The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-15 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT-THIS DAY.

OLD COURT.
The December sessions commenced this morning before
the Lord Mayor and tile Sheriffs.
The calendar contains the names of nearly 100 prisoners
for trial. There are two charges of murder, one against a
young woman named Nautili Newman, for killing her ille-
gitimate child, and another against two seamen named
George Mitchell and Thomas Hewitt for causing thti death
of a porter in the course of a quarrel and fight in the neigh-
bourhood of the Victoria Docks. There are a few cases of
what are described as robberies with violence, but there is
only one charge involving What may be termed a garotte
robbery; so that it would seem that the example made of
this description of offenders has not been without its
effect in repressing, to a certain extent, the commission of
this desperate crime. The present calendar does not contain
a single case of Post-office robbery ; and the present is the
fourth session in which the calendar has presented a simi-
lar satisfactory result. The principal case of importance
that will have to be disposed of at the ensuing session will
be the charge arising out of the extraordinary robbery of
bank-note paper from the mills of Messrs. Portal, the ma-
nufacturers of the whole of the paper upon which the
notes of the Bank of England aro engraved, and in
which six prisoners are implicated, and it is understood
that the Attorney• General will conduct the prosecution.
It is very likely, however, as the case is one of a very com-
plicated and unusual character, that after the grand jury
have found the bills that may be presented to them, an ap-
plication will be made to postpone the trial to the January
session. The Judges who will preside at the December
session are Chief Justice Erle, Mr. Justice Crompton, and
Mr. Baron Martin.

Two men named Knowles and Brown were indicted for
stealing 235., the property of Robert Brown.
The prosecutrix said that on the evening of Nov, 7 sh,,
company with her husband, was in a public-house taking
some ale. She was standing near the bar, and by her side
were seven or eight men ; her husband was sitting a few
yards from her. According to Mrs. Brown's statement,
.she said the men, amongst whom were the prisoners,
surrounded her, and then she discovered that she had lost
her money. She called out " Robert, I'm robbed," when
Knowles knocked her down! and Brown held her :by the
shoulder, while his companion took the money from her.
Before her husband could get up Knowles ran away. In
three weeks' after the prosecutrix met the prisoners. She
called for the police, and when the constable took hold
of Knowles, Brown threatened to knock his brains out if
he did not let his companion go. A violent struggle took
place, but the prisoners were ultimately secured.
One of the prisoners said the woman Was drunk, and
that she fell down and lost her money.
The jury found both prisoners guilty.
A previous conviction was proved against Brown.
The police said Brown was a very desperate man, and
was wanted for another robbery.
The Common Sergeant said Brown was eviaently a very
desperate person, and if he had used any great violence on
the prosecutrix he should have given him a very severe
punishment. Under all the circumstances he should sen-
tence him to 10 years' penal kervitude.
Brown, on hearing the sentence, said, " Aint that
severe ? Why don't you hang me at once ?"t'And was with
some difficulty removed.
The Common Sergeant told Knowles, as he was unknown
to the police, he should only sentence him to four years'
penal servitude.

Knowles—Thanky'e, my lord, I am obliged to you.
THE GREAT DANE PAPER ROBBERY.
Mr. Giffard, on the part of the prosecution, rpplied for
the postponement of the trial of the prisoners charged with
being concerned in the robbery, lie held in his hand an
affidadit from a medical gentleman, which stated that Mr.
NV. Portal was at present suffering from erysipelas in the
head, and was quite unable to undergo the fatigue of giving
evidence during the present seEsiou.
Under these stances he he hoped the whole of the
witnesses, numbering over 50, might be compelled to go before the grand jury.
The Common Sergeant asked if Mr. Portal was examined
before the magistrate?

Mr. Giffard replied he was not.
Mr. Lewis, on the part of Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, who
had been retained by Brewer, hoped the application would
not be granted. He did not think that the gentleman re-
ferred to was such a material witness as his friend had
stated, There had been five or six examinations before
Alderman Cubitt, at none of which was Mr. Portal exa-
mined. He presumed Mr. Portal knew nothing about the
abstraction, and his evidence he supposed merely related to
some points relative to the manufacture of the paper. The
prisoners were indicted under the Bank Act, and that
rendered Mr. Portal's evidence of less importance than it
otherwise might have been, if the application was granted
he hoped Brewer would be admitted to bail, because he was
prepared with two securities to the amount of a thousand
pounds each if it should be required. The cost of bringing
the witnesses to town during the present session ought
not to stand in the way of the present proceeding.
The Common Sergeant said the cost of bringing the wit.
nesses to town did not arise, but he thought that the con.
vanionoo of so large a number of persons ought to be
thought of.

Mr. Lewis thought it was of the highest importance to a
person not guilty of a charge imputed to him that the wit-
nesses should be compelled to go before the grand jury at
the earliest moment.
Mr. Pater, on the part of Buncher and Cumming, also
opposed the application. His clients had been in prison
nearly three months. One of them, 13uncher, had had his
trado ruined by his shop being closed, and he thought it
was extremely hard that the trial should be postponed until
January. Mr. Portal could only give evidence as to the
stock of paper he had upon the premises, and at the proper
time he intended to make an application that Buncher and
Cumming might be tried separate from the other prisoners.
The Common Sergeant said ho was of opinion that Mr.
Portal was a material witness, and he therefore should as-
sent to the application for the postponement of the trials till
next session. The application of Mr. Lewis with respect to
the admission of Brewer to bail was quite out of the ques.

Mr. Lewis hoped there would be no objection to his renew-
ing his application relative to bail before, a judge at cham-
bers.

The Common Sergeant said the learned counsel was quit•
at liberty to do so.

The prisoners were then removed from the dock, and the
trial was postponed until next session.

POLICE-THIS DAY.