The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-07 00:00:00

THE SON, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING-, OCTOBER 7, 1863,

felt in the villages in the immediate vicinity of the town.
The night was very calm, not the slightest wind stirring
to which such a remarkable phenomenon could be attri-
butable. The greatest excitement prevails.

secute, with a view to his daughter's reformation, or more
serious consequenees might follow.
The Assistant-Judge asked the prisoner if she was dis-
posed to give any information as to what she had done with
mean-
time father
the proceeds of the property.
he should defer passing sen-
tence
nhopeund thatand
tell in the
her
,werfwaer was indicted
ehoi nevtdpehdireci prisoner, and on the 26t h o f
proceeds of ofofrthsteesaeltrnogbbaereiaens.vas
person of Richard Hall.
t nTTc The
teehu until prisoner
slitsht
prisonera ne nts-eajxmi a;l:E3gseghhseets said
cwohna change
g ine
what she had done with the
September they were together at the Three Hammers
purse
RTT hhieoehampna prisoner
st
the
aeasiruri Barton,
moanaiodch2tlhe44
he's:
public-house at Hendon. Witness left at 11 o'clock, and was
on his way home when he saw the prisoner standing under
a hedge. Witness had not got more than a hundred yards
from the houses when the prisoner came up behind him and
tripped witness up with his foot, and he fell to the ground.
He stood over him as he lay on his face, and he felt in wit-
ness's trousers pockets and took out a purse containing 145.,
and ran away. Witness called out " Murder" three times,
while he was robbing him, and a policeman came up. He
accompanied the constable back to the Hammers, and
shortly afterwards the prisoner came up, and he was given
into custody.
John Wilson said on the Saturday night in question he
saw the prisoner in custody and walked with him. He put
out his hand and put something into witness's hands, which
he found was a purse containing three florins and some other
moneys, which he gave to the police.
William Savage, police-constable, proved taking the pri-
saner into custody, and he went in the direction pointed out
by the prosecutor, but no purse had been found. There was
a trace in the dew as having been recently made.
The Assistant-Judge summed up the evidence, and the
jury acquitted the prisoner.
Frederick Gerrard, a police-constable of the T division,
was indicted for stealing two sovereigns, a half sovereign,
and the sum of 13s. 6d. in silver, the moneys of Thomas
Chandler, from the person of Susan Chandler.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted—Mr. Daly defended the prisoner.
Mrs. Susan Chandler, said she was the wife of Thomas
Chandler, and on 15th Sept. she was at the Hammersmith
police-court. She went there to prosecute a woman for steal-
ing a blanket. She met the prisoner in the court, but had
not known him before. She left the court with the prisoner
about a quarter to four o'clock, and went with him to the
Rising Sun, near the court-house. She called for a pot of
stout, and gave the prisoner half-a-crown to pay for it. The
prisoner paid for it, and returned her the change. After
staying fur half an hour at the Rising Sun, the prisoner
asked her to go to another house, and 1 hey went to the Cum-
berland Arms, which was not far from the Rising Sun. The
prisoner walked into the parlour, and witness followed him.
The prisoner ordered three-pennyworth of brandy and a
bottle of soda water, and witness paid for it at the bar. She
put her purse into her pocket, and went into the parlour.
The prisoner moved his chair, and sat close to her side, and
she told him that she was a respectable married woman,
and he then went further away from her. The side where
he sat close to her was the side where her pocket was. A
little while afterwards he pushed by her side again. Three
other constables then came in, and witness asked them what
they would have to drink. The prisoner inquired of them
the way to the back yard, and left the room. She then
pulled out her purse, and to her surprise found that it had
been entirely emptied of its contents except a card. She put
her purse into her pocket, ran out into the back yard, and
accused the prisoner of sobbing her of two sovereigns, a half
sovereign, and 15s. 6d. in silver. He denied having robbed
her, and an altercation ensuing, the three constables that
she left in the parlour went into the yard. He was then
given in charge and taken to the police-station.
Cross-examined by Mr, Daly—l was in the Cumberland
Arms a quarter of an hour before the constables came in.
During that time the prisoner and myself were alone, The
prisoner was eittirg near to me when the constables came
in, and he then moved from my side. I heard one of the
constables say at the police-court that when he entered the
room he heard a scrambling noise. The prisoner moved
close to my side,
and that was the reason why I said I was
a respectable married woman.
By the Assistant-Judge—l did not think it any harm to
go from one publichouse to another with the prisoner.
Alfred Harris, police-constable 258 T, said the prisoner
at the bar belonged to the same division, On Sept. 15 he
went to the Rising Sun with two other constables. The
prisoner and prosecutrix were together in front of the bar.
They left the publichouse as the constables went in. Wit-
ness and the constables afterwards went to the Cumberland
Arms and in the parlour saw the prosecutrix and the pri-
soner sitting close to one another, and they made a bit of
a scramble as they (the constables) went in. The prisoner
soon afterwards left the room. The woman then got up, and
said that the prisoner had picked her pocket of £3, and that
she would give him into custody. As ho was going along
the passage the prisoner pulled a handkerchief from his
breast pocket and put it into a basket with some bottles.
Witness took it up directly and put it into his pocket, tell-
ing the prisoner he had better go to the Notting-hill sta-
tion. On reaching; the station witness delivered the hand-
kerchief to the sergeant who was on duty. Ho opened it,
and in a corner of it was tied up two sovereigns, a half-
sovereign, and 13e. Gd. in silver. The prisoner said, if there
was anything in the handkerchief the prosecutrix must
have put it in.
Cross-examined—The prosecutrix and prisoner were both
drunk, and they both staggered up the road.
George Grubb, police-constable 117 T, corroborated this
evidence.

