The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-03 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMIN.4L COURT.

(TIITS .DAY.)

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)

William James Marden, 30, a genteel•looking young
man, pleaded guilty to two indictments, charging him
with uttering forged cheques knowing them to be
forged.

In answer to questions put to the prisoner by the
learned judge, he stated that distress and poverty had
driven him to commit the crime. lie had tried in every
possible manner to obtain employment, but was unable
to do so.

The Recorder made some inquiries of the Rev. 3, K.
Jennings, who was the prosecutor in one of the cases,
and he stated that the father of the prisoner was a cler-
gyman and an old college friend of his, and on that
account he took an interest in him and was induced to
cash the forged instrument for him. He was assured
from what be had heard that for the last six months the
prisoner had got his living by passing forged cheques.
The prisoner said that he bad been engaged as assist-
ant in a school, but latterly he had been employed to
sell books on commission. The utmost he could earn at
this occupation was half a crown a day, and this was all
he and his wife had to subsist upon. He requested the
Court to read some certificates relating to his conduct at
college which he handed up to the bench.
His lordship having perused the documents, said he
should like to make some further inquiries before he
passed sentence.

MA.RLBOROIIGH-STREET-(THIS DAY.)

THE HYDE-PARK DEMONSTRATION.

This morning the excitement outside the court ap-
peared to be increased rather than diminished by the
apprehensions which took place yesterday, and the
crowds of people were overwhelming.
The shouts whicrh arose from amongst them were in-
cessant, and assumed the form of derision whenever a
policeman made his appearance. Some soldiers who
wended their way through the concourse during the
morning were saluted with the greatest enthusiasm.
In the court itself, according to the suggestion of Mr.
Hardwick, yesterday, that the prisoners should be classi-
fied according to the nature of their offences, the arrange-
ment was made as follows :-11 for being riotous, 5 for
being riotous and obstructing the police in the executio❑
of their duty, 19 for throwing stones, 10 for assaulting
the police, and 3 for attempting to pick pockets. The
remainder of the prisoners were unconditionally dis-
charged last night.
The night charges having been disposed of, which oc-
cupied until very nearly 1 o'clock,
A pause ensued, during which Mr. Clarkson, the
counsel fur the prosecution on behalf of the Treasury ;
and Mr. Herring, Mr. Howell, and Mr. Ballantine,
the advocates for the prisoners, entered the Court.
The firt prisoners placed at the dock were—Wm.
Reynolds, 19, George Carter, 18, John Hotham, 17,
Jas. Caboro, 40, Geo. Pooley, 25, Richard Barnwell,
40, and some other prisoners, who were charged with
being riotous in Hyde-park on Sunday.
Mr. Clarkson, with regard to these offenders, said,
that as those prisoners had not been guilty of individual
violence, nor of assaulting the police, the Government,
after what bad taken place in the House of Commons
last evening—namely, the withdrawal of the obnoxious
bill which bad, no doubt, led to the assemblage of people
in Hyde Park—were not desirous of pressing any cha.r.,e
against them. He (Mr. Clarkson) was, however, in-
structed to ask the worthy magistrate to point out to
the offenders the impropriety, as well as the illegality, of
persons assembling in such a manner fur such a purpose.

Mr. Ballantine commended the course the Govern-
ment had taken in the matter ; but complained that so
many respectahe persons bad been incarcerated in pri-
son for so long a, time without any charge being finally
brought agains-, them.• He alio observed that he for
one would never yield the right of Englishmen to meet
in public places, if they conducted themselves decently,
for the purpose )f expressing their opinions with regard
to any legislativo enactment.
Mr. Herring, 31.1 behalf of the prisoner Barnwell, said
he had two wituoises in court to prove that he was ap-
prehended without having committed the sbghtest
offence.

Mr. Hardwick, after commenting very forcibly, not
only upon the imtropriety, as well as illeg tlity, of large
bodies at people assembling together for such purposes
as those which actuated the populace on Sunday, and
pointing out the evil consequences to which such gather.
ings very frequently led, ordered the prisoners to be dis-
charged, with a caution as to their future conduct.
Charles Preston, Lewis Brown, Jchn Chambers, Win.
Sutton, Wm. Hiscott, Alfred Wright, John Hum-
phreys, James Wayle, Robert Garrett, George Bryce,
Henry Lille, Morris Tobin, Thos. Leech, Charles Ward,
Chas. Jones, Chas. Redford, Thos. Hamilton, William
Smith, and Wm. Clement were next placed at the bar,
charged with being riotous and throwing stones.
Mr. Clarkson said the persons before the magistrate
would have to be dealt with by him (Mr. Hardwick) in
the usual manner, but the Government was not desirous
of pressing the charge severely against them, With
regard to the police, he wished to say, in justice to that
body, that they never drew their staves until after they
had made an entreaty to the people to be quiet.
Mr. Ballantine said he was anxious that matters
should now sub,,ido. He was glad the ezuse of the de-
monstration had been done away with, and with that he
was desirous that its effect should also cease. There
could be no doubt, however, that had not this excite-
ment taken place, the bill it was intended to condemn
would by this time have passed into law. (Cheers in
Court.) He was not saying this to create excitement,
on the contrary—but at the same time the
House of Commons had allowed the objections
to the bill to be valid and reasonable, and the
measure had been withdrawn. As this mattet had been
substantially ended, and as the House of Commons had
rather sanctioned than condemned these proceedings, he
appealed to the magistrate, and not so much to him as
to those conducting the prosecution, whether the matter
had not now gone far enough, and whether the same
leniency ought not to be shown to the prisoners at the
bar, as had been shown to the others.

Mr. Clarkson repeated what he had before said,
that he did not wish on the part of the prosecution to
urge anything unduly against the prisoners, otherwish
than that the real nature of their offences should he
pointed out to them.
After some consultation, Mr. Hardwick commenced
hearing the evidence of the police against the prisoners,
which was being proceeded with when our report was
despatched,