !" ex-
claimed she, you want to make me a thief, do you ? I never
was a thief and never will be, and I won't be inadeone by you,
you villain, that I won't.'•
.

" Never mind," said Betsey Jones, with the greatest coolocss,
" they can't make you a thi.l."
Mrs. Edwards said she had things ifi Mr. Harris's house suffi-
cient to cover his demand, and she knew nothing of his paltry
spoons. lle had only brought bet-there because he wanted to rub
her of her property.
Mr. Barris smiled, and said there were, he believed,* few goose-
berries and a pound or two of potatoes, and those he believed were
not paid for.
Mrs. Edwards again bawled out that she would not be made a
thief of. Let them speak no niore than the truth of her; that was
bad enough, but she would not be called a thief.
Mr. HALLS—WeII, that is candid however.

The prisoners were committed to Newgate for triad for steal-
ing the spoon, and were removal from the bar. 3lrs. Edwards curs.
ing and reviling the prosecutor with all her might.

WORSHIP-STREET.

BURGLARY AND HottnEny.—Yesterday, a young man named
Joseph Lawlor, was brought before Mr. BENNETT, charged with
the commission of a robbery, under cirettinstanres of extraordinary
daring, in tire house of a labouring man named Charles dray.
The prosecutor and his family, consisting of a wife and four
children, occupy a small house, No. 2, 'John's-court, Ohl-,tree'_
road ; coil it appeared that on Thursday night the pi honer climbed
to the window of an upper room, where the whole of the family
were in bed, and having entered without beintr discovered, went
down stairs, where he packed a quantity of wet linen into a child's
cradle, and left under a a indow which he had opened, conveniently
for carrying off. Ile then returned up stairs, and proceeded to
ransack the bed-roam, and had emptiest a box containing the
greater part of the children's wearing apparel, when some noise
which lie made, supposed by turning the box upside down, awoke
Ales. Gray, and she observing something black on the floor, awoke
her husband, and whispered to him that a strange person was
in the room. Ile would not believe it. Ile said it was impossible,
and what site had observed was merely his clothes Icing in the
mom. files. Gray, however, to satisfy herself, put her hand out of
bed and caught hold of the flap of the prisoner's coat. Gray in-
stantly jumped out of bed, and seized the prisoner, who at first af-
fected intoxication, but afterwards expl dned that it was all a mis-
take. Ile begged pardon for his unseasonable intrusion, but he
had intended to shelter himself in the house of lila sister, files.
Brown, instead of which he hud unfortunately entered the prose-
cutor's.
Ile was fully committed to Newgate for trial.

ALAum NG Fin E.—Ahout one o'clock yesterday morn-
ing, a fire was discovered in the extensive warehouses of Mr. Curl
ing, fellmonger, of Dock-hest!, which soon attained such an ascen-
dancy, as to throw the whole of the surrounding Leighbouthood ii ti
the utmost dismay. When first discovered, the fl .mea seemed ts
emanate from a wing on the anothern side of a huge pile of wool
lotilding, completely filled with valuable furs and w001...150 rapidly
did the devounng element make progress, that the ettenniveceoper-
age of Mr. Deacon adjoining was In a few minutes in fl imes ; but
Itiy the great exertions of the firemen, who worked their respective
engines with uncommon effect, the flames were in a short time after
altogether subdued.