The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-18 00:00:00

THE SUN. LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 18., 185 5,

MANSION-HOUSE-(THIS DAY.)

one of them. He had known King two years, and
during that time hehad often seen him indifferent clothes.
He knew what a stall was; it was the duty of a stall to get
in front of the person about to be robbed. He had seen
King walk in front of people, and those persons were
sometimes robbed;

FORGERY UPON MESSRS. GURNEY ATD CO., THE
BANKERS.—Duncan Maclean Wright, cescribed as a
merchant, was brought up this day for !mat examina-
tion, upon the charge of haying forged a kill of exchange
for 1571.25. 3d., with intent to defraud Messrs. Overend,
Gurney, and Co., the bankers.

97 - 99
98 - 100

Mr. Giffard asked the boy when he first spoke about
what he had told them to-day ?

133 - 135

The prisoner was brought up yesterday from
Liverpool, in custody of an officer fr)m that town,
where he had originally been clerk to a nercantile firm,
and also an agent. In November last the prosecutors
received a letter, dated Nov. 3, Dawber-street, Liver-
pool, containing a bill for the amount oamecl, purport-
ing to be drawn by William Undersea and Co., and
payable at Messrs. Glynn and Co., banker; signed
John B. Moore and Co., Manchester, The writer re-
quested the bill might be discountei at a moderate
rate of interest, and was signed "Duncsa Wright." The
firm consequently wrote back to that direction, enclosing
the bill, and stating that they did not do business with-
out an introduction, and received by post another letter,
with the bill which had been returned, in which the
writer, Duncan Wright, said that he had been acquainted
with and transacted business with them for above
20 years, referring to having been cashier to some
correspondent of theirs at Glasgow, but that he had
been recently abroad for some years, and mentioned
other transactions, which threw the firm off their guard,
and they discounted the bill. Upon the 17th of this
month another for the sum of 2941. 16s. 3d. came by
post for discount, and some doubts being enter-
tained about the character of the transaction, a tele-
graphic message was forwarded to Messrs. Moore,
who at once denied the bill being theirs, and it was
then found that both bills were forgeries, upon which
the prisoner was taken in custody.
The depositions having been completed, Mr. Alder-
SI a n Carden, who sat for the Lord Mayor, fully com-
mitted the prisoner for trial at the Central Criminal
••• i I Court.

The boy—About a fortnight ago, to the schoolmaster
in the prison.

Mr. Bodkin here applied for a remand:
The depositions having been signed by the several
witnesses,

105 - 107

The magistrate then remanded King till this day
week, at twelve o'clock.

12?; -- 13
224 -23 i
10/ -- 111

M.ARKET .NEWS-(TR-13 DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.
GENERAL AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN
For the week ended Jan. 18, 1855, made up from the Returnsof the
Inspectors in the different Cities and Towns In Engiand and Wale.)
per Imperial Quarter. •
WIYEAT. BARLEY. OATS. RYE. BEANS. t PEAS.
73s 9a 34s 2d , 27s 41 , 451 Gd I 46s 5d 143 s 5d
THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGE.
WILEAT. BAELEY. OATS. RYE. t BEANS. t PEAS.
73s 3d 343 4d 27s lel 463 9d 1 47s 9d , 46s 83
QUANTITIES OF GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.
Wheat, 99,928; Barley, 100,034 ; Oats, 22,015; Rye, 271 ; Beans,
4,565; Peas, 1,791 quarters.

221 - 2/1

ia = ii

57 - 59

iio W X 35

2i 2 d

31 - 32
91 - 93

BOW STREET.-(THIS DAY.)

EXAMINATION OF KING, THE DETECTIVE
POLICEMAN.

This being the day appointed for the examination of
King, the detective policeman, on the charge of receiv-
ing the proceeds of numerous robberies committed by
boys under his direction, the Court, as on the occasion
of his last appearance last Thursday, was densely
crowded, the greater portion of those present being

policemen.
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Humphery, who acted as agent
on the part of the Treasury, attended to prosecute by
order of Lord Palmerston ; the prisoner was defended
by Mr. Giffard.
On King being placed at the bar, he cast a look
round the court, and seemed to recognise several of the
policemen. He is a man rather above the middle height,
and was dressed in a brown Taglioni coat.
The manner in which the discovery of the system
took place, and which has not been correctly laid before
the public, was as follows : Captain Williams, the In-
spector of Prisons, in examining a number of boys at
Tothill-street prison, in order to send them en condi:
tional pardon to the reformatory establishment at Red-
hill, had the disclosures made to him ; he examined
other boys, and having collected ill the facts relative to
the case, laid the whole before Lord Palmerston, and
present inquiry was the result.
At five minutes past one the public were admitted
into the Court.
The prisoner having been placed at the bar,
Mr. Bodkin, for the prosecution, said that from the