Mr. Daly then addressed the jury for the prisoner, and
said he had been upwards of three years in the force, and if
their verdict should be against him he would be ruined for
life. They were called upon to convict him on the evidence
of a drunken woman, and there was no doubt she had been
guilty of great indiscretion. The money might have been
given to him by this woman for their common use, or for
objects to which he would not further allude. The prisoner
was at the mercy of the prosecurrix, and as she was obliged
to tell her husband some story to account for her being in
these houses with a policeman, she had framed this tale,
and had now come forward to substantiate it on oath.
The Assistant-Judge summed up the evidence, and
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Inspector Hepburn, who attended to watch the case
on the part of the Police Commissioners, proved that the
prisoner had been frequently fined for breaehes of police
discipline.

The Assistant-Judge sentenced the prisoner to be impri
coned and kept to hard labour for six months.

The Extraordinary Robbery of a Mail-bag.

Ht LL, Tuesday.
This morning, at 10 o'clock, Mrs. Maria Cooke was
brought up before Mr. Travis, stipendiary magistrate, on
remand at tho police-court, charged with having had in her
possession certain checks known to have been stolen from
the post-office mail-bag at South Cave on the 24th of Sep-
tember last.
Mr. F. F. Ayre prosecuted, being instructed by Mr. A.
Forrest, the assistant-surveyor of the Derby district of the
General Post-office. Mr. F. Summers defended the prisoner.
The prisoner was charged under the 28th section of the
Ist of Victoria, cap. 36, which enacts "that every person
who shall steal a post letter-bag, or a post letter from a post
letter-bag, or shall steal a post letter from a post-office, or
from an officer of the post-office, or from a mail, or shall
stop a mail with intent to rob or search the same, shall in
England and Ireland be guilty of felony, and in Scotland
of a high crime and offence, and shall be transported be-
yond the seas for life."
Considerable interest was manifested in the case, the
court-room being much thronged. The prisoner was, at
the request of her solicitor, allowed to have a chair, but
remained standing throughout the examination of
witnesses. The interest attaching to the case has been
increased by certain rumours current here that the accused
woman had previously made her appearance before a judi-
cial bench on a serious charge, from which accusation she
was, however, exonerated. The evidence already given
went to show that the prisoner attempted to get a check
cashed at the Hull branch of the Yorkshire Banking Com-
pany, and that the said check was proved to be one of
several others which had been posted at South Cave in a
letter which should have been delivered to the Yorkshire
Banking Company at Beverley. Another check was found
in the prisoner's possession which had also been stolen out
of the letter-bag.
Mr. F. F. Ayre briefly explained the course he intended
to pursue in the examination of the witnesses, who were
ordered out of court.
The following evidence was taken, more than one of the
witnesses showing an obtuseness far from indicative of the
shrewdness proverbial to Yorkshire :
William Stather, farm servant to Mr. Pardon, at South
Cave,deposed that on Thursday, the 24th of September,
about a quarter past 6 in the evening, he saw a lady standing
in Mr, M'Turk's lane reading either a book or a paper. She
had on a straw hat, with a feather, and a black shawl. The
prisoner at the bar was dressed like the woman he (witness)
saw, but he could not identify her as the same person. She
