The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-18 00:00:00

POLL CE INTELLIGENCE,

MARYLEBONE.—Iienry ileasman, a reap, etuble-
looking man, about 35 years of ago, was placed at the
bar before Mr. Long, charged with having embezzled
money belonging to his employer, Mr. Joseph Frederick
Capps, a wine merchant and Italian warehouseman, car-
rying on business in Grove-terrace, Bayswater; and
from what transpired in the course of the inquiry there
can be but little doubt with regard to the prosecutor
having been plundered to the extent of nearly 6001.
Mr. Lewis, solicitor, of Ely-place, Holborn, appeared
for the prosecution; Mr. Superintendent Pearce, of the
F division, was also present, but not sworn as a witness
in the case. He had ascertained, noon inquiries made
by him, that the prisoner had purchased valuable arti-
clee at the shop of Mr. Jones, jeweller, &c., in the
Strand, whose house was very recently broken into, end
entered, and property to a large amount stolen there-
from.

Mr. Lewis opened the case at some length, in detail-
ing the leading and material particulars; and his state-
ment was borne out by the following witnesses, whom
he called:—

Prosecutor—Prisoner has been my shopman about
two years. I had two other shopmen, whom I dis-
charged, principally upon the faith of certain represen-
tations made to me respecting them by the prisoner, and
which I believed to be true. On Thursday last, in con-
sequence of some suspicion entertained by me with re-
gard to the prisoner, and having a knowledge of the fact
that a person answering his description had purchased
jewellery, &c., at Jones's, .1 marked a sovereign, a half-
sovereign, and two half-crowns, which coins were given
into the hands of a man named Boughen, who was to
expend the money at my shop the next morning, an un-
derstanding having been made that an officer was to be
in attendance to act if called upon. At 20 minutes to 9
the next morning I saw-Boughen enter th• shop, but
did not observe him leave. In the course of 10 minutes
(Boughen having then gone) I went into the shop my-
self, and while the prisoner was gone down stairs to his
breakfast, examined the till, in which I found ono of
the marked half-crowns, but the other one, and the
sovereign and the half-sovereign, were gone. I
went to the door, and, being much agitated at the
time, did not see the officer. I returned indoors with-
out mentioning then to the prisoner the discovery
which I had made, and shortly afterwards he (prisoner)
went out as usual for orders from the customers. During
his absence I went to Bow-street police station to obtain
assistance, and returned with constable Bingham F.
At a few minutes before 12 prisoner came in from his
walk, and was called in by Bingham. I was also pre-
sent. The officer said to him, " You are charged with
robbing your master of a sovereign, a halt. sovereign,
and a halt-crown," when ne hung down his head, and
at length said, " I admit it." Ile was asked by Bing-
ham for the key of his box, and he gave it up.
Mr. Lewis—During the last 15 months have you
taken stock?

Prosecutor—l have, Sir, twice since April, 1851, and
I have found a considerable deficiency when making up
my accounts. I cannot account for at least 5001.
Bingham, the officer above alluded to, said—l
searched the prisoner, and found in his coat pocket
notes to the amount of 301., and a check for 281. 18s.
5d., together with numerous letters and other
papers. I and prosecutor went into his bedroom, and
in his box, the key of which he gave us, were a
roll of notes, amounting to 515/., as also two dia-
mond rings, three diamond studs, a gold watch, and two
purses, in ono of which was a receipt for 3501., signed
John Thomas Stubbs, and which showed that ho
(prisoner) had paid the sum for a business—which was
being carried on in the joint names of Day and Heasman,
in the Edgeware• road. The notes, &c., were produced,
and prosecutor, after looking at some of the notes, said
that upon the back of many of them were the names of
his customers. It was quite impossible for him to say at
present as to the full extent of his loss. Bingham added
that the prisoner had admitted to him that he was a
" sporting " character, and had been so for some time.
Robert Boughen—l live at 55, Vine-street, W est-
rninater, and am employed by the police to detect crimp.
Oa the evening of the 14th the coins were marked in my
presence, and the next morning I made purchases of
grocery to the amount of 11. 14s. I paid for it with the
marked money, and received a shilling in change.
A second charge was gone into with regard to the
check before referred to, amounting to 281. 18s. sd.
Mrs. Perryman, housekeeper to Mr. J. Bruce, 3,
Gloucester-gardens, Hyde-park, deposed to her having,
on the 13th inst., given to the prisoner the check in
question, in payment of 24 103. ld. owing by her master.
He gave her the change and signed the book.
Prosecutor proved that the money had not been ac-
counted for by the prisoner.
Other evidence implicating the prisoner was gone
into, and he (prisoner), who had no defence to make,
was remanded for further examination.

It is expected that, upon the next inquiry, important
evidence with regard to the extensive system of plunder
pursued by the prisoner will be forthcoming.

