The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-01 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIc'ENC P.—Feb. 28.

THAMES.--FAMILY JARS.-Mr. Samuel Dela-
fosse, a foreman in the service of the East London
Waterworks Company at Old Ford, Bow, appeared
before Mr. Selfe, to answer a summons taken out
by Mr. Fulcher, assistant relieving officer of the
Poplar Union, which charged him with deserting
his wife, and leaving her chargeable to the parish
of Bow, Middlesex.
Mr. Hubert Wood, solicitor, defended Mr. Dela-
fosse, and said he would at once state that his
answer to the summons was that Mrs. Delafosse
had committed adultery, and that he was not bound
to support his wife. Mr. Delafosse held a very high
position, and wished for a full investigation ; and
he had no objection to maintain his children in
comfort and respectability.
It appeared from the evidence of Mrs. Delafosse,
a very garrulous woman, that she had been sub-
jected to great tyranny on the part of her husband
for some time past, and that he was in the practice
of swearing at her, and using the most blasphemous
and vituperative epithets and threats. On several
occasions he said he would have her life, and scatter
her brains against the wall. He took the bed off
one night, removed it to another room, and slept
with one of the boys. His threats and tyranny
became so intolerable that she was compelled to
take out a summons against him at the Worship-
street Police Court, and he was held to bail to keep
the peace towards her. After that his threats and
tyranny were renewed, and became intolerable and
insupportable. She was compelled to leave her
husband and children, and he had ever since re-
fused to maintain her. She had received parish
relief.

Mrs. Delafosse was cross•examined at great
length by Mr. Hubert Wood, and she denied in the
most emphatic manner that she was a person of ir-
regular habits, in the practice of receiving visits
from a grocer named Clarke, or that she had com-
mitted adultery with him. She had dealt at the
shop of Messrs. Clarke for grocery, but had
no further communication with them. There
were three brothers named Clarke. She never
walked out with either of them. She never
told her daughter Alice that she would knock
her brains in if she told her father that Mr.
Clarke, the grocer, called at the house in her father's
absence. She took a small roomful of goods away
out of a six-roomed house when she left her husband.
She had been living with a needlewoman for several
weeks. Her husband had taught her son to swear
at her, and offered him a basin of dripping to throw
at her.

Mrs. Ann Davis, of Library-place, Old Ford, said
Mr. and Mrs. Delafosse and family were lodging in
her house for some time. She never observed the
least impropriety in the conduct of Mrs. Delafosse.
She never saw either of the Clarkes in the house.
Mrs. Delafosse never said " Have you any objection
to one or two chaps coming to see me." If such a
proposition had been made she would have rejected
it with scorn and contempt.
Mr. Hubert Wood was instructed to deny most
strongly the accusation that the defendant had been
acting with cruelty to his wife. He was also in-
structed that Mrs. Delafosse's infirmity of temper
and volubility, of which she had just now given a
sample, rendered it impossible for the defendant to
live with his wife with any degree of comfort ; but
he had not left her on that account, but owing to her
having committed adultery with Mr. Clarke, with
whom she had been seen walking out, and who had
visited her at her dwelling in her husband's absence.
The woman had repeatedly told her daughter that
she would kill her and dash her brains out against a
wall if she ever revealed it to her father that Mr.
Clarke had visited her mother.

Alice Delafosse, a very intelligent .girl, aged 13
years, who imitated her mother in volubility, said
she recollected the elder Mr. Clarke, the grocer, in
the Mile-end-road, paying a visit to her mother.
He was a dark man, with large black whiskers. He
shook hands with her mother, and kissed her.
Her mother had previously said that Mr. Clarke
intended to call, and she was not to tell her
father, and that if she did so her father would
turn her out of doors, and she would have no
claim for support. Her mother and Mr. Clarke
retired into the back parlour, and the door was
locked. They remained in the back parlour a
long time. When they came out her mother said
to Mr. Clarke, " Now, dub up." He said, I
have brought the grocery." Her mother said, " I
won't have the grocery unless you give me 2s. or
half a crown," and he then gave her some money. She
never told Mrs. Davis she would make as much mis-
chief as possible about Mr. Clarke's visit. Her
mother said, "If you ever tell your father about Mr.
Clarke, I will murder you with a large stone which
I will carry under my shawl." Her mother had
threatened her father, and beat his nose in with a
knife.
By Mr. Selfe—l told my aunt all about Mr.
Clarke two days after my mother left home. My
father has spoken to me about Mr. Clarke. I heard
my mother say to Mrs. Davis, our landlady," Have
you any objection to a few chaps coming
if my husband don't maintain me P" to see we,
Mrs. Davis was recalled, and sail, the girl had
told falsehoods. No such Proposition as that re-
lated had ever been made by Mrs. Delafosse. Wit-
ness was the mother of 12 children, ten of whom
were living, and would not encourage any impro-
priety in her dwelling.
The girl was recalled, and paid that she WAli