was about 20 yards up the lane towards Cave when witness
saw her, and he, having gone away, returned shortly after,
and saw the person again about five yards from Mr. Anson's
shopdoor. She was then walking, and witness met her
between Mr, Anson's shopdoor (the post-office) and Mr.
Glay's beershop. He met the mail-cart shortly after, about
50 or 60 yards up the street. He was talking to two men,
named Pinder and Kirby, when he saw the woman pass
the second time. As she passed they said to one another,
" Who is that ?" and neither of them knew her.
Martha Jefferson stated that she lived at Elloughton, and
on Thursday week last,about a quarter or half-past 6 o'clock,
she saw a person near Mr. M‘Turk's lane. She (the person
witness saw) was standing about 20 yards down the lane.
Witness could not identify the prisoner as the woman she
saw.

Benjamin Pinder, a carrier, living at South Cave, stated
that he saw a woman who wore a white-crowned hat, but
he could not say it was the prisoner at the bar. Nothing
was said by witness or his two companions when the woman
in question passed them.
Martha Jefferson, being recalled, said, in reply to Mr.
Summers, that she had never before to her knowledge seen
the person she (witness) saw in the lane that night,
Joseph Robinson Kirby, a farm labourer in the employ of
Mr. Rudd, of South Cave, said that he saw a woman near
his master's field, and the same woman was also shortly
after looking in at the window as the post-office. He (wit-
ness) saw the mail.cart standing at the door of the post-
office.

James Shacklock deposed that he was a chymist and
druggist residing at South Cave, and on the 24th September
at a few minutes past 7, he was standing at his shop-door
and saw a lady .in a black shawl. Her dress had a white
skirt. When witness first saw her she was standing on the
middle of the footpath. She turned round and looked into
Mr. Anson's window, standing on tiptoe as she did so. She
then turned round and walked down Mr. Anson's footway.
She had on a white hat, with a black feather and veil. He
did not see her return after she went down the passage.
About 10 minutes after the mail-cart came.
William Bedford, schoolmaster at South Cave, stated that
he occasionally assisted Mr. Anson, the postmaster at South
Cave, and on the Thursday spoken to by other witnesses he
went to the post-office about 10 minutes to 7 and counted up
the letters, to the number of 33. The one produced (enve-
lope produced) was one of them. It was addressed " The
Yorkshire Banking Company, Beverley," and in it checks
to the value of £7OO had been posted. When the bag was
made up witness placed it in the ordinary place at the back
of the ()ace. He (witness) then went home, and was shortly
afterwards fetched by Mr. Anson, the loss of the bag having
been discovered. The bag was made up at the usual time.
Witness searched for the bag, and went first on the Markel
Weighton road and then on the Beverley-road.
Mr. Anson, the postmaster, was called as a witness, and
Mr. Ayre, addressing the magistrate, observed that es, of
course, Mr. Anson was to a very considerable extent respon-
sible for the safe custody of the bag that had been lost, he
(Mr. Ayre) thought it right to request the worthy magistrate
to caution the witness as to the position in which he stood.
He (Mr. Ayre) would merely say that grave suspicion was
attached to certain parties, against whom, however, there
was not at present such conclusive evidence as would justify
their being taken into custody, but the witness (Mr. Anson)
ought in fairness to be cautioned before he replied to any
questions that might be put to him.

