The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-10 00:00:00

did not give them up, then to bring an action for their re-
covery or value in the County Court.
Inspector Fyfe, G Division, said that two girls, who had
run away from home, and were leading a dissolute life in
London, were found by their parents lodging in the defend-
ant's house, and were taken away from there.
The defendant some years since was several times re-
manded at this court on a charge of committing a mur-
derous assault on her servant, a girl she had taken from the
Islington Workhouse.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS—Sept. 9.

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Lord-
ship'sr e r
Hfirestiknttryctahscee sitting(
before the
attention to a case which was tried yesterday--that of
He was compelled to go away before the case was concluded,
but h e found it reported that Mr. Sleigh had made some re-
flections upon him in putting the prisoner forward as a re-
spectable man, but he could assure his Lordship that up to
the time he read the report in the paper he had no idea
whatever but that the prisoner was a person of good cha-
racter, nor was he aware of the previous French convictions.
As to his having reflected upon the conduct of the prose-
cutor, that was done in consequence of the instructions re-
ceived by the attorney who instructed him, and from the
prisoner, and he should always deem it his duty and should
adhere to his practice of putting the prisoner's case as
strongly as he could before the jury, leaving them to be the
judges of the facts.
Mr. Besley said only a fewmoments since he had spoken
to Mr. Sleigh, and he could say that throughout he guarded
himself against attaching any imputation. to Mr. Metcalfe
that he was aware of the prisoner's previous character.
Mr. Metcalfe said he knew nothing of any previous con-
viction.
Mr. Sergeant Gaselee said he did not for one moment
mean to say that Mr. Metcalfe did know of the previous
convictions- Of that he was quite certain, and after the
explanation of Mr. Besley it really seemed to him there was
no one to blame at all in the matter.
Edward Head was indicted for stealing a brooch, watch,
watchguard, shawls, tablecovers, blankets, sheets, and £2
Bs. 6d. in money, the property and moneys of Elijah Lane.
Mr. Bebley prosecuted ; Mr. Ribton defended 'be prisoner.
Elijah Lane, the prosecutor, was examined by Mr. Bes •
ley. He said—l am a cab proprietor, and live at 67, W ood-
chester-street, Harrow-road. I had known the prisoner
previous to the 18th July, having seen him at work with
other men at a building going on five or six houses off from
that I occupy. On the evening of the 17th July my wife
came home to my house, being accompanied by a woman
named Oakley. I refused to admit the woman Oakley, as
she was the worse for drink. My wife came into the house,
and afterwards went out again and did not return that
night. I did not see her at all on the 18th. I did not see
her again until the 24th August. Before the 18th July I
had some bed linen in the house, a watch and chain, stock-
ings, and other articles, but after the 18th July they ware
gone. About half the feathers were taken out of the bed,
and a great quantity of wearing apparel. Three boxes con-
taining various articles were taken away. All these things
had been taken away without my consent. It was several
weeks after this that I saw my wife again. I tried to find
out where she lived and followed her for about 16 miles,
when, being tired, I was obliged to give up the pursuit. I
gave directions to some person in reference to the prisoner,
and in consequence of what he told me I went to No. 32,
John-street, Tottenham-court-road. I watched the house
on two or three occasions to see if my wife went in there.
I went to this house on the 24th of August, about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon. I returned to it about 9 o'clock the same
night, when I went upstairs into a back attic. I found my
wife lying under the bed and the prisoner lying on it. I
there saw some of the property I had missed from my house
on the 18th of July. The first thing I saw was a box which
had been taken from my house, but the contents were gone.
I found three boxes in the room. One of the boxes the pri-
soner said belonged to him, which was locked, and he gave
the key of it to a policeman. In that box were found a silk
dress, a tablecover, and a number of articles that I cannot
now recollect, which belonged to me. The blanket, sheets,
counterpane, and pillow-cases on the bed I identified as my
property. I did not recover them. I have seen nothing of
my watch or chain since. The value of the property I lost
independent of my wife's wearing apparel, was about £lO.
Her wearing apparel was worth about £lO, as far as I am
able to judge.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ribton—My wife never left me
before for any length of time except to go into the country
to visit her friends. She never left my house before with •
out my consent. We were on good terms together, but
like other persons, we may have had a word or so, but no-
thing more. We never had any serious quarrel except
upon one occasion, when she came home the worse for
liquor.

Mr. Besley objected to such questions, as they did not go
to impeach the veracity of the witness.
Mr. Ribton said he had never heard such an objection in
the course of his experience in the criminal law, and he was
sure it would not have been taken by any counsel who
knew his business.
Mr. Besley said such observations applied to him were
most impertinent.
Mr. Sergeant Gazelee thought that such observations
ought not to be made.
Mr. Ribton—Then I will retract it. No one doubts
that Mr. Besley knows his business, in fact he knows too
much.

