The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-16 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

NEGLIGENCE OF
RAILWAY SERVANT.--Thomas Swift was brought before
Alderman Hunter upon the charge of " having,"
ac-
cording to the words of the police-sheet, "improperly
put the break on the wheels of the carriages of the
Blackwall Railway while in motion between Blackwall
and London."
Mr. Tyerman of the firm of Hollingworth, Tyerman,
and Johnston, of Gresham-street, solicitors to the Lon-
don and Blackwall Railway Company, appeared for the
prosecution. No charge of such offence had, it was
stated, been ever before brought before a magistrate.
Mr. Tyerman said he appeared on behalf of the com-
pany to establish a charge of a very serious nature, inas-
much as the lives of a great number of persons were
placed in jeopardy by the extraordinary act of the defen-
dant, who was wholly unknown to those who had the
care and superintendence of the line. The prosecution
was undertaken upon the 15th section of the 3d and 4th
Victoria, cap. 97, which said :—" And be it enacted,
that from and after the passing of this act, every person
-who shall -wilfully do, or cause to be done, anything in
such manner as to obstruct any engine or carriage using
any railway, or to endanger the safety of persons con-
veyed in or upon the same, or shall aid or assist therein,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and being convicted
thereof shall be liable, at the discretion of the court be-
fore which he shall have been convicted, to be impri-
soned, with or without hard labour, for any time not
exceeding two years."
Thomas Penny, under-guard to a train of the London
and Blackwall Railway Company, said—l was in the
train which left Blackwall yesterday evening at twenty
minutes before seven o'clock. When we got to Shad.
well we found that the defendant was in one of the
break carriages. No passengers were allowed in that
carriage at all. It is used only for the purpose of stop-
ping the train, or impeding its rirogreAs. • I usually ride
in it. Sometimes Igo alone in it. I was last night in
one of the break carriages without any fellow-servant to
assist me. There was a carriage between that in which pri-
soner was and that in which I was. About a quarter
of a mile from the Fenchurch-street terminus I saw the
break of the carriage was on in which he was, but I did
not see him put it on. It continued on about about
forty yards. He took the break off before we came to
Leman-street. I saw the wheels strike fire along the
middle of the carriage. He did not seem to me to be
sober when we got to London. There is no station be-
tween Shadwell and London. I had not the control over
the train. The guard who had the control was in front
of me.
Alderman Hunter : Were there no means of commu-
nication between you and the guard ?
Witness : No.
Alderman Hunter : What did you do when you saw
that the break was put on ?
Witness : I did not do anything. If we had stopped
the train when he had put on the break, some accident
He put on the break again be-
might have happened.
fore we came to the Minories station, and kept it on till
we came to the London station. I then asked him what
he had been doing, and told him he was quite wrong.
He said he was not, and I took him to the guard in
front of the train, and mentioned what be had been
doing. The defendant said he had not touched the
break all the way along. lam sure the break was put
on three times. The speed of the train was impeded
by it. George Thornton, a servant to the North Lon-
don Railway Company, was in the break carriage in
which the defendant was. The defendant told us that
he got in the carriage at Limehouse.
George Thornton said—l am in the employment of the
North London Railway Company, which joins at Step-
ney the Blackwall Railway. I got on the break last
night at 20 minutes to seven at the Shadwell station to
come to the Fenchurch station. I always do so. The
defendent was on the break when I got on. He said to
me, "Are you going to London ?" I said I was. He
appeared to be a little intoxicated. There is no seat
in the break, and he was obliged to stand, and he had
hold of the break, so I did not know whether he was
able to walk. I thought that he was a servant to the
Blackwall Railway Company, and that he knew what
he was about. I saw him put the break down three
times.
Alderman Hunter—Did you say anything to him
when you saw him put down the break ?
Witness--No ; I had nothing to do with it, and had
no talk with him. He stopped the speed of the train.
As my train concluded at the terminus, I jumped off,
and left the place. I did not see him in custody. I saw
him turn the screw of the break three times during the
journey.
John Young—l am the guard to the London and
Blackwall Railway, and left Blackwall last night in the
train at the hour above stated. I was in the next car-
riage to the engine, and before going into the terminus
I found the train slacken its speed more than it ought.
The first witness brought the defendant to me, as he
thought I would blame him on account of the check to
the speed, and,said the defendant had put on 'the break
three times between Shadwell and London. I direr ecf
him to give the defendant into custody. The defendant
said he was very sorry if he had done anything wrong.
The carriage in which the defendant was, was a flat one,
and the break works with a screw, which is turned
round. It is unnecessary to turn the screw several
times before the break could act upon the wheel. What
the defendant did could not have been accidentally done.
He is a complete stranger to me, and had no authority
at all to be upon that break. Ido not know where he
got on. I could not get from my position on the train
to the lower part of it.
Alderman Hunter—According to the rules of the
company, would he be admitted into one of the breaks
if the public carriages were all full?
Witness—He would be allowed in such a case to go
in the break carriage.
Alderman Hunter—Was the train a full one?
Witness—lt was a very good train, but it was not
full. There was plenty of room. There were about
200 passengers. The defendant was decidedly tipsy.
He did not say what class passenger he was. If I had
seen him I would most likely have prevented him froM
going, or removed him. The ticket would be delivered
to the porter at the station where he got in.
Alderman Hunter—lf an accident had occurred, fifty
or silty persons might have lost their lives. Well, de-
fendflit, who and what are you ?
The defendant--I am a fitter in a steam-boat engine
works, and was in Messrs. Scott Russell's employment
up to the time of the fire. I see now that I was wrong
in doing what I have done, and I am very sorry for it.
Mr. Tyerman—On behalf of the Blackwall Railway,
Company, I call upon the magistrate to commit the pri-
soner for trial on this very serious charge, instead of
proceeding to summary conviction.
Alderman Hunter—lt is my duty to commit the de-
fendant for trial. I shall be at all times ready to do all
in my power to prevent the recurrence of the calamitous
accidents to which the public have been unfortunately
for a considerable time subjected.
The defendant was committed for trial.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET. —ROBBING AN Aus-
TRALIAN GOLD DIGGER.--Mary Keighley was brought
up for further examination, charged with having in her
possession 1501. in bank notes, supposed to have been
stolen.

