The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

said, "This is the way," pointing in another direc-
tion. "Thank you," he said, "I'll not trouble
you further," and we separated. I next saw him
again at the Bow-lane police-station, and identified
him from among many other persons. I could have
picked him out of a regiment. I stood on the boy's
right hand, about a yard or yard and a half from him
while I was in the bank. Ido not think any other
person was at that part of the counter but the pri-
soner and the boy. I noticed the boy intent upon
counting his money as I went into the bank, and
while I was there no other person except the pri-
soner Weston and myself was near him.
Cross-examined—The boy was counting silver
when I entered the bank. I did not see his bag of
gold. I had not observed the prisoner come in. I
was writing a cheque at the counter.
Mr. John James Goodchild, of 239, Shoreditch,
was next called. He said—On Tuesday week,
about half-past three o'clock, I stopped to speak to
a friend outside the bank of Messrs. Smith, Payne,
and Co. I observed the prisoner Harper standing
within a yard of us. I took my friend into the
bank, having a little business to transact there, and
as we went in I said to him, " Hand me over the
money." I afterwards left the bank with him, hut
before leaving he handed to me a bag containing
one £3OO Bank of England note, another for £lOO,
and some smaller notes and gold. From Smith,
Payne and Co.'s, we went to Masterman's bank, in
Nicholas-lane, without calling anywhere. There I
had to take up a bill, and for that purpose I took the
bag from my pocket, and emptied the whole of the
notes and gold upon the counter, near a desk farthest
but one from the entrance to the bank. Two or three
people were inside the counter, but outside, where I
stood, there was no one. The bill I had to pay was
£145, and I was counting some notes and gold for
that purpose. As I did so a man touched me
rather rudely on the right shoulder. Thinking
it was a friend, I turned sharply round, and
saw the prisoner Weston close to me on
my right side. In his right hand ho held a
piece of paper, and his left appeared to be placed
behind him. He asked in a somewhat foreign
tone if I could tell him where he could change
a draught. I felt irritated, and said "At the
next desk." I looked at my money, and found the
£lOO note missing. I counted the notes over again,
and looked in the bag to be sure that it was really
gone. Just as I was " scrambling" the notes and
gold into the bag I saw the prisoner going to the
door. I ran into the street after him, but he was
nowhere to be seen. I wandered up and down in
quest of him, but did not meet with him. I next
saw the prisoners in an apartment below the justice
room of the Mansion House among about 15 other
people, and I immediately selected both of them.
Mr. Wontner cross examined the witness, but
without eliciting any material circumstance.
On this evidence Mr. Mullens applied to have the
prisoner Weston committed for trial. Harper,
against whom the evidence as to the robbery of the
£lOO note, was not so conclusive, he submitted
ought still to be dealt with under the Vagrant Act
as a suspected person frequenting a public place
with intent to commit a felony.

Mr. Wontner, apprehending that Weston would
be sent for trial, said ho should reserve his defence
of him until the proper time arrived. With respect
to the prisoner Harper, he submitted he had done
nothing to warrant his being treated as a rogue and
vagabond. He was seen, it was true, going from
bank to bank with the prisoner Weston, and the
question arose what was his intention. Was he
present in any of the banks without the means of
transacting business? On the contrary, when taken
into custody, a very considerable sum of money was
found upon him. Besides, the police-officer Haydon,
who had watched him from bank to bank, did not
see him do anything wrong in any one of them.
Hayden said ho found the prisoners had recently
come from America. That was consistent with
their saying, as an excuse for going from place to
place, that they were looking for the Bank of
England in order that they might change some
notes. Then, their entering the Bank, and by the
Rotunda entrance after the hour when the offices
in that part of the establishment closed, showed ig-
norance on their part ; and while they were making
their way to another part of the Bank in search
of change they were apprehended. There was not
a tittle of evidence to show that Harper had
touched the person or property of any one of the
three banks he was seen to enter. Nor was it even
pretended that he was a person of bad character.
The evidence, so far as it went as to character, was
in his favour, seeing that when arrested he gave a
correct address. Seeing the prisoner was a foreigner
who had recently come to this country, it was sea-
sonable to suppose he had mistaken the Union and
the London and Westminster Banks for the Bank
of England ; and the court would probably be of
opinion that it would be hardly warranted in the
harsh conclusion that he was there for the purpose
of committing a felony.
Mr. Alderman }lnnis, believing the prisoner
Harper was one of the class of persons in the habit
of prowling about banking-houses to commit rob-
bery, sentenced him to three months' imprisonment
with hard labour, as a rogue and vagabond; and
the prisoner Weston to be committed to Newgate
for trial,

THE MURDER OF A LABOURER AT
KING'S CROSS.

