The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-21 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-111arch 20.

BOW-STREET. - A Post-office letter carrier,
named William Nichols, was charged with stealing
a letter containing a sixpence and eight postage
stamps, and another letter containing eighteen
postage stamps, which had come into his hands in
the ordinary course of his duties.
The prisoner was employed in the W.C. (west
central) office, Holborn, and it was his duty to
deliver letters in the neighbourhood of Gray's•inn-
road and Brunswick-square. Suspicion having
fallen on him, the two letters were made up as
tests, and directed to addresses in Speedy-place,
Brunswick-square, and Harrison-street, Gray's-inn-
road. They did not reach their destinations, and
the prisoner on being questioned denied all know-
ledge of them, but when he was searched the
stamps were found in his possession. '1 hey were
identified by marks in an invisible ink, which
became apparent on the application of a certain
fluid.
He was committed for trial.

CLERRENWELL.—EIIen Clifford, an unfortu-
nate woman, about thirty years of age, residing at
8, Fitzroy-naarket, was charged before Mr. D'Eyn-
court with being drunk and disorderly, and mak-
ing use of obscene language in Great Coram-street,
St. Pancras, and, further, with attempting to com-
mit suicide in the cell, at the Hunter-street police-

station.
The prisoner was locked up for making a distur-
bance, and had not been long in the cell before the
constable on duty heard
.a peculiar sound, and
found that the prisoner had endeavoured to
strangle herself by tying the strings of her bonnet
tightly round her throat. The strings were cut,
but she had not been left long before she again
attempted to destroy herself. The conserluence
,was that a man had been left in the cell the
whole of the night with her.
In answer to Mr. D'Eyncourt,
The prisoner said that she was very sorry for
what she had done. She had endeavoured to de-
stroy her:life because she thought that her infant,
which was only seven months old, would be taken
from her for ever. Sooner than she would lose her
child she would lose her life.
Mr. D'Eyncourt said he had a great mind to send
her to the House of Correction, but taking into con-
sideration the fact that she had an infant he would
now discharge her, but hoped that she would be
more careful for the future.

LAMBETH,—Frederick Chester, alias Phillips,
a returned transport, but late the manager of The
Trades Protection Society, 3, Great St. Helen's,
Bishopsgate-street, and who has been in custody
for a week, on a charge of obtaining various sums
of money by fraud and false pretences, was again
placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott for final ex-
amination.
- - -

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Mr. Henry Barton, a grocer, No. 8, Mary's-road,
Kennington, said that on the 7th January last the
prisoner called upon him, and representing himself
as agent to the Tradesman's Protection Society,
in Great St. Helen's, gave him a prospectus of the
society, and solicited him to become a member.
He said if he did so the society would collect his
debts at 5 per cent. Witness gave him half a
guinea, for which he filled up and gave him the
annual subscribers' ticket produced, and he also
gave him the particulars of two debts due to him
by a Mrs. Bellamy and a person named Taberner.
Some time afterwards the prisoner again called
on him and said he could not get any money
from Mrs. Bellamp, and consequently took out a
writ for her, which cost him 7s. 3d., and this sum
witness paid him. The prisoner also said he took
out a summons against Taberner, but had not re-
ceived any money, so that he had not paid him
(witness) a shilling on account of either debt.
The name given and signed by the prisoner was
Robert Thomas Simpson.
In reply to the question of the magistrate, the
witness said that he should not have paid the pri-
soner the half guinea, nor given him the debts to
collect, if he had not believed him to be the agent
of a respectable society, and a respectable person,
and should certainly not have had anything to "do
with him if he had had the slightest idea that he
was a returned transport.
Mrs. Ann Bellamy said she owed the last witness
£2 4s. 3-1-d., and this the prisoner said he should
receive from her at the rate of 10s. a week. She
paid him three instalments of 55., 10s., and 155.,
and he gave hex a receipt for the balance on her
paying ss. more, saying at the time he should pay
the balance himself to Mr. Barton. The prisoner
gave the name of Simpson.
Mr. Thomas Dixon said—l live at No. 26, Wil-
liams-terrace, Walworth, and am manager to the
Metropolitan and Provincial Trades Protection
Association, the offices of which are at 3, Great St.
Helens, Bishopsgate. I know the prisoner. I
established the society in September last, and ap-
pointed him manager. I was to act as secretary,
and after paying expenses we were to divide profits.
Mr. Elliott—Was there any agreement in writ-
ing, if so, produce it ?
Dixon—There was no agreement. In November
last I was dissatisfied with and discharged him,
and from that time he had no authority to collect
subscriptions in the name of the society, which was
then called the " Trades Protection Society," nor
had he any to collect any debts in the name of the
society subsequently to November. The card pro-
duced is not one of the society's cards of member-
ship. It is headed " The Tradesman's Protection
Offices." The prisoner brought some of these cards
to my office, and said he had them left from other
offices, and that we might as well use them, and a
few were used without alteration of the name for
our subscribers up to the time of the prisoner leav-
ing me. Since then I have had new cards printed.
The prisoner, has never brought to me the name
of Mr. Barton as a subscriber, nor paid any money
on Hs account. The card produced is signed
pro Thomas Dixon, secretary, in the prisoner's
handwriting. He had no authority from me to put
my name to that card. He has not accounted to
me for any money received from Mrs. Bellamy.
Mr. Elliott—The society, I think you have stated,
consisted of the prisoner and yourself : the pri-
soner as manager and yourself as secretary ?
Dixon—Yes, sir; but since I have discharged
him I have become the manager myself.
Mr. Elliott—Then in point of fact since Novem-
ber you in your own person constituted the whole
society ?
Dixon—Yes, but I have a secretary.
Sergeant Bell, 39 P, produced a quantity of
documents, prospectuses, and cards found on the
prisoner when he apprehended him, and said that
he could establish at least 50 cases of having re-
ceived subscriptions for the alleged society against
him. He also said he had ascertained that in
1849 the prisoner had been tried, convicted, and
sentenced to 10 years' transportation on a charge
of forgery, and Webb, the City officer, who had
him in custody, was present, and could prove
the fact. He (Bell) had further ascertained that
he had served out the whole of his time at the

convict prison, Bermuda, so that he could no
have been home more than 18 months.

Mr. Elliott—Have you made any inquiries about
Dixon ?

Bell—l have, your worship, and have heard that
he is a respectable man.
Mr. Elliott—lt is most extraordinary that the
public should be deluded by these societies—pro-
tection societies as they are calld. In this case
what do I find ? Why two sets of flaming prospec-
tuses and two sets of cards of the same society, the
one describing itself as " The Metropolitan and Pro-
vincial Trades Protection Association ;" the other,
" The Trades Protection Offices," and both in the
same offices. This society purports to have been
established in 1851, though Mr. Dixon on his oath
admits that he himself established it in September
last, and in 1851 it could not have been established
by the prisoner, for at that time he was expiating
his offences in Bermuda. The society, according to
the prospectus, purports to be established for the
"protection of trades, to give " information as to
swindlers," and " tracing absconded debtors ;" yet
what do we find ? Why the whole society to con-
sist of two persons, each claiming the merit of
being its promoter, the one the manager and the
other the secretary, and one of them a returned
Fioin what I eau sec, I must say that
it appears to sue to be merely a swindling society.
The prisoner, in reply to the charge, said he took
Mr. Barton's subscription because he considered he
was still connected with the office, as the joint ex-
penses were borne alike between him and Dixon,
and as for the account of Mrs. Bellamy,
it had never