The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-19 00:00:00

The calendar contains the names of lOU prisoners, of which
number five only can read and write well, and 11 can neither
read nor write at all,
IMPROPER CONDUCT or TILE POLICE.

Mr. HARRY PALMER said he was requested by Mr.
Bassett, a solicitor of Carey-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields, to
state that he wasnow present and ready to offer any explana-
tion to the Court which might bo required in reference to
the cases of George Farmer, Thomas Featherstone, and
William Taylor, in which he was instructed to prosecute.
The Assistant-Judge said the costs of Mr. Bassett. were
refused because the Court had been informed that it was
the practice of certain persons to attend the police courts
of tly metropolis to make arrangeraents with police con-
stables who were concerned in cases, and to induce pro-
secutors to allow them to undertake to engage counsel for
the trial, upon the understanding that no expense beyond
the county allowance would be incurred. Mr. Bassett
wrote to the Court indulging in all kinds of threats
which were to be carried out if the refusal to allow costs
was persisted in. Inquiries were then directed, and it was
found that in each of the three cases mentioned Mr. Bas-
sett, or the man representing him, had solicited the pro-
secutors in the way described. The police had interfered
to obtain the prosecution for Mr. Bassett, and their conduct
would be reported to the proper authorities. The Court
would do all they could to discourage these practices, and
Mr. Bassett would certainly not be allowed any costs.

The same system prevails to a greater extent in the Cen-
tral Criminal Court, and urgently demands similar repres-
sion.

Germain Soyer, aged 42, pleaded guilty to stealing seve-
ral sums of money belonging to the trustees of the French
Dispensary, by whom he was employed as collector.
Mr. Metcalfe, who was instructed to prosecute, stated
that the prisoner absconded in June last, and had since col-
lected about £4O or £5O. his dishonesty being facilitated by
the possession of a book of printed forms of receipts for
donations to the dispensary, which he carried away with
him.

The prisoner was sentenced to be imprisoned nine calendar
months with hard labour.
John Wilson Davis, aged 31, pleaded guilty to a charge
of embezzling three several sums, amounting to Zt3 Os sd.
Mr. Ribton prosecuted ; Mr. John Best appeared for the
prisoner.
Mr. Ribton stated that the prisoner was in the service of
Mr. James Forsdyke, a tobacconist, in High-street, Shore-
ditch, as traveller and collector, at a salary of 258 per week.
He had been promised, in addition, a commission at the rate
of £l.se per cent. on his sales, when they exceeded £5O in a
week, but they had never reached that sum and no commis-
sion had been earned. The total of his misappropriations
was between £6O and £7O.

Mr. Best addressed the jury in mitigation of punishment,
and stated that the prisoner had trusted to the produce of
the commission to replace the moneys of his master.
The Assistant-Judge said that no explanation was given
of the disposal of £6O or CO which the prisoner had taken
while receiving 25s a week.
Sentence-12 months' imprisonment with hard labour.

Gaorge Knight, aged 41, pleaded guilty to stealing half
a bushel of corn; and Wm. Alfred Paul, aged 24, pleaded
guilty to receiving the same, well knowing it to bo stolen.
This was an ordinary case of robbery by a servant, where-
by his master's horses were deprived of half the food allowed
for their day's consumption. Suspicion had been excited
against another person, and the police watched, but found
Paul taking the oats from•Kn:ght; It appeared that Paul
had born hitherto an unexceptionable character, and that
the prosecutor.thought him less guilty than others who had
not been detected.

The Assistant-Judge sentenced Knight to be imprisoned
12 and Paul to be imprisoned six calendar months, and kept
at hard labour.