SOUTHWARK.-Mr. A'Beckett was occupied several
hours in hearing the argument in a case of vast impor-
tance to the public who are compelled to resort to rail-
way stations, and which is likely to cause a great agita-
tion among the proprietors of hackney carriages and the
railway compani©s until some Act of Parliament has
been introduced on she subject. The present case was
that of a cab-driver named Thomas Hall, a privileged
cabman at the London, Brighton. and South-ooa3t Rail-
way Terminus, who was summoned by another cabman,
named Williams, who is not privileged, for plying for
hire inside the railway terminus, that not being a place
appointed by the Commissioners of Police, according to
the 13th and 14th Victoria.
Mr. Wakeiing appeared for the complainant, and Mr.
Lewis for the defendant.
The court was crowded to excess by cab proprietors,
and Mr. Hawkins, the superintendent of traffic of the
Brighton Railway, with Mr. Acton, was present to
watch the proceedings.
After some considerable argument, Mr. Lewis ad-
mitted that the defendant was plying for hire but he
submitted that the Commissioners of Police had no ju-
risdiction over the railway terminus. They had the ap-
pointing of public standings for cabs, and those places
were printed and fixed in all police courts. The rail-
way stations were not mentioned, and the Act never con-
templated that they should have any authority in those
places. He quoted the Ist and 2d William IV., 6th and
7th Victoria, and 13th and 14th Victoria, and contended
that the defendant could not be amenable to the mean-
ing of those acts, the railway termini being private pro-
perty, and the company had power to admit what cabs
they thought proper, and regulate them accordingly.
After a discussion which lasted nearly two hours,
Mr. A'Beckett said—This is a summons against the
defendant, as the driver of a hackney carriage, for ply-
ing for hire at the London and Brighton Railway sta-
tion, within the metropolitan police district, the same
not being a standing or place appointed for that pur-
pose. Having recently decided that the driver of a
hackney carriage standing at a railway terminus is ply-
ing for hire, unless he is already hired, and there being
no standings for hackney carriages appointed by the
Commissioners of Police at the terminus of the London
and Brighton Railway—the Commissioners having ex-
clusively the power of appointing standings for hackney
carriages within the metropolitan police district—l can
have no hesitation as to the law with reference to the
case before me. It has been argued that I should not
adhere strictly to the letter of the law, but I think I am
bound to follow the words of the Act of Parliament
when they aro clear and definite. It is inconvenient
enough to be compelled to fix a meaning when
there is any vagueness of the expression, but when
the words aro clear I am to presume that the
Legislature has meant precisely what it has said.
The words aro thus :—" Every driver of a hack-
ney carriage who shall ply for hire elsewhere than
at some standing or place appointed for that purpose
shall for every such offence forfeit 205." It has been ad-
mitted that defendant was plying for hire at the terminus,
which is, certainly, not a place appointed by the Com-
missioners of Police as a standing for hackney carriages,
and, consequently, the provisions of the Act of*Parlia-
ment have been infringed. The object of the com-
plainant is the abolition of what he calls un unjust mo-
nopoly on the part of the railway company in giving
to a certain number of privileged cabs the exclusive.
right of profiting by what he called the railway cab
traffic of the metropolis. Now, there is some reason
for feeling there is a grievance, inasmuch as every cab
proprietor is called upon to pay a large sum, amount-
ing to 304 a-year, on each hackney carriage he
owns, n
thats , a nhde t
shhe a cl
lo n
bes i der
entitled
for n
toe
uwchhi cah
shhe p a
rea ja'ss f
ati s sum
ro.
petition would give him of the whole of the cab traffic
fair
ai
rt h t
he
ats
mostmetropolis.
im p
olrtt a
nc et
,rt
aain dn I y d
perhaps
oes seem
them
os t very neprofit-
able, portion of this traffic should be given over by the
railway companies to privileged hands—a practice which,
though it has for some time existed, I know of no paw to
justify. I must, however, say, that some consideration
may be due to the railway company in the present case
as it is the first in which, as far as I know, such
a com-
plaint has been made VA that now brought before me.
Those in the position of the complainant have BO long
delayed to complain of tho wrong that there is no
reason for any haste, which might lead to very serious
consequences in applying the remedy. It would be
unreasonable to expect of the railway company that it
should suddenly alter or put an end to y of
arrangements which have long been suffered a m
to sCosntteinue,
and which has no doubt been made with a view to the
accommodation of the public. Taking into consideration
these circumstances, as well as the extreme inconvenience
to which the public would be put by the sudden termination
of the existing regulations as to hackney carriages at the
London-bridge terminus, I have determined on follow-
ing the course not unfrequently adopted in other cases,
and giving time for the law to bo complied with. I shall
not at present inflict any penalty on defendant, but I
shall call upon him to appear on the 15th of November
next. During the interval thus afforded the opportunity
will be given of making such regulations respecting
hackney carriages plying for hire at a railway terminus
within the metropolitan police district as the law will
authorize and the public convenience may require.
The summons was then adjourned.
William Leman was brought before Mr A'Beckett for
final examination, charged with violating the person of
Sarah Ray, a child under 10 years of ago.
Mr. A'l3eckett said it was a very disgusting ease.
Under all the circumstances he felt bound to commit the
prisoner for trial,—Committed accordingly.

The Evening Post states on the authority of a
private communication from Rome that the Rev. Dr. Dixon,
Professor of Sacred Scripture and Hebrew in Maynooth Col-
lege, has been appointed successor to Archbishop Cullen in
Armagh. It is Dr. Dixon who was at the head of the list
before, when all the names sent to Rome by the local clergy
were rejected by the Pope in favour of Dr. Cullen; and if the
statement in the Post be correct the appointment will give
aatiaitictivii amenae 19r We formed'