The Sun.
London, England, 1837-02-02 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

OLD COURT.
Mr. Justice WILLIAMS and Mr. Justice COLERIDGE, accom-
panied by the Loan MAYOR, took their seats on the bench at
ten o'clock.

OPINION OF THE JUDGES.-Just as Mr. Justice Williams
and Mr. Justice• Coleridge were about leaving the Court,
Thomas Allen and John Minter Hart were ordered to be
called up, to receive the decision of the Judges upon their re-
spective cases.

7 On the prisoners being placed in the dock,
Mr. Justice WILLIAMS addressed them as follows :—Thos.
Allen, you were indicted at the last December Sessions, for
larceny. You were tried and convicted for stealing three
chests of teas on the high seas, when a question was reserved
for the opinion of the Judges, which was, from the facts of
the case, whether the charge could be sustained as laid in the
indictment, of a felony having been committed on the high
seas. The Judges have met, and are of opinion that the con-
viction is proper.
John Minter Hart—you were also tried and convicted at
the same Sessions, held in December, upon au indictment,
charging you with forging a bill of exchange for tool., also
with uttering a bill of exchange for the same amount, and
with forging an acceptance for that amount, with intent to
defraud Charles Herbert Jenner. On those counts the jury
found you guilty. The Learned Judge who tried you re-
served a point raised by your counsel for the opinion of the
Judges, and which has been argued before the whole of them.
Mr. Curwood appeared for you, and very ably argued
the case. ''The main -topic on which he dwelt was as ap-
peared from the facts of your case. You were empowered to
draw a bill of exchange for 200/., but you did not possess the
authority to exceed that sum, and in so doing the offence
amounted to one of fraud, but not of forgery. The Judges
could not fail to observe that you only had authority to draw a
bill for 2001., and had you not exceeded that amount then no
offence had been committed; but you exceeded that authority
to the extent of 3001., and therefore it is a false making, and
amounts to forgery. The conviction must, therefore, accord-
ingly stand.

BOW- STREET.
Yesterday Robert Broughton, who was charged at this
office on Monday, on suspicion of having murdered his wife
Ann, at the house No. 9, Cook's-court, Carey-street, on the
previous day, was brought up for re-examination.
The only additional witness called was Mr. Nicholle, the
gentleman in whose occupation the house in Cook's-court was,
and by whom the deceased woman was employed as laundress,
He stated that the deceased had the entire charge of the house.
which was e holly occupied by offices, and he had never ftnia
sented to the prisoner sleeping there, nor did he know that he
had ever been there. He said also
olt since the death Of the
deceased he had made a most minute search over 10,s housei
and although he had found two clean shirts of the prisoner's he
could not discover any shirt that had been won,. This fact was
elicited in consequence of its being shorn by other testimony
that on the Saturday night the prisoner had on a shirt 'which
he had worn during the week, that on the Sunday after-
wards the shirt which he wore was clean. In addition to this
circumstance it was also ";;own that at the period of the en-
tran7e of Mr. Lovett. the surgeon, to the house, a strong smell
of burning linen ras perceptible, and that afterwards a quan-
tity of tinder \vas found in the grate ofthe back kitchen.
The tnisoner was fully connnitted to take his trial, and the
witr:esses were bound over to prosecute.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
It will be recollected that in June last a lad named Henry
Matthew tlleeds, aged seventeen years, ur!tle*. went several ex-
aminations at this office, upon suspicion of mischievously set-
ting fire to the hou3e of Mr. George t2rooks, grocer, No. 42,
Lambeth-walk. The boy Meeds '.,ad been an apprentice to
Mr. Crooks. It appeared that the boy had been for some time
suspected by his master of rj'obery, from the fact of his having
purchased a gold watch and a quantity of jewellery, and also
from his haying in ',is possession upwards of 151. in money.
Upon the examination at this office the evidence appeared to
inculpato.thpinaster equally as much as his apprentice, but
the latter 'was ultimately committed to Newgate for trial. He
was subsequently tried at the Old Bailey, but acquitted, and
the JUdge, as well as the Counsel, passed some very scvere
animadversions upon Mr. Crooks.
Yesterday Mr. Crooks attended before Messrs. Greg.orie
and Burrell, and handed to them a written statement under
the signature of Mr. Henry Lawson, the guardian appointed
under the will of the boy's father, and Mr. John Wicting-
ton, ono cf the trustees of Eaton School, from which place the
boy had been bound. It was to the following effect We,
the undersigned, Henry Lawson and John Wiggington, cer-
tify that Henry Matthew .Meeds, lately an apprentice of Mr.
George 'Crooks, of Lambeth-walk, grocer, appeared before
us, accompanied by his master, and, being requested to ac-
count as to how he became possessed of a, large sum of mo-
ney he had in his possession a short time previously to the fire
on Mr. Crooks' premises, on the 19th day of June last, he at
first stated that he had obtained it honestly, but afterwards
admitted, in our presence, that it had been stolen by him from
his master at various times. Meeds was then importuned to
state what lie knew about the fire, as a strong suspicion pre-
vailed that Mr. Crooks was implicated in tl' affair. Meeds
confessed that he alone had set fire to the premises of Mr.
Crooks, and then alarmed his master vet mistress. He stated
that he entered their chamber, and, while they were asleep,
took the rushlight from their beVide, and %vela down stairs to
the shop, and set fire to the 'paper I ags which were placed
there. The wood-work, ip7;ited, and occasioned the loss and
damage which ensued,"
Mr. GREGORIE--:rt what amount were you robbed ? Mr.
Crooks—l cannot tuv exactly, but I fear beyond sot, and I
have not receive:l more than 701. from the Globe, in which
office I was insured for 4001.
- After tome further observations, it was undenrstood that the
indentures should be cancelled upon the attendance of the
whole of the parties before the Magistrates at this office.

