The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.—Mary Ann Fleming, Catherine Gor-
man, and Mary Ann 'Watson, were charged with assault-
ing the assistant-matron of St. Giles's Workhouse.
The prisoners had sent for the assistant matron,
stating that they wished to speak to her. She took the
precaution of having the governcr to accompany her,
and en proceeding to the ward in vihich they were, ono
of thorn inquired why she was sent to the wash tub, and
another why she was sent to work at all ? The com-
plainant asked if that was all they wished to see her
about, to which an answer to the affirmative was given,
on hearing which the governor left the ward, and no
sooner was his back turned than the prisoners made an
attack on the assistant matron of a most ferocious de-
scription. They tore her clothes, her hair, and head-
dress, and beat her severely. Assistance, however, soon
came, and the prisoners were secured.
Mr. Fowler, the governor of the workhouse, said the
prisoners were very had characters, and had been re-
peatedly committed for misconduct.

Mr. Henry inflicted a penalty of 51. on each, and in
default committed them to the House of Correctio❑ for
two months.

WORSHIP-STREET.—Arespeetably-dressed elderly
person named William, Newton, who described himself
as a surgeon, was brought up on suspicion of having
wilfully set fire to a house which he occupied, in Well-
ington-street, Kingsland-road.
Mr. Charles Johnson, a brass finisher, living in the
same street, said—l am the owner of the house, which I
let to the prisoner about six weeks or two months since.
Shortly before 12 o'clock last night I was roused from
sleep by a loud disturbance in the street, and, on run-
ning out, I observed the prisoner's house was on fire. I
immediately sent off for the engines, several of which
soon afterwards arrived, but every effort to extinguish
the fire provci unsuccessful, and the house was com-
pletely destroyed in less than two hours.
Mr. Edward Dix, an inkstand manufacturer, living
opposite to the prisoner, said—About half-past 11! o'clock
ladt night I saw the prisoner leave the house in a hur-
ried manner, and he had only proceeded a few yards
when I observed a strong reflection of light through
an aperture in the shutters of his parlour window
on the ground floor. I instantly raised an alarm,
and on forcing open the door, with the assistance of
some of the neighbours, discovered that the flames had
caught the whole of the wood work and wainscoting of
the parlour, every portion of which was on fire. After
an ineffectual attempt to check the progress of the fire,
we directed our efforts to effect the rescue of a widow
and her three children, who were sleeping in the front
rows of the first floor, and fortunately succeeded in sav-
ing their lives by lowering them down from the window
at the moment the flames were bursting through the
ceiling. I saw no more of the prisoner until 9 o'clock
this morning, when I recognised him amongst the
crowd who were looking on at the smoking ruins. I
immediately went up to him, and, asked him what he
meant by leav:ng the place as he had done, when he
must have known that it was on fire, to which the pri-
soner replied that he knew nothing at all about it, and
he was then given into custody.
Edward Win. Dix, son of the last witness, fully corro-
borated his father's evidence, and added that between
1 and 2 o'clock in the morning he met the prisoner in
a narrow passage in the immediate neighbourhood,
and heard a little boy inform him that his house was on
fire, to which he replied, in a suppressed voice, with the
exclamation "Hush !" and taking the boy by the arm
be led him out of sight.
Police-constable Warnes, N 370, stated that upon
taking the prisoner into custody he said ho bad been
drinking rather freely at the time, anti that he knew no-
thing of the fire, which had evidently broken out while
he was taking a walk about the neighbourhood, accord-
ing to his usual custom.

The prisoner earnestly protested his innocence, and
said that the fire must have been occasioned by a spark
from the candle, which he blew out on leaving the house,
and that he was himself a grievous sufferer from the ca-
lamity, as he was not insured, and had lost every article
he possessed. _ _ _

kr. Hammill remanded the prisoner for a week, but
he accepted his own recognisance.
George Sims, a labourer at the Docks, was charged
with the following scandalous conduct towards his wife
and daughter :

From the statement of both the complainants, it ap-
peared that the defendant was in the constant practice of
returning home at night in a state of mischievous
drunkenness, and destroying every attempt he
could perceive they were making to earn their
own sustenance, his wife being a laundress and his
daughter a sempstress. On all occasions he studiously
avoided laying hands upon them, observing that he
should not relish a six months' imprisonment. On Wed-
nesday, however, he rather overstepped these bounds
by threatening the life of his wife with a table-knife,
from which she with difficulty escaped, and threw her-
self into the hands of the police. The daughter in tears
exhibited an expensive silk dross entrusted to her
for making, which had been torn to pieces by the de-
fendant.

The defendant said if he was forgiven now he would
forswear drink for ever.
Mr. Hammill said he must find good bail in two sure-
ties to keep the peace for a twelvemonth, and directed
that the damaged silk should be paid for from the poor-
box.

GREENWICH.
John, Harris, an impudent, ill-looking► fellow, was
charged with defrauding Catherine Hickey, a servant
girl, of a shilling, and with using threatening language
to her on Blackheath.

From the evidence of the complainant it appeared that
herself and a fellow servant on Wednesday engaged two
ponies upon the heath for half-an-hour, for which she paid
the agreed price of half-a-crown. They had not proceeded
very far when the defendant (came up and demanded
another shilling. Witness at first refused, but even-
tually gave it to him. He then demanded money for
some beer. The pony upon which her fellow servant
was mounted then refused to go, and she applied to the
defendant to give her another, but he refused, and be-
came very abusive and threatening. Her fellow servant
did not ride more than twenty minutes.
The prisoner endeavoured to show that he was not
present at the making of the bargain, but the complain-
ant distinctly swore to the contrary.
Mr. Seeker had a great mind to convict him for high-
way robbery, but as it wanted three weeks to the ses-
sessions, he should be content by his returning the shil-
ling thus fraudulently obtained, and finding one surety
in 101, that he would be of good behaviour for the next
three months.