Cross. examination continued—My wife did not leave me
before. I knew that my wife went away upon one occasion,
but that was with my consent. I never desired her to leave
her home. On this occasion I did not tell her to go. I did
not say if she did so she might have her things. That aas
not very likely. I did not wear the watch I have lost
the
blankets by which I knew them. I bought the watch in
Oxford-street and also the chain. There were three con-
er
round
con-
stantly, and my wife sometimes wore it, perhaps once a
month. It was not her watch. Two of the boxes taken
away were used to keep clothes in, the other for articles used
in the house, such as tablecloths, counterpanes, &a. The
sheets, blankete, and counterpane I found on the bed I know
ftl 1-
belonged to me. I identified the sheets by the peculiar way
rh o pt
he
mark tlye. After they
letters r o
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I at c eee theythey
dw)
.e rhe
Therea hemmed.
d been
wm: marked as
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peculiarl: t
(Edwardliellftmy p
Head).
which
anti-
macassars taken, found in the box of which the
,prisoner
held the key, which I also identify as my property.
Sarah Ann Lane, daughter of the prosecutor, said her
mother was at home on the 171 July, but she went out and
remained out the whole of that night. On the 18th July
her mother came home about 11 o'clock, bringing the pri
Boner with her. Her mother packed two of the boxes, and
the prisoner packed and corded another, He was there
about a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes. He went away
before her mother with the boxes. Her mother then went
out, and she did not see her afterwards. Witness was in
the kitchen and heard a cast come up, and the boxes were
put into it. The things produced were packed that morning.
Cross-examined—l did not hear my mother ask the pri-
soner to cord the boxes, IWe up into the room and saw
the prisoner cording one of the boxes. There was no one
but my mother with the prisoner. I went upstairs when I
heard the prisoner come in. I have no recollection of my
mother leaving her home before. I never heard my father
tell her to leave and go away. Ai_
y father and mother had
no quarrel the night before, but my father would not allow
my mother to bring another woman into the house. My
mother then went out and stopped out all night. She came
on the following morning and began to pack up her clothes.
By the Court—l saw a donkey. cart come for the boxes,
and a young man was with it, but the man was not the pri-
soner.

Elijah Wheatley said he lodged with Mr. Lane. He had
not seen the prisoner before the 18th of July. He saw the
prisoner and Mrs. Lane near the Bishop's-road Station of
the Metropolitan Railway. He was carrying her shawl and
parasol on his arm. lle spoke to Mrs. Lane. Ho had seen
the prisoner on several occasions.

Cross-examined—He lodged with Mr. Lane for 6 months.
Mrs. Lane was out for two nights while he was there. Ho
asked her what she was doing, and to return to her home.
She said she would not. She never mentioned the name of
her husband.

Mary Ann Black said,—l keep the house No, 32, John-
street, Tottenham-court-road. The (prisoner cams to my
house about taking a room on the 20th or 21st of July. He

was accompanied by Mrs. Lane, whom he represented as his
wife. The woman said they wanted to come in immediately,
as they had been living with her sister, andishe had given
up housekeeping,
The next day they brought 4 or 5 boxes
in a cab, and the prisoner and the man took the boxes up-
stairs together. The blankets, sheets, and counterpane on
the bed did not belong to me.
Robert Grove, a cab proprietor, said on the 24th of
August he accompanied the prosecutor to a house, No. 32,
John-street, Tottenham-court-road, and went to the back
attic. He saw the prisoner lying on the bed. and Mrs.
Lane lying under the bed. The prisoner's first, words were
'‘ Go out of my room, or I will d— soon put you out. Wit-

ness asked the prosecutor if he had any knowledge of any-
thing that was in the room, and ho said the boxes in the

room belonged to him. He also said the blankets on the bed
were his. Mrs. Lane said they were not, and that they be-
longed to the landlady. He saw a box opened, out of which

ohe of the prosecutor's stockings was taken. The box was

locked, and the key of it came out of the prisoner's pocket.
___

Witness was sure that the box was locked. Witness said

to prosecutor, " Here is a box which we have not examined,
and it had better be opened."
John Baker, 42 E, police constable, said he went to No
32, Jolitt-s treet, To tten ham-court. road, with the prosecutor
and Mr. Grove. He saw the prisoner on the bed, and Mrs.
Line crawled from under it. He asked whom a box belonged
to, and the prisoner said it belonged to him. He took a key
from his pocket and the box was opened. In it were found
some articles which the prosecutor identified as belonging
to him, and a letter addressed to the prisoner from his wife,
whom he had sent down to Sidmouth, in Devonshire, with
her children. (In this letter, which was couched in affec-
tionate terms, she applied to the prisoner for money, as the
children were in want, and she had scarcely a bit of shoe to
her feet).

Mr. Itibton then addressed the jury for the prisoner, and,
after citing several oases which had been decided, contended
that no felony had been made out in this ease, so the wife