The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-07 00:00:00

THAMES,

THE IRISHMAN'S SCALING LADDER.—John Bryant, an
Irish labourer, aged 24 years, and who gave his address,
George-court, Harris-court, Ratcliff, was brought before
➢lr. Woolrych on the following extraordinary charge of
robbery.

Mary Ann Brown, a well-dressed young woman, of the
elass called unfortunate, and who was stated by the police
to be a well conducted person, stated that she met with the
prisoner at a late hour last night, and after he had been
with her a few minutes he agreed to accompany her to her
home, No. 2, Little Farmer-street, Commercial-road.
Her apartment was on the third storey of the house.
After she entered her room with the prisoner he gave
her 45., which she placed on a mantel-shelf in
her room, and went out with a jug to obtain
some beer for supper, leaving the prisoner seated by the
fireside. On her return she was surprised at finding the
prisoner had gone, and missed a counterpane, two blankeu,
and a sheet from the bed, and a dress from behind the door.
One of the sheets was made fast to the leg of the bed, and
the end of it let out of the window, which was open. The
prisoner was on the ground under the window. She called
for the police and gave him into custody, The money she
left on the mantelshelf was also missing.
In answer to questions by the Magistrate, the witness
said that the prisoner told her that he had just come home
from sea. The window of her room was about 40 feet from
the ground. _

Thomas Jarvis, police constable, 40 H, said he saw the
prisoner lying on the pavement close to the house, No. 2,
Little Turner-street, with a woman's dress, counterpane,
blankets, and sheet in his possession. There was another
sheetpartially hanging out of the window of the third etorey.
He asked the prisoner if he was hurt, to which he replied,
" More's the pity I had not hurt myself, I should not have
been here." The prisoner • had hurt himself, and after-
wards said his feet were very bad, and added, " I am like a
cat, I always fall on my feet."
The prisoner, on being called upon for his defence, in a
thick Munster brogue said—" The girl shut the door and
locked me in. I thought to get out, and made a scaling-
ladder of the sheet and the blanket. I tied one to the other
and discinded nicely from the windey, whin the knot I had
tied gave way, and down, down I tell, sheet, blanket, coun-
terpane, dress and all, but I fell on my feet, yer honner's
won chip.
Mr. Woolrych—Literally speaking, you did fall on your
feet, but not figuratively ? Did you take the counterpane
and the dress to assist you in your descent.

The prisoner—l don't know how I came by them yer
honner's wortchip.
_ _

Mr. Woolrych—You are a deep hand ; a practised thief,
I suspect. You have robbed that young woman. You

Jane Howard, a lady residing at Taunton, was
charged, at the Marylebone Police-court, yester.
day, with having, " on the 13th of October, 1863,
falsely personated a mistress, and giving a false
character to one Anne Wingate, a person offoring
herself to be hired as a servant to Mr. John Bol-
dero, contrary to the statute," Zr.c. Miss Howard,
as Mr. Sleigh said, is a lady of great respectability,
residing in Taunton with her brother, who has a
large farm there. She was well acquainted with
the Wingate family at Taunton, who are very re-
respectable people. Anne Wingate left Taunton,
and from her Miss Howard received the following
letter:—"Miss Howard,--I hope you will nut
think I am taking a liberty when I ask you
for a great favour. I am married, and my
husband is going to Dublin for two years, and I
shall have to remain in London, and must get an-
other situation. I have tried to get one, but I am
always objected to .on account of my being married.
I shall be thankful if• you will give me a twelve-
months' good character. I shall always think
kindly of and be grateful to you," &C. The follow-
ing was the character sent by Miss Howard :
"Miss Howard presents her compliments to Mrs.
Bolder°, and begs to say that during the ling time
Anne Wingate was in her service she always found
her strictly honest, sober, cleanly, and industrious.
She can truly recommend her as a good servant.—
Monckton, October 29." On the strength of
this character the girl obtained the situation
in the establishment of Mr. Boldero, of the firm
of Spencer, Turner, and Balder°, of Lisson-grove.
Shortly after she had been in her place robberies
became frequent. She was at length caught in the
act, and her husband was found to be the receiver.
They are now both waiting their trial. The defen-
dant pleaded guilty to the charge of giving the false
character, and Mr. Sleigh, at some length, spoke in
behalf of his client, who, he said, had sinned in
ignorance.

