The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-27 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,—This day.

BOW-STREET.

POST OFFICE ROBBERY.--William Edward Ducrow, a
letter-carrier attached to the Nest Central District Office,
126, High Holborn, was charged with stealing a letter, the
property of her Majesty's Postmaster General.
Mr Gardiner, one of the senior clerks in the Post-office,
said—The prisoner was one of the letter carriers employed
at the Branch Post-office, 126, High Holborn, In
consequence of the numerous losses of letters from
that station, he was directed to test the honesty
of persons engaged there. H 3 according'y enclosed 57
penny postage stamps in an envelope, directed it, "Mr.
Burns, 10, Great Russell street, Bloomsbury," and handed
it to Mr Clare to post. Witness went to the West Central
District Post-office about 4 o'clock the same afternoon,
and the prisoner was brought into a private room and
lammed that a letter containing postage stamps woe
missing, addressed as above. He denied all knowledge
of the letter, but on being searched by the cflicer a
leather purse was taken from one of his pockets, in which
was found 57 postage stamps. On the pris37-:r being
questioned as to how he came into possession. of the
stamps, he said he had purchased them en Saturday
afternoon of a friend in the street. The stamps wore
those he (witness) enclosed in the test letter yesterday.
Mr Willis Clare, inspector of letter carriers, said he
posted the letter in question yesterday in the early part
of the day at the West Central Office in High Holborn,
calling the attention of Mr Cook to the circumstance.
Mr Thomas Cook, inspector of letter-oarriers, at the West
Central District, said in consequence of what he heard
from Mr Clare, he went to the letter-box at the office and
took a letter addressed to Mr Burns, 10, Great Russell-
street, Bloomsbury, from the box, He afterwards placed it
amongst those to be delivered by the prisoner, although the
letter was not properly in his own delivery. He ought to
have placed it aside in order that it might be delivered
to the letter-carrier in whose delivery Great Russell-street
was included. He did not do so. The prisoner had been
in the service of the Post-office four or five years, and re-
ceived a salary of 2-Is per week.
Crocker, the constable attached to the West Central
Post-office, said he searched the prisoner and found the
property produced in a purse in one of his pockets.
The prisoner, who made no defence, was fully committed
for trial.

The solicitor to the post-office, in answer to the magis-
trate, said the prisoner was about 24 years of age. There
was a silver watch, and about 18s. found on his person, and
as they had no reason to suspect that they formed any por-
tion of a robbery, he hoped they might be delivered to the
prisoner's wife, the poor woman being very near her con-
finement.

Mr Flower said there would be no objection to such a
course.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SYSTEMATIC ROBBING OF CHILDREN —COMMITTAL..--
Elizabeth Smith, about 18 years of age, was charged before
Mr Tyrwhitt with robbing several children, between the
ages of six and nine years, of their clothing, &c.
A number of children who had been robbed were in
attendance.

In the first case the prisoner stopped a child named Eliza
Smith, who with her parents reside at No. 8, Berwick-street,
St. James's, and asked her to hold a purse icr her while
she fastened her dress. The child did as requested, and
then the prisoner asked her what she had in her hand.
The child showed the prisoner 16s 31, which she was on
the way home with to her father, and the prisoner, under
the pretence of wrapping the money up in paper for the
child, took the money from her and then handed the
parcel back to the child, who, after the prisoner had left,
opened it and found it to con ain only three penny pieces.
The child subsequently seeing the prisoner in the streets
spoke to a person, who detained the prisoner till she was
taken into custody.

In the second case the prisoner accosted a little girl named
Elizabeth Ives, residing with her parents at No. 3, Caven-
dish-mews, telling her that she would drop a bundle con•
taining some sheets and other articles if she was not
can f al. The prisoner then offered to carry the bundle
for the child, which offer was accepted, and the prisoner
under some pretence got away with the bundle.
In the third case a little girl, named Elizabeth Goldby,
residing in Peter-street, St. James's, was stopped by t'le
prisoner on her leaving a grocer's with some tea and sugar.
The prisoner took the tea and sugar, and some change from
the child, and then told her that if she would let her take
off her boots and jacket she would go and buy her a new
pair of white boots; Tho prisoner then took the child into
a pawnbroker's and there left her, promising to return,
which, of course, she did not.
Police.constable Castle, 69 C, said there were several
other charges against the prisoner.
Mr Tyrwhitt said he considered the three charges already
preferred sufficient, and, after cautioning the prisoner,
asked her whether she wished to say anything in answer
to the charges?
The prisoner said she had robbed one of the children, but
not the others.
Mr. Tyrwhitt committed the prisoner for trial.