UNION-HALL.
Yesterday Ellen Griffiths, a well-looking young woman,
was brought before Mr. JEREMY, charged with committing an
assault on the alleged father of her infant, for refusing to con-
tribute to its maintenance.
Mr. JEREMY—You had no right to go to this young man
and behave with the violence which has been described.
Defendant—Where was I to go if I did not go to the man
who is the father of my child ? was I to take it to a stranger,
and ask for that- which the complainant was bound in justice to
do towards the support of his own offspring?
Mr. JEREMY said the defendant did not seern4 be aware
that she had done wrong, and that she must find 16,141,- unless
she was willing to give the young man an assuranWthat she
would not molest him.
The defendant inquired whether the magistrate could not
order the complainant to help to support the child. lie held a
very good situation, and had the means, whilst she was com-
pelled to work hard for 71. a year; but she was willing to do
all she could so as he gave something also.
As the defendant did not exhibit an inclination to. make a
promise not to molest the complainant in future relative to his
contributing to support the child, the magistrate said that he
should make her find bail for the purpose, and she was there-
fore taken from the bar, crying piteously, and locked up at
the rear of the office.

'IVOR SHIP- S T REE T.
Yesterday a young married woman named Reynolds, and
Ann Walden, her unmarried sister, were placed at the bar,
before Mr. TWYFORD and Mr. GROVE, on a charge of felo-
niously receiving a box of cutlery, value about 301., which had
been stolen from the cart of Messrs. Perrott and Watts, of
Tenter-street, Moorfields.
The prisoners, who denied all knowledge of the matter,
were again remanded.