In disposing of the case, Mr. Knox said—ln a
simple matter of this sort I have only one duty
to perform—that is to protect the public
from being imposed upon by suca recom-
mendations as that given by the defendant.
By this practice any thief, burglar, or house-
breaker, or cut-throat can get into a service where
any amount of depredation might be committed. In
this case she gives a character to a thief who gets
into Mr. Boldero's service, and there commits a
most abominable robbery. The offence is a most
direful one, and I hope this will be a warning to
persons in her position against giving false charac-
ters. I have the option of reducing the penalty,
but I shall not in this case. I cannot help saying
that the defendant has acted scandalously for one
in her position. I inflict the full penalty of £2O
and 10s. costs, with the alternative of three months'
imprisonment.

Alleged Desecration of the Dead in Whit-
field's Chapel Burial Ground.

Yesterday at the weekly meeting of the representative
vestry of St. Pancras, Mr. Churchwarden Taylor in the
chair,

A report from the sanatory committee was presented, con-
taining a letter which had been received from the Home
Secretary, Sir George Grey, in reference to the recent al.
leged desecration of the dead in the burial ground attached
to Whitfield's Chapel, Tottenham-court-road. This com-
munication, which was in reply to a communication from
the vestry calling the attention of the Home Secretary to
the subject, stated that from a report which the Home Se •
eretary had received as to the proceedings of certain persons
in digging up the'burial ground in question, received from
an inspector of burial grounds appointed to investigate the
matter, it appeared that the works directed to be done in
the burial ground by the order of her Majesty in Council
of the 11th of January, 1859, had not been performed.
That in accordance with the intent of such order, the
Home Secretary proposed issuing a further order under the
provisions of the 22d Victoria, cap. 1, sec. 1, but before
doing so he desired to be informed whether the authorities
of St. Pancras were willing to undertake that all the ground
which had been excavated should be covered with a layer
of fresh earth, of 18 inches at least, and to undertake, in
connection with its surface, the maintenance of the growing
vegetation. The report recommended that the vestry should
notify to the Secretary of State their willingness to under-
take what he proposed, providing the Secretary of State
gave an indemnity to the churchwardens, who were the
proper parties to carry out the order, against any legal pro-
ceedings on the part of the trustees or other parties who
had purchased the ground under an order in Chancery.
Mr. J. N. COLLINS moved the adoption of the report,and
said he certainly thought, for the protection of the church-
wardens, they should ask for this indemnity.
The motion having been seconded,
Mr. BISHOP and Mr. CAMERON, both members of the
legal profession, argued that the order from the Home-
office and the provisions were in themselves a sufficient pro-
tection to the churchwardens hi carrying it out, and there-
fore there was no necessity to hamper the reply to the Sec •
retary of State with such a proposal:
An amendment was moved to leave out the proposal as
to the indemnity.
Mr. NODES considered nothing could result by carrying
out the Act of Parliament, which ought to compel those
who had disturbed the ground to pay for its restoration.
(Oh.) The vestry could then maintain it like Marylebone
did the closed cemeteries of St, john's-wood and Padding-
street burial grounds.
Mr. DOUGLAS viewed the matter differently. He under-
stood that two or three people held this ground in fee, and
if they consented to do this all might be well. But suppose
the churchwardens insisted on doing it, they might bring
actions for trespass. (No, nc.)
The amendment was carried by a large majority.

SHOCKING DISASTER AT STAMFORD.—A very sad
accident happened at a ladies' school, kept by Miss
Collins, in St. Mary's-place, Stamford, on Monday, which
resulted in the death of Mr. Arthut Barston, aged 20, and
severe injury to one of the servants. In the scullery was a
small boiler, which was used for the purpose of supplying
hot water to a bath upstairs. On Monday morning a fire
was lighted under the boiler to prevent the water in the
pipes from freezing; and in the afternoon the attention of
the mistress was directed to the fact that the water in the
bath-room still remained cold. She had not left the scullery
more than a few minutes, for the purpose of sending for a
plumber, when the boiler exploded with great force. The
door and window of the scullery were blown out, and nearly
everything in it destroyed. The deceased had been skating,
and had just called at the house with his sister, ono of the
teachers, and it is supposed that, hearing the boiler make a
suspicious noise, he went to see the cause at the moment it
exploded, and he was instantly killed. The cook, a young
woman, aged 22, also sustained a compound fracture of the
thigh and other severe injuries, and now lies in a dangerous
state at the infirmary. At the inquest which was opened
on the body of deceased, a juror expressed his opinion that
there was ice in the pipes leading from the boiler to the
bath-room, and that the circulation of the steam was pre-
vented. The inquiry was adjourned, that a scientific exa-
mination might be made.