The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 1861

GREAT FIRE IN THE CITY.

On Friday night a fire broke out in a part of the city
4zouTslhye estimated
property nio f
densely crowded with warehouses, which. in a few hours
tdheest rwohyoedlepartofpreorm z
property andlo n 3 ar
0
,00
one firm alone which has been consumed was insured at
nearly £40,000, and that is said to be hardly equal to the
eoreh to Ldlissoe,o variously
loss they have sustained. Others have suffered to a greater
or less extent. The fire occurred in a block of buildings
used exclusively for warehousing purposes, and situated be- '
tween Wood-street and Milk-street in one direction, and
between Clement's•court and Feathers-alley in another.
The locality abuts upon what used to be the it of the old
City Compter, and some of the property which perished in
the conflagration is said h have been once used as a resi-
dence by Judge Jeffreys. It was chiefly occupied by Messrs.
Grant, umbrella and parasol manufacturers, Messrs. J. and
It. Morley, as a shirt factory, Mr. A. S. Henry and Co.,
Mr. William Gibson, and Mr. J. F. Bunting, warehouse-
men. The various places were mostly divided by thin
party walls, which in modern times hr.d been run up for
purposes of business or convenience, and which would not
be tolerated under the stringent building regulations of the
present day. Thick walls of great thickness, which appear
to have most withstood the rage of the fire end prevented
Its spreading, are left standing, and some of them are said
to have survived the Fire of London. On the ground floor
Mr. Bunting had a small offic!, or warehouse, and there the
f,.e originated according to the prevailing opinion. His
warehouse, end the far more extensive one of Messrs. Mor-
ley, which was also on the ground floor, were die ick 3 by a
slender partition wall, which the fire soon destroyed end
then spread in other directions. The upper part of the
premises over those of Messrs. Morley were occupied by
Messrs. Grant, end had an entrance from Clemenes.coret•
which was also common to the warehouses of Mr. Bunt-
ing, Messrs, Henry, and Mr. Gibson. The first se mp•
toms of the fire were discovered by Peter Grant, a young
man in the service of Messrs. Grant, but no relation to them.
He and two women servants were left in charge of the pro-
mises of Messrs. Grant at night, and at about half-past 10 on
the evening of Friday he came down stairs,es was his cus-
tom, to fasten the str-et door. On the way he felt a strong
smell of fires and on reaching the passage on the basement,
finding it filled with smoke, he celled in a polio-men. A
message brought Inspector Foulger forthwith from the Bow-
lane police-station and a fireman from the headquarters of
the London Fire Brigade in Watling-atreet. Smoke was
then seen oozing from crevices in the door of Mr. Bunting,
and the fireman jocosely said if he had a bucket of water he
would put out the fire wherever it was. The door wen broken
in, and, though the place WPI of smoke, the inspector
and the firemen at fi-st searched it in vain for fire. While
they were so engaged the heated smoke seemed to break
into flame spontaneously, and the whole place was speedily
in a bleu. The fire spread first into the warehouses of
Messrs. Morley, and then into the premises above. By the
aid of the telegraph 13 engines, six of which were steam
fi,e-engines, including that of Mr. Hodges, were brought
to the spot. There was en abrndant supply of water, and
they played upon the burn ng mass both from Milk-street
and IV ood-street. The current of air in Clement's-court and
Feathers-alley served to fan the flame, but by about 2 o'clock
the engines had obtained the mastery over the fire, though
it was not wholly quenched until some horrs elerwe.rds.
One after another the floors and parts of the burning roof
fell with a noise resembling a discharge of ardllety, end
alarmed the whole neighbourhood. A great crowd col
lected about the spot and a strong body of police was pre-
sent to keep order. For unately, no lives were loot, though
the two women servants of Melsrs. Grunt had.a nsr:ow
escape. In the erection of this party wall between the office
of Mr. Bunting and the warehouse of Messrs. Morley, had
the mode of construction bcen adopted which is now in-
sisted upon under the compulsion of an Act of Parliament,
the fire in all probability would have been confined to the
small room in which it oziglna.c3, considering that there
was plenty of water readily available, that the lad Gram
had early discovered the existence of the fire by the smoke
before any misct !et had bon done, and that the premis2s
which were afterwards destroyed were detached from ad-
jacent property by Clement's-cow. t. As it is, two out of
four of Melsrs. Grant's warehouses, the shirt factory of
Mehra. Morley, and the warehouses of Mr-ars. Henry, Mr.
Gibson, and Mr. Bunting have been completely destroyed,
with all that they contained, and several of the adjacent
buildings scented or otherwise injured. The principal
sufferers appear to be the Messrs. Grant and Messrs. Morley,
the former of whom, directly and indirectly, gave constant
employment to a large number of p- Tie, who Rill now for
some time to come be thrown out of work.

