The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-14 00:00:00

KENSINGTON PETTY SESSIONS.

THE HIPPODROME.—On Friday Mr. Drinkwater, the
landlord of the Coach and Horses, at Notting-hill, ap-
peared before Messrs. CODD, BARLOW, and PILKINGTON,
the sitting Magistrates, to answer an information laid
against him by Daniel Byrne, the common informer, under
the 9th George IV., c. 61, s. 18, for selling beer in an un-
licensed booth on the Hippodrome race-course on the 19th
ult., by which he had incurred a penalty of 201.
Mr. Under-Sheriff Wire, Solicitor to the Licensed Vic-
tuallers' Protection Society, attended on the part of the
defendant.

On the information being read,
Mr. CORD, addressing Mr. Wire, said, you are required
to produce the defendant's license. Do you do so 7—Mr.
Wire—No ; it is an allegation in the information which re-
quires to be proved.
Edward Street, the informer's witness, on the day above
mentioned went to the Hippodrome race-course, on which
were several booths. He went into one of them, which
was kept by the defendant, and called for a quart of beer.
The defendant asked if he wished for the best, to which he
replied in the affirmative, when the defendant drew it for
him, and he gave him a shilling for it, out of which de-
fendant took eight pence for the beer. Several other per-
sons were drinking at the time, and the defendant's name
was on the pot in which he was served with the beer. The
booth had no connection with the heuso for which the de-
fendant is licensed.
Byrne said that was his case, and called upon the defen-
dant to produce his license.
Mr. Wire—l consider it no part of my case to produce
the license. The informer is bound to prove that the defen-
dant is not licensed.
Mr. CODD—What authority have you for that? Mr.
Wire—l contend, on the general principles of law, that
where there are averments to be proved, it is the duty of
the informer to prove all the allegations of the information
before he can obtain a conviction. When primary evidence
cannot be obtained then secondary evidence is considered
to be sufficient. In this instance the informant could have
called upon the magistrates' clerk to prove that the defen-
dant was not licensed, or have called persons connected
with the Excise to prove to that effect. The Learned Gen
tleman then cited a case recently tried at Croydon, where
it was considered necessary to prove that a person was not
an attorney to bring down persons from each of the Supreme
Courts of Judicature in London.

The BENCH, after conferring together, could not adm
the objection, Wit must diva, ott the inerite.of the -can.

Mr. Wire—Then I shall appeal without calling any wit-
nesses.

The Learned Gentleman, after conferring with his client,
however, determined on going on with the case, and after
cross-examining the informer's witness, during which he
elicited from him that he had twice been indicted for per-
jury, called witnesses to prove that the defendant had not
been out of his house during the day in question, but that
his brother, who much resembled him, had a booth on the
raceground, as had been stated.
The Bench then said the informer's witness had evi-
dently made a mistake, and dismissed the information.
Mr. CODD—This is one of the advantages derived from
the races.

There was a similar information against Mr. Britton, of
the Duke of Clarence, at Shepherd's Bush, but he not being
,n attendance, a second summons was issued.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.

A man with a singularly-constructed visage, the mouth
turned up under the right car, was brought before the
LORD MAYOR under the following extraordinary circum-

stances :
Mr. Pritchard, the manager of the 'vessels of the Com-
mercial Steam-boat Company, stated that the prisoner, John
Winrite, who was a stoker on board the Duke of Sussex
steamer, which belonged to the Company, was suspected of
having injured the engine in such a manner as to endanger
the lives of upwards of 150 persons. On the preceding
day, in consequence of the illness of the engineer, a new
engineer was employed, and the vessel arrived from Graves-
end
at the wharf all safe. Twenty minutes after her arrival,
however, as she was about to set off to perform the voyage
back, it was found that the engine would not work,
and the deck was covered with steam. Witness ob-
served that something serious was the matter, and in-
stantly ordered that an examination of the engine should
take place. It was then found that the injection lever
pin had been removed from its proper place by some-
body. That pin performed so important an office in the
machinery that the consequence of its removal might have
been the bursting of the engine, and the most dreadful mis-
chief might have ensued. The engineer did not allow any
person to enter the engine-room except the prisoner and
another stoker ; and the prisoner being in a state of ine-
briety, and having been heard to make some threat on
coming up the river, there was every reason to believe

that he had thus exposed the lives of the passengers to im-
minent peril.
The Loon MAYOR—Did he owe any one a grudge ?
Mr, Pritchard—We have reason to believe that he wished
to do the new engineer an injury, as lie probably expected
to be appointed to the situation in the absence of the old
one. This is the second offence he has committed.

George Howell, engineer on board the Duke of Sussex
steamer, was responsible for the engine department on board,
and that the vessel came from Gravesend to London in good
order. At twenty minutes after four o'clock, lie saw
that all was in proper order. The steamer was close

to the wharf at London-bridge taking in passengers
after that hour. and the boll announcing the departure
had done ringing, when he found that there was an
alarming impediment in the engine. Upon examination it
was found that the injection pin was removed, and that
the weight of the steam pressure was becoming immensely
great. The allowed pressure of steam was four pounds
and a half per inch, and at the moment he went to ascer-
tain the impediment it had reached seven pounds per inch.
The removal of the pin had prevented the condensation
from taking place, and great risk was necessarily incurred.
He succeeded in stopping the engine ; and the condition of
it might be guessed at from the fact that the hand of the
man who fixed the pin was burned in the act.
The LORD MAYua—Might not the pin have been forced
out by any mechanical power of the engine itself? Wit-
ness—That was quite impossible. It must have been done
by some person. The engine might have been smashed to
pieces. The prisoner and the other stoker were the only
persons I aliowed to enter the engine-room.
Mr. Pritchard—The captain and some of the crew had
mentioned to the engineer that the prisoner would play

him some trick.
The Loan MAYOR-It was the duty of the captain to
put such a man away, after having detected him in a former
offence.
Mr. Pritchard—Nobody had any idea of so desperate an
act -of villainy.
The LORD NIAYOR—Was he drunk ? Howell saw him
take only a glass of spirits, but he seemed as if intoxicated.
The prisoner denied most solemnly that he had touched
the injection-pin. He had merely done his duty as stoker,
and had not meddled with the engine.

The LORD MAYOR (to Mr. Pritchard)—Did the pri-
soner understand the mechanical process of the engine
work ? Mr. Pritchard—No ; he was not acquainted with
the details of the principle, but he was perfectly aware of
the effect of removing the injection-pin. We have been ex-
tremely cautious upon all occasions, I assure your Lordship.
The Lore MAYort—There was no proof of caution in
this instance, at any rate. The lives of the multitude on
board were evidently in jeopardy.
Remanded till Wednesday next.