locked up from six in the morning until ten at
night, while her mother was from home taking a
walk with Mr. Clarke.
Mrs. D Avis—That is a falsehood. The girl could
not have been locked up in my house all day with-
out my knowing it. I believe the girl is a great
liar.
Cecilia Canning, the defendant's sister, said that
her niece had told her that Mr. Clarke had been
visiting her mother, and that her mother had
warned her if she said anything about it to her
father she would kill her with a stone.
Mr. Selfe said Mr. Clarke's evidence was indis-
pensable, and sent a messenger to request his at-
tendance.
On the messenger's return, he said that Mr.
Clarke would not attend, and knew nothing abou t
the affair.
Mr. Selfe then ordered a summons to issue for
Clarke's attendance, and upon his arrival he was
sworn, and said his name was Edward Burton
Clarke, and he was in partnership with his two
brothers in the Mile-end-road. He apologised for
not attending when the messenger first called.
He was then attending a customer upon very
urgent business. He never saw Mr. Delafosse until
that day. He knew Mrs. Delafosse as an occasional
customer at his shop. He was never in her dwell-
ing in his life. He had never taken grocery to her
house, or taken liberties with her. He never kissed
her, either in her own house or elsewhere. He
never walked out with her. He was not in the
practise of taking home grocery to customers'
houses. There were two men employed by the firm
especially for that purpose. There were three
partners in the firm, himself and two brothers.
Mr. Selfe—Are you a married man ?
Mr. Clarke—l am not, sir.
Alice Delafosse was recalled, and said Mr. Clarke,
who had just left the witness-•box, did call upon her
mother, kiss her, and give her money. Her mother
and Mr. Clarke went into the back parlour and shut
the door after them, and locked it. They were
there at least half an hour.
Mr. Clarke said the girl's statement was false.
He knew nothing more of Mrs. Delafosse than her
being a customer, and he was quite surprised when
he received the summons to attend. The statement
of the girl was wickedly and atrociously false.
Mr. Hubert Wood—You say you never visit cus-
tomers or carry home grocery to their houses ? You
set out by saying you went to a customer's house
this morning.
Mr. Clarke—l did for payment of an account.
Nothing else.
Mr. Selfe said he did not believe the girl, but he
did believe Mrs. Davis and Mr. Clarke. The defence
set up was a grievous aggravation of the offence.
The unfortunate child Alice Delafosse had been
uttering lies, and against her own mother, as well
as attempting to injure the reputation of a respect-
able tradesman. Believing, as he did, that the
charge of adultery was not sustained, and that the
charge against the defendant was made out, he
committed him to the House of Correction for one
month, there to be kept to hard labour.
Mr. Hubert Wood gave notice of appeal.

WANDSWORTH.—COMMITTAL OF THE WIM-
BLEDON FORTUNE TELLER.—Yebterday was ap•
pointed for the re-examination of Selina Smith, the
young gipsy woman, on the charge of telling for-
tunes.

While the Court was waiting for the arrival of
Dr. King, the prosecutor, Inspector Lovelace han-
ded to the magistrate another communication he
had received from the Lincolnshire constabulary,
stating that the prisoner's description did not agree
with the woman they wanted on a charge of telling
fortunes, but they believed that she belonged to the
same family.
Dr. King and his two female servants attended,
and he entered the witness-box.

Mr. Dayman inquired of him if he had received
a satisfactory analysis of the contents of the bottle
from his friend at Whitby.
Dr. King said as yet he had received nothing
satisfactory.
Mr. Dayman observed that there not been suffi-
cient time. _ _

Dr. King said he had carefully examined it, and
found what the prisoner stated was in it.
It may be here mentioned that the prisoner has
never stated publicly what was the nature of the
powder she mixed in the bottle.
Mr. Dayman hearing that the servants were pre-
sent, ordered them to stand up. He told them that
they had both behaved very ill in the matter. It
was the duty of servants to protect their masters
and mistresses from imposition. They had not
done so, and had encouraged the prisoner to work
upon the credulity of their mistress, partly for their
own enjoyment, and partly for a questionable
purpose.
One of the servants essayed to speak, but his
worship told her that it was what she had stated,
and she could not now free herself from her state-
ment.
Mr. Dayman then addressed the prisoner, and
told her she had been exceedingly wicked. If she
supposed that the bottle of mixture would have a
poisonous effect, then she was guilty of secretly at-
tempting to murder a husband, of all crimes that
of secret poisoning being the most detestable. If
it was true, as she had stated, that the mixture
was not poisonous, then she had been guilty of
gross impiety, as she had evoked the Almighty
to the making of a lie. Any way her conduct had
been very bad, and he should inflict the full
punishment for fortune telling. He then com-
mitted her for three months, with hard labour, and
said that if anything should be found in the mixture
of a suspicious or deleterious character, she would
be put on her trial for a much more serious offence.
He recommended Dr. King to try experiments with
the mixture on some small animal.
Dr. King said he intended to try experiments on
a small puppy he had.
Mr. Dayman was anxious that he should, and
that the superintendent of police should also make
experiments. In this matter it was best to be satis-
fied there is nothing in the mixture. In a case of
so odious a nature they could not be too safe. He
told the prisoner again, if they found anything un-
satisfactory she would be tried for a serious offence.
The prisoner said if they gave her the bottle of
stuff, she would drink it, as there was no harm in it.

Mr. Dayman said she was punished now for tell-
ing fortunes.
The prisoner said the servants asked her if she
could tell fortunes, and she replied " Yes." She
had no thought of telling fortunes until they asked
her the question.
The officers of the court then removed the prisoner.
A gentleman then rose and said that Mrs. King
had not been represented.
Mr. Dayman thought Mrs. King's name should
not be mentioned.

Dr. King concurred in that opinion.
The gentleman said that Mrs. King had a com•
plete answer.
Mr. Dayman observed it was clear that Mrs.
King's servants had practised on her credulity of
mind, and prompted the prisoner as to what she
should say. He had no doubt it was all an impo-
sition from beginning to last.
The gentleman said it was very unpleasant, for
Mrs. King was a very respectable lady.
Mr. Dayman said it was clear Mrs. King had no
serious intention, for she refused to pay for the
bottle of mixture, and had the prisoner bundled out
of the house.

Dr. King said that all he had to complain of was
of the mischief brought into a family by fortune
telling.
The parties then withdrew, and Inspector Love-
lace promised to acquaint the superintendent with
his worship's request that he should make experi-
ments with the mixture iu conjunction with Dr.
King.

FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST.