The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-12 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE,—This Dap•

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
GROSS IMPOSITION ON A GENTLEMAN.—Edward Harper,
described as a bricklayer, was charged as follows :
Captain Batchelor, of the Army and Navy Club, said
that, while in Pall-Mall yesterday evening, about seven

o'clock, the prisoner requested him to give him an order
for the hospital, saying that he had a child dying. He
(Capt. Batchelor) immediately went into the Club and

wrote the prisoner a letter to a medical man, and on giving
it to him the prisoner began to complain of his distressed

condition, saying he had no candles, but left, saying he
would take his child to the hospital. Thinking there was
something suspicious in the prisoner's conduct, he watched
him, and walked round another turning, and the prisoner
again met him, and, not recognising him again, told him
the same story as before about his dying child, and con-

eluded by asking for an order for the hospital. He told
the prisoner that he had already given him one, and called
a constable and gave him in charge.
Abel Dickens, 306 A, said the prisoner, on his taking
him into custody, at first said he resided in the country,
but afterwards that he lived at Fitzgerald's lodging-house,

in Old Pye-street. On going there he saw a female, who
said she was the prisoner's sister, and that he had a wife
and children, but she did not know where they were.
The prisoner said they were in the country, and that if
he had something given to him he would go away.
Mr. Knox asked if anything was known of the prisoner ?
James Tyler, one of the constables of the Mendicity
Society, said he had known the prisoner for 14 years. He
had been three times convicted at that court for begging,
once at Marylebone, and twice charged with begging at
Westminster, but discharged owing to tho non-attendance
of the complainants. He had been convicted and sentenced
to three months' hard labour at the 'Westminster Police
Court for obtaining money by false pretences, he having
represented that he wanted to.purchase a coffin for one of
his children. He had also been tried at the Clerkenwell
Sessions and the Old Bailey, receiving a sentence of six
months' hard labour at each place for fraud.
Mr. Knox said the prisoner seemed to be one of the worst
imposters in London. The prisoner was an able-bodied
man, and it was a scandalous thing that he should go about
imposing on the benevolent. It was wasting words to talk
to such a man. The utmost imprisonment he could give
the prisoner under the Vagrant Act was three months' im-
prisonment with hard labour, and that he should give
him.

DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT OF A CABMAN.—James New-
man, a cab-driver, badge 12,555, was charged before Mr.
Knox with being drunk during his employ as a cab-

driver.

Sergeant John Curm, 19 C, said that about 11 o'clock

last night hearing cries of "Police" proceeding from Bur-
lington-gardens, he went there and saw the defendant
driving his cab very fast. He stopped the defendant, and
found that he was very drunk. A lady and child were in
the cab, and appeared to be very frightened.
Mr. Thomas Cook, of Clifford-street, Bond-street, said on

leaving Covent-garden Theatre last night with his wife
and child, he got into the defendant's cab, and told him to
drive to Clifford-street. The defendant passed the street,
and nearly ran into an omnibus. He spoke to the defend-
ant twice, but he made no answer, and he (Mr. Cook) then
got out to get on the box so as to direct the defendant's
way. As soon as he got out of the cab the defendant
started off as fast he could, and ho (Mr. Cook) with great
difficulty pursued him, calling out Police," and at last
the defendant was stopped and his (Mr. Cook's) wife and
child released from their perilous position.
The defendant said he had a previous fare to Kentish-
town, and was given half a tumbler of whiskey, and it
affected him.
Mr. Knox said it seemed the defendant was in the habit

of taking too much, for there was an endorsement on his
license showing that he had been charged at that court
with being drunk a short time ago. The defendant was
totally unfit to be entrusted with a cab, as he had placed
the lives of persons in danger. lie would not go so far as
to suspend the defendant's license, but he would fine him
20s. or 14 days.
COMMITTAL FOB OBTAINING GOODS BY FALSE PRETENCES.
—John Weedman, formerly carrying on business as a coal
merchant at the Chalk Farm Station, and residing in the
Prince of Wales-road, Kentish-town, was again brought
up by Rose Kelly, one of the warrant officers of the court,
charged with obtaining goods by false pretences.
The prisoner already stood committed for trial for ob-
taining a quantity of shirts and hosiery by false pretences
from Mr. Hammond, shirt-maker and hosier, of Oxford-
street.

A second case was now gone into, in which it appeared
that the prisoner, on the 4th of November last, sent a letter
with a heading attached to it, representing himself as a
coal merchant at Chalk Farm Station, to Mr. Thos. Morgan,
of Barnet House, Cheshunt, requesting three tons of man-
gold wurtzel to be sent to him, and asking Mr Morgan ,
whether he had more to sell, and the price. On the faith
of the representation in the letter that he was a coal mer-
chant, carrying on business at the place stated, Mr. Morgan
sent the mangold wurtzel by one of his carmen to a place
stated by the prisoner. The prisoner told the carman that
he would write to Mr. Morgan the following day, and the
man left without the money he was to have taken back—
V. 6s.
Mr. John Foster Owen, coal merchant, of Maldon-road,
Kentish-town, manager of the Cannock Chase Coal Com-
pany, on being shown the two letters signed "John Weed-
man," sent to Mr. Morgan, said he believed they were in
the prisoner's handwriting.
Mr. Miall, of the Adelaide Tavern, the landlord of the
offices in which the prisoner formerly carried on his busi-
ness, said the prisoner had ceased to occupy the offices
some time before the letter to Mr. Morgan was writtp.
Rosekelly said he had received a number of letters from
different parties, complaining of the prisoner having ob-
tained goods by similar pretences, but the persons writing
' the letters were not in attendance.
The prisoner was committed on the second charge also,
the magistrate stating that any other persons having
charges to prefer, could do so at the trial.