the morning of the 18th Eares, who was under-keeper to
Mr. Fountain, saw a man in a field, not belonging to his mas-
ter, pick up a brace of partridges which he had just shot.
On going up to him to take away the birds he asked hi

his name, when he gave him a name which turned out to be
a false one. He reused, however, t 3 give up his gun, upon
which the prosecutor Eares tuned his back to the prisoner,
who struck him instantly on the shoulder, causing him to
drop his gun (a double •barrelled one), and, after striking
him while on the ground severel times, the prisoner caught
up the keeper's gun, put it to his shoulder, end fired it at
him, with such restilts as are best told by the prosecutor's
own words.

Thomas Eares, after detailing the accounts of his finding
tha prisoner running aster a brace of partridges which he
had shot with a single-barrelled gun in his possession, and
getting f',.om him the birds and a statement that he was one
of George Brrton's sons, went on to tell the facts just
narrated, end said that when the prisoner put his gun to
his shoulder he took aim at him, being then about five
yards off, fired, end hit hint in the head. (The pro-
secutar, who wes still suffering from the effects of the
wounds, appeo-ed in Col—t W :th his head bound up in
a handkerchief.) I: wes fig it enough for the prosecutor t-)
see the person distinctly, so P 9 to identity him, and leave no
doubt in his mind that prisoner wee the man. After firing
the gun the prisoner took it awry a ith him. So severe were
the hurts that the prosecutor had gre -It difficulty in walking
towards home, end as he was making his way home he was
met by a man named Curtis, who ti,d up his head, put him
into his call, and drove him to Mr. Fountain's head keeper.
Earn admitted on cross. examination that his gun might
have been cocked when it was Hocked from his heads.
Two witnesses were then called,who deposed to having seen
the prisoner that morning, about 7 o'clock, tunring away
from the plan where the attack wrs made, to one of whom
he said with a fiurricd me"ner, "Don't you say a word,"
end by this witness he was seen to be funning and looking
back. A Mrs. Grc3nwood, who livid nearly opposite the
pileoner, spoke to his having gone past her window about
the time in question, coming from the direction of the pace
above referred to, ereqscd in a dark slop and clerk trousers,
and wearing a cap. Another witness, who had gone into a
public house in the neighbourhood about a quarter to 1 in
the aaelnoon of the day of the event--e Sunday the 18th of
October, said he saw the prisoner there at that time. who
asked him whether he had beard the" rout out" that morn-
ing, end on his replying " No," the prisoner said he had
heard a keeperhad b-3n knocked about, and likewise a gun
taken from him, and if he (the a itness) would go with him
he wou'd show him where it wes, for if they went and got it
they might sell it. A young MPII named Lake proved thedis-
covery of the gun, hid in a fence, bounding a piece of grass,
and near Wes, acre-road, which is clew° the field where
the partridges were Pled ; while the suuerintendent of po-
lice, Mr. Larnbey, who took the prisoner to the prosecutor's
house, by whom he was identifiet hiving just previously
taken enother mat named Burton, under the supposition
that he was the criminal, but who wrs not identified by
Bares, wes enlled to speak to a statement of the pr'sone..'s,
in which he arid that he went to bed between 11 rnd 12
on Saturday night, and did not get up till between seven
and 8 the next morning, when he went with his father end
brother up the Lynn-road. The sr-geon's eNidenc3 was to
the effect that there NV/9 a wound on Eare's head about three
inches long end two aide, the sc-lp being tors off the bone,
which wrs leid byre; that the bone wrs f...eetur- 1, end
marked by the passage of two or three she's, and that there
were wounds on the left shoulder es well. But of ail the
evidence "io most remarkable was that of a men named
Crisp, who profess:: 1 to have been actuate(' simply by the
wish to have justice done, and who, there ore, had told his
stay to the polic-men since the h--...!ng by the magistrates.
He said, "I am a drover, end live about the r )rne.y. On
the 18th October I saw the p:'-toner, who came tome about
a quarter pest nine, and put his arm round my neck, saying
I have got in`o a mess." What sort of a eno,.s,' slid I. I
have bc,n shooting some birds,' said he. Have got them
I said. 'No, I gave them to the keeper, who asked me for
my gun, which I relsed to part with, when I hit him
with it end broke it into pi ces, and then took the keeper's
gun end shot him with it.' He then went on to say, I
have hid the gun, but I have it, and I thirk it will fetch us
two pounds.' Oh, lad, lad said I, you won't have the
opportunity; you'll be took before the day is out; I won't
have anything 'o do with it for 20 sovereigns.'" It is
needless to say that shin 'tncls was severely handled in
cross-examination by Mr. Bulwor, end that 'hat cross-ex-
amination did not tend to raise him in the estimation of the
audience,