THAMES- OFFICE.
Yesterday Charles Young, a man in the garb of a brewer's
drayman, who is better known to the police by the name of
Upright Charley, was brought before Mr. BaLLANTINE,
charged with having, in conjunction with several others, stolen
a horse and cart, and 15 casks of Mecklenburg butter, the pro-
perty of Mr. Thomson Webb, a cheesemonger and butter
merchant, of Tottenham-court-road. Several of the prisoner's
associates in the Crime have been convicted and, sentenced to
transportation for life at the last Old Bailey Sessions, and the
Recorder, when the last one was convicted, desired the police
to use every exertion to apprehend " Upright Charley," who
was well known as the captain of a gang of thieves. He dis-
appeared from his usual haunts, the neighbourhood of
gate and Thames-street, after the robbery, and was not teen
again until Tuesday week, when Daniel Mealey and a ser-
geant of the City Corporation police met with him, and took
him into custody. On his way to the office he met with an
old companion, near the London Docks, and said, " Good by—
my doom is fixed—l am off from this country." He burst into
tears, and seemed much affected. The principal evidence
against the prisoner was that of a woman named Margaret
Gregory.
Mr. BALLANTINI committed him to Newgate for trial.
The apprehension of " Upright Charley," and the convic-
tion of the ether parties connected with the butter robbery,
has broken up a daring gang of thieves, who have committed
several extensive robberies. The same gang stole a horse and
waggon, containing two hogsheads of brandy, in Southwark,
a short time before the butter was stolen.

PARIS POLICE..
The following judicial scene, extracted from the Gazelle
des Tribunaux, suggests painful reflections as to the organisa-
tion of society :
The President (to the prisoner)--Do you admit that you
stale the boots ?

Martini (the accused)—Yes, and the shoes also.
President—lndeed ! you stole also shoes ?
Martini—Yes, Sir ; and the buskins also.
President—What, buskins too but this is too bad.
Martini—Yes, Sir; and a pair of slippers.
President—The Court is obliged to you for your candid ad-
missions, but is somewhat astonished at the multiplicity of
the articles abstracted. Surely you could not expect to escape
detection.
Martini.— Certainly not. It was because I was afraid that
I should not he taken up that I stole so much ; if I had not
been scared ! should have robbed the whole place.
President—But what was your motive in acting thus ?
Martini—Ah, Sir, the dictates of nature ! I had eaten
nothing for two days, and I wished to belput in prison, where
could at least find food and lodging.

President—Have you been tried before for any -offence ?
The King's Advocate—There is no previous conviction on
iocord against the prisoner.
Martini—l have never before committed a dishonest act : I
am fifty years of age, and have never quitted Paris; hunger
alone prompted me to do wrong.
The sentence of the Court was fifteen days' imprisonment.
Martini appeared astonished and disappointed ; raising his
hands supplicatingly to the bench, be exclaimed, " Ah, ge.s..,
tlemen, fifteen days I it is too little, for the time will soon pass_
Whilst you were about it you might as well have confined me
for the remainder of my wretched existence."

The influenza is raging at Dunkirk. The inhabi-
tants designate it by the appellation of the Constantino.
A notice was yesterday placed up at the gates of
St.
from Jarrics's Park that Ole gates of the Ein).eacre-walk, leading
Storey's g -o% Great George-street, 6Westminster, to'
James-street, should be left open throughout the
night ihring the sitting of Parliament, but that no stae-
coach, omnibus, cart, waggon, dray,
or truck be allowed, on
any account, to pass through. The gates leading from the
Duke of York's column, Carlton terrace, through the Mall to!
Buckingham-gate, Pimlico, and from the Stable-yard, St.,
James's Palace, are also to remain open all night for foot pas,--
sengers.
ATTEMPT To MURDER AT SEA.-----Yesterday
James Screen, who has been in the House of Correction,
Coldbatlifieldq, for assaulting and threatening to take away -
the life of his wife, was brought from that prison arid'placed,-
at the bar before John -Hardwick, Esij., at Lambeth-street:;
Police-office, on a charge of haying made a desperate attempt
to cut the throat of Captaltaiyorgo
.Thonipsaf,On the 1411
seas. The depositions of the different witneised--wel'e'Tead:
over, and the prisoner was fully committed to take his ttial'#.
the present session of the Central Criminal Court on t4y:
pita! charges