time that had been allowed by the magistrate by the re-
mand last week had not been uselessly employed, and
from the facts elicited they had every reason to be-
lieve that the charge was true. On the part of the
Government, who had directed this prosecution, he was
authorised to say that no effort woald be spared to probe
this case to the bottom. Thanks to the publicity given
by the press to the facts of this inquiry, it had been
made known that a robbery had been committed near the
Serpentine, and the purse had been deposited in a tree.
The spot had been examined and the purse had been
discovered. The various other statements made by the
boy had also been inquired into and found to be sub-
stantially true. He had no doubt that he should be able
to prove the ease. He should, after he had offered some
further evidence, ask for a remnd.
Benjamin Simm, a park-keeper, employed in Kea-
,sington Gardens—•He remembered in the winter of 1853
a robbery near Serpentine-bridge. He noticed a party
of five persons of suspicious appearance. He watched
them, but did riot see them commit a robbery. He also
thought he could identify two of those persons. The
prisoner he could not recollect. He saw these parties
go to a tree. About an hour after he went to the tree,
and found a purse, which he produced (a portmonnaie).
He found it in a hole in the roots of the tree. He had
kept it ever since. He had since given it to Sergeant
Jackson, after these proceedings were instituted. He
did not know the boy Reeves. On finding the purse he
communicated the fact to a policeman in plain clothes.
He did not know the officer. He knew nothing of the
boy Reeves er his family and his connections. It was
about two o'clock when he saw the parties go to the
tree.

Police•consstable 76 C was near the Serpentine in 1853.
His attention was called to a boy picking a pocket. At
the time the boy was taken into custody he saw the
prisoner (King) ; he was standing about three or four
yards off. He asked him what the boy had been doing,
and he told him he had been picking pockets. This took
place on the 31st December.
The prisoner then asked the witness some question,
btit elicited nothing in his fatoiit.

Serjeant Hubbersty was on duty near the Setven,
tine in 1853 ; he saw the prisoner there about half-past
two, on the north side, as he was proceeding towards
the bridge. lie was in plain clothes, And he believed
lit asked Ling if he was going to see the skating. He
said yes, and passed on, Re also noticed some boys in
front of King) about a yard in advance of him.
Mr. Giffard, the prisoner's counsel—When was your
attention first directed to this affair ?

Witness—About a fotinight since.
Mr Bodkin—Wei% the boys you saw like gentlemen's
sons ?

Witness—Nob
they *eh bdnirdon looking boys.
Dolan Jong, livery-stabler, 6n, High-street, Blooms
bury—Recollected a boy named Reeves keeping a pony
in his stable. It was twelve months ago last December.
The boy looked after the pony himself; He had seen
the prisoner there At his premises since the cony bad
left. He wanted to See a ihail Who lived in his house
inkined Shatitn. lie never saw him with Reeves when
he came to his house. He wanted to see Shanks, who
afterwards told Elia his visit related to ntiones;, rti.Oters.
Ediniind rrlefia Said he was 2U years old. lie ilia
tecently been discharged from T'othill-fields Prison. He
was there on suspicion of picking Oonkets. He knew
Peeves ; also recollected being in the Park during the
frost in 1853. Ho saw Reeves there in company with two
other young men. He had seen the prisoner once in
Hyde-park, a short distance before coining to the
bridge. He did not speak to King, and he did not
notice whether the other boy spoke to him. ging was
walking with his hands in his coat-pocket. He had no-
ticed King before in Leicester-square, that was the first
place he saw him. He recollected a lady near the
lPan-
theon. He took a purse from her pocket. Two young
men were near him when he did so.
and A
near eo
itergetrtisna.
getting
thes tre purseet he
e found he e went
there
was down Benheiru
and six shillings
.te
a sovereign
in silver in the purse.
Mr. Bodkin—What did you do with the silver ?
The bey hesitated, at last he said be gave it away.
Mr. Bodkin—Who did you give it to ?
The boy again hesitated, at last said King.
Mr. Bodkin—What did you give it to him for ?
Boy—Because I was frightened.
Mr. Bodkin—Did you see Bing before you picked the
lady's pocket
Boy—Yes.
-.no— in plain clothes I
Boy—Yes;
King Was
Mr. bodkin—Did you know a policeman 7

Bop=Xes:
rite my in answer to further questions Said fie sty
King after he had committed the robbery. King having
td go doim Blenheini-stepsie!ellowed and piit it into
his and wiiiied away ,ifitholit 646,4 anything.
He had once before done the same thing with klirg.
tie occasion alluded to was in Rathbone-place. 119
gave him a shilling which he got from a lady's pocket in
Rathbene-plabe. Before he picked the pocket he saw
King in Oxford-street ; the purse contained five shillings.
King followed him and his tWo companions up Gress-
an4 said. to him, "sling it ;" ray Companion said,
"sling what ?" King said you have got it, and then the purse
was given to him with all the money in it. King gave
his (the boy) companion three shillings and kept the purse
and the rest himself. The purse was a blue one with
steel beads on it. The division took place in a public-
house in Stephen-street, Tottenham-court-road. They
had some ale. He got a shilling for his share, and his
compaiiions got the cao o. There is a place where
people in trouble get up rallies for their defence, they