Mr. Duliver, i 1 h's address 'a the jnly, pressed two
poin,s upon their attention—the first, which was not so im-
portant as the other, 'beng whetb Er the prisoner was the
man who committed the assault; the second being that, it
this were: ), was the can fi-ed with the intention of *:10.3g
life ? The first point, he said, was a question of identity.
resting on the testimony of Bares, the prosecutor, and
as to *Hs the lenned counsel urged that under the circum-
sta aces of the trinsacion end at the time spcc'fi:d it might
be fa4.rly presumed that he would not take a veldt accurate
notice cf the person attacking him. He reminded the jury
that there was a variance in the d,s-,etiptioa given by the
witnesses of the prisoner's dress, and that though the pro-

secutor said the prisoner had gone away with the guns, none
of the w itucsses saw him with one. As to the intention,
eeid Mr. Bulwer, all the facts show that the inference is
that the shot wes entirely at eiden'el, a view borne out by
the piosccutor's evidence. He bagg• I the jr y not to p..y
the slightest attention t i such a fellow as the men Crisp,
whose evidence was an afterthought, end given, not to the
mag:sirates, but privately to a policeman, end reminded
them of the terrible consequence to the prisoner of a verdict
of guiltyofwmoeun_dZgowf
the murder.ithiettweontrtoountson
on
His Lordship began his summing up with explaining to
which the pri-
stheejr wasury the
indict d, red then, aster rereerking that though
the piisoner'e counsel had properly enough said that Earee's
evidence, under the circums'ences, wee not such as to be
entirely relied on, yet it was evidence that they, the juty,
wee to judge of, reminding them that he had said he was in
such en attrtude that he could not see who the man was.
Hie lordship then went through the whole of the evidence
in det til, treating with bcora the testimony of Crisp, whose
conduct ho drsc ibed es to intffebly bare that it would be
better to by this case without it ff. possible; and that as it
was not given bef(oareratohdeejouretpicrzer:ddintgahoebnve.zialyinvette3pbriei:
fsc?rnoelth4BeiPwrcisseenpcieisoners carnet know who they are going to
incet, end what they may have t'• oppose), but privately to
a policemen, it had baler be excluded. His lordship then
noticede on or two slight variances of time rad dress, reading
end commenting on that part of the evidence, drew particu-
lar attention to the acceent given by the piisoner to the
super.ntendent of police of how he had spent his time the
night before the and with reference to the wounding
said....As to this, there cannot be arty doubt that a wound
was inflicted :
itrhae
wquan3lui on
stlhn,;esoi:3
n, wBiutnh, wwhhai
et
hi nhteer;tnowwass
tiot
bdeonloeadedN, eonwd, deliberately aims end fires it, there is no doubt
about the intention; but if he picks up another man's girl,
not knowing whether it le leaded or not., end pulls the
trigger, it is for the ju,y to say how for they think these
was an intention to kill. To convict on the first count„
you must be sati.fiA that t'ae WP3 fired with the intent
to murder—if not, you must then consider whether it was
done v. ith the intent to do g cievav s be lily harm--but if you
think the prisoner was the man, but that ho did not intend
to murler or to do grievous bodily harm, then you must
convict him of unlaw_ally wounding.
Aft:er a few minus'' eeliberation the ju-y found the pri-
soner guilty of wounding with intent
.t t do grievous bony
herrn.
His lordship, in noticing the base and cowardly nature
of this att -Lek, made uron a Iran who, so i'rom piovokireg
any violence, was going away from the prisoner, and that
for the mere offence of reaching where there wits no vio-
lence the punishment wits rsually slight, but that it was
high time to put a stop to such Bets of violence as this
by awarding he .vy punishment. If the jury had found
the prisoner guilty of wounding with intent to murder, the
punishment would have b- en penal servi,ude for life ; as it
wax, the sentene 3 would be 15 yeers' pencil iervitude.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—LivEnOOOL, Deo. 19.
CIVIL COURT.
(Before Mr. Juetica Williams and Special Juries.)
THOMAS V. Pin.
This errs rn action t ) re :over damages for false imprison-
ment of the plaintiff by g:vie; him in:3 custody upon a
charge of felony, end (ilea for bre..king open his bases and
conveying
his gocds. The plus were a juKificat:on on the
ground that a felony had 1):- committ -1, and that defeu-
dant had reasonable g.ound to suspect the plaintiff of the
felony, rid that the pods were concealed in his Loxes.
There wig also a denauteer to the pk 's.
Mr. Brett, Q.C., and Mr. R. G. Williams were for the
plaintiff; and the Attorney-General, Mr. James, Q.C., and
Mr. Potter were for the plaintiff.
The plaintiff ~es waster of the balk Premier, and defen-
dant is ebip's hribend of the same v- esel, rnd uncle to the
()weer. The vusel had just a•:.ivcd at Plymouth from Ha-
vennah, when defendant came on board and handed plaintiff
a letter irom the owner discharging him from his post, al-
leging as reeeon that he had received money from the con-
signees without autholl;,y. Defendant then t !ok possession
of the cabin and °vet., thing h it, ordering plaintiff to leave
the ship inst7ntly, end not allowing him to take away his
clothes or any other property belonging him. The following
day plaintiff went on bored end obtained his clothes rid
other property, but his wilting disk end a tin box were de-
tained on the allega'.:on that they contain" 1 uropeity be-
longing to the ship. IA the desk were plaintiff's certificate
from the Board of Trade of eimpetcncy for a foreign-
going chip, some L2O in money, and other property. The
nest mot .iing defendant went to the het 1 where plaintiff
was staying, taking a policemen Ni ith him. Ile told plaintiff
that the cabin had b:eu broken open dutlng the night, and
the desk and box containing the ship's papers stolen, and
that he sun): etc:d pieintiff of having done it. He then in.
sieted on searching h's boxee for the missing articies. The
police officer refiteed to search v• pla'nliff were given
in charge,whereupon defendant charged him with the felony.
Nothing was found upon the search, and plaintiff was then
taken to the police-office, where the charge errs abandonf 1
The case for the defendant wee that the cabin window
had been broken open in the night and the things taken;
and, as plaintiff was most interested in the possession of
them, there was reasonable ground for suspecting him. With
respect to tb.o loss of the certificate, it was urged that he

was not thereby deprived of his living, as, under the Mer-
chant Shipping Act, it might if lost be renewed upon ap-
plication to the Board of Trade.
His Lordship commented upon the extraordinary cir-
cumstances of the case and the difficulty there was in sup-
posing a felony had actually been committed, and left it to
the jury to decide in the first place whether defendant had
made out that fact w:th reasonable certainty.

The jury found there had been no felony committed.

His Lordship then addressed them on the subject of da-
mages, directing them to assess the damages under the
different heads separately, with a view to the ulterisr pro-
ceedings.
The jury fixed the damages at £lOO for the false impri-
sonment, £25 far the money and other goods, and £5 for
the loss of the certificate