The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-29 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

EXTRAORDINARY MAGISTERIAL DECISION. Maria
Jones and Sarah Proctor, two well known Chelsea thieves,
the latter of whom has been convicted, were charged with
stealing half .a-crown, under the following circumstances :
Charles Miller, a poor lad about 17, who obtains his
living by singing songs in the street, said he was following
his usual calling last night when the servant at a public-
house threw him out half-a-crown, in mistake he supposed
for a penny piece. He picked it up, and going to the corner
of the street was looking at it when the prisoners came up,
and Proctor seizing the half-crown from him passed it to
the other, and tried to make off. He tried to follow them,
when Jones said she would knock his brains out, and
Proctor knocked him down on the kerb stone.

A young gentleman named William Marshall said, he
did not see the robbery, but saw an altercation going on
between the prisoners and the lad, in the course of which
the women and their companions surrounded the lad, and
ill-treated him very much.

Police-constable Edwardes, 241 A, said he had been to
the servant at the public-house spoken of, and found she
had given the half-crown in mistake. She had not dis-
covered it till witness went to her. Witness in endeavour-
ing to take the prisoners entered a low beer-shop, and the
landlord let them out the backway, se that they escaped for
the time, but they were subsequently apprehended.
Proctor denied that she had been present during the
robbery.
Mr. Paynter said no robbery had been committed, as first
of all the money did not belong to the complainant, and
next it was evidently a scramble as to who should have it.
He should only convict Proctor of the assault, and sentence
her to pay 205., or be committed for 14 days. Jones must
be discharged.

The decision appeared to take every one in court by
surprise.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SHAM DISTRESSED LANCASHIRE WEAVERS.—CAUTION
TO THE BENEVOLEN T.-T wo fellows named Thomas Os-
borne and Daniel Donovan, both of whom were got up to
represent distressed Lancashire weavers, were charged
before Mr. Tyrwhitt, by Thomas Tuner, Mendicity officer,
with standing in a public place with a placard exciting
charity.
Turner said that between six and seven the previous
evening he saw the two prisoners standing on the edge of
the kerb in the Tottingham-court-road, near a publichouse.
Donovan had a placard round his neck with the
words " Cotton weavers. In very great distress ;"
and Osborne had a small box in his hand, with a few pieces
of cotton in it. He (Turner) heard a lady ask one of them
where they were from, and he replied, " Ashton, in Lanca-
shire ;" and he then watched them, and saw them receive
money from nine different persons. He then went to get a
constable to assist in taking them into custody, and as soon
as they saw the constable making his approach they ran
off. They then went to the corner of the Tottenham-court-
road, where they said they were from Preston, and received
more money. He (Turner) then went and got Sergeant
Lambert to assist him, and the prisoners seeing them
coming ran off. Determined not to lose the prisoners,
he got into a cab and pursued the prisoners into Crown-
street, where he found they had " pitched" (stood) again,
and that a man and woman were near them who were there
to receive the " swag," as it was called. On recognising
him (Turner) again, the prisoner Donovan tore up the
placard, but he (Turner) managed to secure the pieces, and
with assistance took the prisoners into custody.
In answer to Mr. Tyrwhiit, who wished to know where
the prisoners came from, the officer said that they were
both long residents of Westminster.

Donovan said the reason wcy they ran from the Totten-
ham-court-road was because they did not get enough
there. They sang a song like other street " musicianers."
and then exhibited cotton for sale,

Mr. Tyrwhitt said he considered the case one of some im-
portance. It was quite clear that the distress in the North
was a thing to be compassionated by everybody, and it was
a thing caught hold of in consequence by everybody to get
charity. The prisoners were evidently just the fellows to
impose on people, especially Donovan. He should like fur-
ther evidence that the prisoners were residents of West-
minster, because if that was proved, they were the very
persons for punishment. He would remand them for a
week.

'ruiner said that there were at present a large number of
fellows about representing themselves as weavers.
DRUNK OR NOT DRUNK ?—A respectable-looking young
man, named Thomas Thompson, was charged before Mr.
Tyrwhitt with being drunk and riotous. On being placed
in the dock, Sergeant Foinett, 14 C, stated that he saw the
defendant drunk and riotous in the Haymarket, and took
him into custody. The defendant denied that he was
drunk, when Inspector Wilson and Sergeant Joy, 9 C, both
swore that he was, Mr. Tyrwhitt said as the defendant
led been locked up he thought it was sufficient, and dis-
harged him. The defendant, not being satisfied with this,
and still energetically denying that he was drunk, making
some reflections on the police, and stating that he had wit-
nesses, Mr. Tyrwhitt adjourned the case. On coming up
again, Mr. Edward Lewis, of Great Marlborough-street,
appeared for the defendant, and said the defendant's wit-
nesses were not pres nt, and acting on his advice, the de-
fendant would accept his worship's decision of the previous
day. Mr, Tyrwhitt said that at the time he thought the
defendant had better have taken that course, but as he de-
nied the charge, and said he had witnesses, he had no other
alternative but to adjourn the case. In now discharging
the defendant he wished it to be perfectly understood that
ho in no way meant to impugn the truthfulness of the evi-
dence of the police.