Mi. Travis said that, of course, under the peculiar cir-
cumstances of the loss of the mail-bag, all persons through
whose hands it had passed or ought to have passed would
have to explain their actions, and without suggesting a sus-
picion against Mr. Anson he must remember that from his
official position the Post-office authorities would look to him
for an explanation ; but he (the magistrate) was bound to
caution Mr. Anson that what he would say would be pro-
bably used in evidence hereafter.

The examination of the witness was being proceeded with
when the last available train left.

Attempt at Murder and Daring Burglary.

NEWPORT (Essax), Tuesday.
About 7 o'clock on Sunday morning the quiet village of
Stansted Mountfitchett was thrown into a state of the
greatest alarmby cries of help proceeding from the residence
of Mr. William White, an independent gentleman, and for-
merly a miller at Manuden, but now residing on the Cam-
bridge high road, midway between this place and Bishop
Stortford. Several of the neighbours hurried to the spot
just in time to assist in surrounding and capturing a tall,
powerful ruffian, who was about escaping from the house.
It appears that the servant girl came downstairs about 7,
and on reaching the hall she found a secretaire had been
broken open, and the contents strewn about; seeing other
things to be in a similar state, she immediately returned up-
stairs and warned her master. Mr. White hurried on a few
things and came down, and upon looking
round the lower
part of the house he found the cellar door open, which made
him suspect that some one was still in the house. He sent
the servant for a light, and they began to descend the stairs,
but had not gone down many steps when a man yelled out
to them and fired a pistol, but fortunately without effect,
though upon after examination it was found that the stair-
case was splintered, and a number of shots were picked up
by Police-constable Pulley.
Mr. White then hurried to the door and repeatedly called
out "Murder," bringing the neighbours to his assistance,
when he returned to the spot with a gun, and reinforced by
the assistance of several of the inhabitants. Upon proceed-
ing through the house, they found that the burglar, armed
with a loaded pistol, had just reached the lawn, where, be-
wildered by the light, he seemed uncertain which way to
retreat, added to which his exit was rendered next to im-
possible by the presence of a very high wall to the grounds;
he appeared to bo determined upon resistance, but upon
being surrounded, and Mr. White presenting a gun at his
breast, he threw down the pistol and surrendered at dis-
cretion.

The roan gave the name of Clement Fletcher, but obsti-
nately refused to give any place of abode. He is a tall,
stout fellow, and from several appearances about his clothes
&c,, he is suspected of having but lately been in gaol. After
entering the house by the drawing room window he appears
to have taken Mr. White's gun, removed the lock, and hid it
under a mat; he had then apparently been unable to con-
tinue his operations in the dark, and had laid down on the
sofa to await the coming light. He had forced open boxes
and drawers, tea caddies and work boxes, in the drawing
and dining rooms, and strewn the contents in all directions.
In the pantry he had broken open a box and eaten a portion
of a pie in the same place, but there was no trace, however,
of any of the portable property having been removed, it
being evident that the fellow had in some way miscalcu-
lated the time required for his proceedings.
This day (Tuesday) the prisoner W2B brought up at New-
port Police-station before W. C. Smith, Esq., the chairman
of this divisional bench, charged with attempting to murder
Mary Ann Barnard, the servant girl of Mr. White, and
also with burglary.
Testimony of a clear character having been adduced
against the accused, he was called upon, if he thought fit,
to state his reply to the charges brought against him, when
he remarked that he had nothing to say, and made his sig-
nature to this answer iu a bold and firm hand.
The magistrates then told the prisoner that he would be
committed to take his trial at the next assizes at Chelmsford
on the charges of burglary and attempted murder.

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