Edward Gregory, aged 34, a labourer, of 39, St.
Helena-place, Clerkenwell, was charged before Mr.
Barker, at the Clerkenwell Police-court, yesterday,
with feloniously killing and slaying James Driscoll,
a labourer, by throwing him off one of the iron ribs
now in course of erection at King's Cross for the
Metropolitan Railway.
Mr. Layton, jun., solicitor, attended for the
defence.

The prisoner was seated during the examination.
His head was bound up in surgical bandages.
Michael Murphy, a labourer, residing at 8, Veru-
lam-place, Gray's-Inn-lane, said—l am employed at
the Metropolitan, or Underground Railway Station,
King's Cross. The prisoner is ganger there over
the general labourers, the deceased being in his
gang. On Monday evening, between six and seven,
I was at work on the planks under the girders. I
saw deceased go to near where the prisoner was
at work on the rib. I had heard that the prisoner
and the deceased had had some words in the
course of the afternoon. I saw Driscoll go on to
the same rib with the prisoner, they being about
two feet apart. The ribs are to form the span over
the railway, and the prisoner was on the highest
part of the rib over the deceased. I heard Driscoll
say to the prisoner " Go along, you cannot show us
our work, nor do we want you." He made use of
a blackguard expression to the prisoner. I did not
hear Gregory make any reply, but the next I saw
was the prisoner striking the deceased on both
sides of the face with his fists. Driscoll was holding
on the rib with one hand, but he said "God strike
' me dead, if you hit me again I will poke your eyes
out. You had better come down, and I will fight
you." Driscoll at that time had in his band an iron
progue. Gregory hit him again, and Driscoll hit
at the prisoner so as to keep off his blows. I did
not see where Driscoll hit him with the progue. Up
to this time they were sitting on the rib with the
girder between their legs. The prisoner had an
advantage, as he held by the derrick, while Dris-
coll had nothing to hold but the rib. A man of the
name of Chandler went between them, and said he
would not have any more of it up there. The pri-
soner then got up from his sitting position, and
again hit Driscoll, and Driscoll kept hitting at him
with the bar. The prisoner leant over Driscoll, and
I then saw him trying to take hold of a cord, but
he missed it and fell to the bottom, a distance of 40
or 50 feet.

Mr. Barker—Do you believe he fell from the blow
or the scuffle ?

Witness—He fell from the scuffle. The prisoner
was in a better position for keeping his hold on the
rib than the deceased.

Cross-examined—The rib is about a foot wide. I
assisted to take the man to the hospital.
Mr. Abraham Dowton, 259, Pentonville-road,
cheesemonger, said—On Monday evening, between
6 and 7 I was on the loads at the back of my house,
which overlooks the new station at King's-cross.
I heard a quarrel, and saw the prisoner hitting the
deceased on each side of his face with
his fists. I could not say who struck the first
blow. I saw the deceased trying to ward the blows
off with a piece of iron, but after the prisoner hit
him again I saw deceased strike at him, but whe-
ther he hit him or not I cannot say. At that time
both weresitting, but afterwards the prisoner raised
himself higher than h© was before, closed with the
other man, took him by the shoulders with both
hands, lifted him off the girder, and let him drop.
The deceased's feet first touched the ground. Before
this I heard some one say," I will throw him over,"
but I do not know whether it was prisoner or not.
Cross-examined—Prisoner took hold of deceased
by the shoulders. I judge that they were in hot
blood, quarrelling together, and had it not been for
that this unfortunate affair would not have hap-
pened.
Mr. Samuel Farley, a decorator, of 87, Harrison-
street, Gray's-inn-road, said—On Monday evening
I saw the prisoner and another man on the ribs. I
saw the prisoner strike the man several times. The
man was leaning back, as though to avoid the pri-
soner's blows. The prisoner then rose up, leaned
over, took hold of the man by the upper part of his
body, wrenched him away, lifted him off the rib,
and dropped him into the cutting. I did not hear
any expressions made use of by the prisoner.
Mrs. Farley confirmed her husband's statement.
James Chandler, a labourer on the works, said—
I reside at 3, Ilaverstock-street, Camden-town. On
Monday evening I went up with the deceased to the