The owner of the notes came forward and claimed
them. It turned out that he was not a sailor, as sup-
posed, but a labouring man, named Thomas Hollis.
When questioned by Mr. Leadley, the chief clerk, as to
the possession of such a considerable sum of money, he
said he had been to the diggings in Australia ; he had
been successful, and had embarked at Port Philip with a
draft on the Bank of Australia in exchange for his gold
dust. When he got to London he changed his draft for
notes ; and the two notes ; one for 1001. and the other
for 501., were part of the money be received. He had
the number of the notes, and other proofs in corrobora-
tion of his statement. He did not know how he lost his
pocket-book ; all he knew about the matter was, that on
Tuesday last he fell in with the prisoner, who told him a
pitiful tale of distress and hunger. Me treated her to
food and drink, and about nine o'clock be accompanied
her into the park. He left her shortly afterwards, and
in a few minutes he missed his pocket-book. The
r Icl,"-book produced was his property. He had paid
V..„n
n
for his Passage out to Australia, and the vessel was to
'" the 20th, therefore be could not without great
inconvenienceagi stop in England to prosecute.
ou the 2 Strafe,, ndin fig that the sessions commenced
by the police f
lorree the
ed that the money should be retained
not sail on the 20
t , present, as in case the vessel did
b
felony. prisoner could be tried for the

John M
Sheehan, Z
ARYLEBONE.___---- •
an IrishinanFlLTllY LODGING -HOUSE.
York-court, East-street, gfil:rening a lodging-house in
Mr. Long, on a summons-tvlane, appeared before
against him by Mr. Humphreys, had been obtained
under the Lodging-house ,asrreinspt appointed
than allowed by the said act, alsoceZi in bg more lodgers
place to be in such a filthy conditionit— suffering his
any human being to live in. as to be unfit for
Inspector Price, of the A division, stated that
6th ult., he, accompanied by two officers, exart On the
house, and found it in a most disgusting staten•l the
without any back-yard ; the water-closet, whidi, 'lna
in the kitchen, was without a trap ; the kitchen wa:
unpaved, and covered with filth to some depth, which
sent a dreadful effluvia throughout the premises. The
house had been subsequently visited by witness and the
other officers, but no alteration had been effected. On
the previous day (Wednesday) three cases of cholera
were reported as being in the house, and on witness
proceeding once more to defendant's residence, he ascer-
tained that a young man, named James Cronin, was
lying dead of cholera, and two other men, named Wil-
lianilCronin (father and son), were dangerously ill of the
same dreadful malady. He had them at once conveyed
to the Marylebone Infirmary, and the deceased man was
taken to the dead-house of the same institution. Wit-
ness warned the landlord, and on going to the house
that morning, he observed that it was undergoing a
thorough cleansing. The kitchen had been paved, and
the drains connected with the common sewer had been
pipe laid. The court in which defendant lives is densely
inhabited by the lower orders of Irish, and upon one
occasion
. no fewer than six persons were found sleeping
m a room fit to a .
,‘,.,. . ccornmodatc but one.
Mr. vie ilharns again • for •
order applied an adjournment, in
to allow the Ilndl •
wag desirous of ' 'ord tune to comply fully, as he
ivlr. Long granted doing,
a with the provisions of the act. 1
n adjournment for a week.

-----
WESTMINSTEtt.—STRIKE OF LAMPLIGHTERS. —A
number of lamplighters, late in the employment of the
Equitable Gas Company, appeared in answer to sum-
monses obtained against them at the instance of the di-
rectors, charging " that they, being persons contracting
to serve the Equitable Gas Light ompany, for a cer-
time, to wit, for a week from the 27th ult., and
tain
having commenced such service, did on the 29th ult. un-