The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-11 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS---Feb. 10.

(Before the Assistant-Judge.)
Henry Harding, 19, servant, and Dudley Cooper, 31, ser-
vant, were indicted for stealing three gold watches, seven
gold bracelets, 14 rings, and other articles, value £7OO, the
property of Edward T. Bainbridge, in his dwelling-house.
Mr. Poland prosecuted. Mr. Kemp defended Harding,
and Mr. Sleigh appeared for Cooper.
Mr. Poland having briefly opened the case,
Mr. -W. Thomas Bainbridge, the prosecutor, said that he
lived at No. 3, Cumberland-street, Hyde-park, and that the
prisoner Harding hal been in his service for a month as
footman. On the 14th of January he absconded from his
situation, and after he was gone ho received a communica-
tion from Mrs. Bainbridge. Witness made an examination
of the premises, when he found that a jewel case was miss-
ing, containing three gold watches, seven gold bracelets, 14
rings, a brooch, a pair of gold ear-rings, and several other
articles. He gave information to the police as to the rob-
bery which had been committed.

Edmund White, police-sergeant 16 D, said, from infor-
mation he received on the 15th of January, he went in
search of the prisoner Harding, and on the 20 h he met him
in company with Cooper at Notting-hill. He followed them
to No. 7, The Mall, Kensington. He was accompanied by
police-constable Isaacson. Both the prisoners went into
the house. Witness and Isaacson entered the house, when
Cooper met them at the door on the first floor and asked
witness what he wanted, He told him that he was a police-
sergeant, and that he wanted some one who had just entered
the house with him. He thereupon began to move about,
when witness pushed by him and went into the room.
Harding was sitting on a chair near the fire-place. Wit-
ness went up to him and said, " Joe, I want you on sus-
picion of being the person who absconded from Mr. Bain-
bridge's on Wednesday, stealing a quantity of jewellery."
He said, " You are mistaken ; I know nothing about it."
Cooper had hold of the handle of the door, when Isaacson
pushed him from the door, and Cooper put his hand into
his right hand pocket and pulled out a gold bracelet, which
he threw to the opposite side of the bed. Isaacson then
took hold of Cooper, upon which Cooper seized Isaacson by
the throat, and said, "I'll choke you, you -, if youdon't
leave go," Witness wer..t over to Cooper with his staff,
which he threatened to use if he did not leave go of the
constable. Cooper's wife and two or three others in the
room begged of him to leave go, and witness was about to
strike him when he said, "If you don't strike me I'll leave
go," and he did so and sat down. Witness turned round and
saw the window open, with Harding on the balcony, just in
the act of putting one leg over it. He seized him by the
collar and said, "If you attempt to move an inch I'll kill
you." He said, "Pray don't hit me, and I'll go in and
remain quiet." Further assistance arrived, and witness
searched the room. He told the prisoners that he was
going to search their persons to see if they any of the
property that was stolen in Cumberland-street. He
said, " Well, what I have about me don't belong to me."
In his waistcoat pocket witness found a gold watch and
a piece of chain, another part of a gold chain, a set of
gold studs, and two purses, containing upwards of £34.
He then searched Cooper, but found nothing relating
to the case upon him. He afterwards searched the
room, and under the bed he found a leather portmanteau,
with a small box inside containing a suit of plain clothes,
which Mr. Bainbridge identified as belonging to his son.
They were both taken to the station-house, and charged
with stealing this property. Harding then said, "It's all
right, it is their clothes; I made a mistake and put on the
wrong ones."

Mary Ann Jones said she was housemaid in the service
of Mr, Griffiths, Crown-lane, Streatham, and knew the
prisoner Cooper. He was in her master's service on the 20th
Dec. last as footman, and remained until Thursday, Jan.
20. He passed by the name of Martin. On the evening of
Jan. 19 Harding came, and Cooper saw him iu the kitchen
for a few minutes, and then they went together into Cooper's
room. She saw no more of Harding. The next morning
Cooper showed her a watch so small that a shilling would
cover it. Witness put a shilling on the watch and it covered
it. A square locket was attached to the watch. He said he
was going to send it into the country that day. He left that
morning a little before 11, and said he would be home to
dinner at 6, bat he did not return. He showed her a loose
diamond some days before.
Thos. Tingey, assistant to Mr. Chapman, pawnbroker,
High-street, Kensington, produced a signet ring, pledged
on Jan. 15 for 3s. by the prisoner Harding.
Geo. White, assistant to Mr. Wells, High-street, Ken-
sington, pawnbroker, said on Jan. 16 he received the pencil-
cases in pledge, and on Jan, 19 a piece of gold chain. Hard-
ing pledged the chain.
The prosecutor, Mr. Bainbridge, was recalled, and said
among the articles lost was a very small watch, which was
the exact size of a sovereign. A shilling would cover it
well. There was a vinaigrette and some " charms" attached
to it; it had a silver face and black figures, and belonged to
Mrs. Bainbridge. The ring produced by the witness Tin-
gey belonged to him. Mrs. Bainbridge also had pencil-cases
like those produced.
Geo. Isaacson, police•censtable 264 D, corroborated the
evidence of Sergeant White as to the assault committed
- - - - -

Sergeant White was reealled and said, after the appre-
hension of the prisoners he went to a place in Hampshire,
and there saw a woman passing by the name of Cooper,
Ho received from her a letter addressed to her. It bore the
postmark of having left London on the 19th of January.
The letter said " Joe has left his crib, and has taken away
the jewel-case and three gold watches. If this goes all right
I shall have some money. I hope they will not catch him.