Charles Williams, aged 22, and Edward Collins, aged 19,
ware charged with stealing a diamond ring, a locket, and
other articles, of the value of £lOO, belonging to Mrs. Patte-
rson, from the dwelling-house of her husband.
It appeared that the prisoners took advantage of being
employed to carry luggage from a cab into the house, to
enter Mrs. Patterson's dressing-room and to steal the
jewellery. They tried to induce William Parrott, one of
the Shoe-black Brigade, to pawn some of the articles, but
he refused to do so, and was an important witness, as none
of the property had been found.
The prisoners were found guilty, and were proved to have
been companions and known to the police.
The Assistant- Judge directed 10s. to be given to William
Parrott, as an acknowledgment of the boy's honesty in
refusing to assist in the disposal of stolen property, and
sentenced Williams to two years' and Collins to one years'
imprisonment, with bard labour.
George Watson, aged 30, pleaded guilty to a charge of
pot stealing, and, having been formerly convicted, was sen-
tenced to be kept in penal servitude for three years,
Thomas Grant, aged 26, pleaded guilty to stealing a bale
of paper value £6, the property of Messrs. Winn Brothers
and Co. • The bale was removed from the warehouse and
placed on a barrow. The prisoner, being known, was
stopped. It was said that he had only recently returned
from penal servitude. Ho was now sentenced to penal
servitude for four years,

Robert Smith, aged 48, pleaded guilty to a charge of
pot stealing, after a former conviction, and was sentenced
to 12 months' imprisonment and hard labour.
John Boyes, 25, was convicted on several indictments
which charged him with stealing the greatcoats of as many
little boys, who live at Notting-hill, and who were induced
either to leave their still younger brothers in charge of the
coats while taking messages for the prisoner, or were vio-
lently dispossessed of them without any subterfuge on his
part.
His former master said ha had borne a good character up
to Midsummer last, but he had since lost sight of him.
Sentence, two years' imprisonment with hard labour.
JamesManeon, 22, George Roberta, 23, and Robt. Smith,
20, were indicted for stealing a plate basket, containing £3O
worth of silver articles, from the house of Mr. T. Hughes,
Park-street, Grosvenor-square, on the 21st December last.
It appeared that two of the prisoners had been undergoing
imprisonment in Coldbath-fields prison since the robbery,
and were taken into custody upon being discharged. The
evidence showed that the prisoners were in company on the
day named, that they wore seen near Mr. Hughes's house,
that Manson was seen to go down the area steps at the foot
of which was the pantry, in which the butler had placed the
plate-basket, and that Manson was seen about the time of
its loss, still in the company of the other two men, and car-
rying a basket covered.with straw. When Roberts and Man-
son were put in a cab at the door of Coldbath-fields prison,
Smith came up with another man in Volunteer uniform,
and attempted to rescue them. On being apprehended sub-
sequently he was identified as the third who, three months
before, had been concerned in this robbery.
Manson repeatedly declared that he was innocent; that
he was all round Clapham and Brixton on Dec. 21st, that
he returned home at half-past four, that he pawned his coat
the same evening, and that the two other prisoners then
told him they had committed this robbery with the assist-
ance of a man named M'Carthy, who unfortunately resem-
bled him in appearance.
The jury found all the prisoners guilty.
Sergeants Cole and White proved former convictions
against Manson and Roberts. They said that M'Carthy did
not resemble Manson, and that Manson had long been known
as an area thief. On ono occasion they searched a basket he
was carrying, and underneath the straw they found a hook
with a string attached, and an instrument which would
easily open the catches of windows. His plan was to mark
the house where the platebasket was left in the lowest room,
to watch for the absence of the servants upstairs, to open
the window and draw out the platebasket by the hook, and
to conceal it under the straw in the other basket, which was
just large enough to receive it.
Manson, when sentenced to be kept in penal servitude for
seven years, protested his innocence, called on the other two
men to clear him, and clung so tenaciously to the dock rail
that three officers were necessary to remove him. He was
with great difficulty overpowered and convoyed to the cells
of the Sessions-laouse,
The Assistant Judge then sentenced Roberts to four years
and Smith to three years' penal servitude,and he directed a
reward of 20s to be given to a cabman named John Winter,
I whose evidence was important on the question of identity.