Be sure and burn this piece of paper."
Mr. Kemp then addressed the jury for the prisoner Har-
ding, and contended that ho was a young man and was
really the victim of Cooper, who had been accustomed to
this sort of thing, and had got into situations by the means
of false characters.
Mr. Sleigh having addressed the jury on behalf of Cooper
The Assistant-Judge carefully summed up the evidence.
The jury found the prisoners guilty.
In answer to questions from the Assistant-Judge,
Sergeant White said that for three or four years the pri-
soners had been acting together, but there had been the
greatest difficulty in obtaining a conviction against either
of them, in consequence of their continually changing their
names, Harding going by the names of " Joe Taylor,"
" Wallis," and " Country Joe." Cooper went by the
names of " Munday," " Martin," and numerous other
aliases; and the robberies which they conjointly committed
were not discovered until after they had left the situations
which they obtained by the means of false characters.
Mr. J. S. Brooking one of the magistrates on the bench,

said that Cooper obtained a situation in his establishment
by means of a false character in 1857, and robbed him of
property to a considerable amount ; but ho was unable to
obtain sufficient evidence to convict him, although he had
no doubt whatever as to his guilt.
Several other gentlemen, including Mr. GI iffitlas, of
Streatham, and Mr. Plummer,of Gloucester-gerdens,Hyde-
park, also stated that the prisoner Cooper had got into their
service by means of false characters, and in every case his
employment hadbeenfollowedby robberies to a considerable
amount.

Mr. Western Wood, M.P. for the City, who was also on
the bench, said that I-larding was in his service in October
last, and after robbing him to a considerable amount had
absconded. A warrant was obtained for his apprehension,
but the officer who held it had been unable to find him.
The Assistant-Judge said the public were greatly in-
debted to Sergeant White for bringing these two men to
justice, who had escaped for many years. With the concur-
rence of the whole of the magistrates on the bench they
wished to mark their sense of the way in which they esti-
mated his conduct, by ordering that he should be paid a
reward of £5. (This announcement of the learned Assistan-
t was warmly applauded by the magistrates.) The
sentence of the Court upon Cooper was that he be kept in
penal servitude for 14 years, and Harding for 10 years.
The prisoners having been removed,

The Assistant-Judge said he hoped that this case would
be the means of putting the public on their guard in
respect to characters given to persons applying to them for
situations. In no instance ought they to receive a written
character without writing either to the clergyman of the
parish or to the police authorities to ascertain the truth of
the statements contained.

George Mnsselbrook, 19, was indicted for stealing two
gold-headed canes and other articles, value £5O, the property
of Christopher Knight Watson, his master and employer,
The prisoner pleaded guilty.

The prosecutor is the secretary to the Society of Anti-
quaries, who hold their meetings and carry on their busi-
ness at Somerset-house, and the prisoner was in his employ
as footman from the month of December, 1861, until
October, 1862, when he went away. About the beginning
of January two gold-headed canes, a snuff .box, a miniature,
and a gold medal were missed. Information of the loss was
given to the police, and the prisoner was apprehended by
William Ackrill, police-constable 48 F, at the East India
Club in St. James's square, where he was then employed.
On being accused of the robbery, he said that he had taken
the articles, that he had burnt the canes and broken up one
of the knobs, which he had sold at a shop in Wardour-
street, Soho. He also said that he had taken the snuff-box,
gold medal, and rings, and sold thew at the same shop. At
the station-house the prisoner said ho had sold the gold
medal for £2 or £3, but the various articles stolen were
valued at upwards of £5O.
The Assistant-Judge ordered the prosecutor to stand for-
ward.
Mr. 1i atson then got into the witness .box. He said he
thought the conduct of the shopkeeper in Wardour-street
was most extraordinary, in purchasing articles of such value
from a boy whom he did not know, and without making
more inquiries about them. Among them was a medal pre-
sented to his (prosecutor's) grandfather, Bishop Watson, by
the Royal Agricultural Society, in 1807, for his improve-
ments in reclaiming waste lands. There was also a minia-
ture portrait of Bishop "Watson, with several other valuable
articles, but few traces of them were to be found.
The Assistant-Judge ordered the shopkeeper's assistant
in Wardour-street to be called.
John Blundell said he was foreman to John Hearn, of
3, Wardour-street, Soho, gold arid silver refiner. He ma-
naged his business and bought gold and silver, which were
melted down. He made entries of what he purchased, and
on looking at the entry under the date of Juno 26, 1862, he
• found that he had purchased a quantity of gold from a per-