The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-13 00:00:00

LAW INT:

—This Day.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Commissioner Goulburn.)
IN RE BAKER.-EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
This bankrupt was described as of Plumstead, drape;
and to-day he came up for judgment. The case has been
before the court on previous occasions, and the bankrupt
has attributed his failure to the loss of £1,500 in bank
notes. Inspector Hamilton and Detective Brett have in-
vestigated the affair, giving evidence upon the subject.
To-day his Honour gave judgment, remarking upon the
peculiar character of the facts in the case. It would seem
that the bankrupt had carried on business as a draper at
Woolwich, and having sold this for a considerable sum of
money departed for the Continent. During his sojourn at
the gambling-houses of Wisbaden, he wrote a letter to a
friend in England, detailing with much pathos and lamen-
tation the nature of his doings, and pointing out the hor-
rors and dangers of gambling. Leaving this part of the
case, his Honour would come to the evidence given by the
bankrupt in reference to this loss. He averred that he had
put the £1,500 notes in a cigar case, which he placed in
his right hand trousers pocket. As he was leaving the
steamboat at Folkestone, the cigar case struck against the
side of the gangway, and he took it out to put it in a safer
place, when it dropped upon the deck of the vessel. He
stopped to pick it up, when a pressure from behind caused
him to kick the cigar case, money and all, into the sea.
(Laughter.) When the bankrupt arrived here he com-
municated with the police, and every-exertion had been
made to get the money. One of the notes had come in from
Germany ; and it seemed to his Honour that instead of the
notes falling into the sea, they had fallen into Baden.
The bankrupt told one tale to Inspector Hamilton tally-
ing to some extent with that given at first. To detective
Brett he said that as he was coming up the steps of the
steamboat from the cabin he saw two persons coming up
behind him. He fancied that he felt a hand in his pocket
and missed his money soon afterwards. Now, it appeared
that the persons who had given their cards were very res-
pectable, and no stain could rest upon them. In a further
conversation with Brett he admitted that he had been
divorced from his wife, and owed a considerable
sum of money to his attorney, which he did not feel at all
inclined to pay. The police had taken a good deal of
trouble in the matter, but without success. His Honour
then referred to the examination of the bankrupt in this
Court, and the cross-examination of Mr. Reid. The letter
which the bankrupt had written to his friend came upon
him quite by surprise. Mr. Reidasked him why he thought
of going through the Court when he had in his pocket
three times the amount of his debts, and the bankrupt said
he did not choose to pay an unjust demand, referring to
the rule of the Divorce Court as to allowing the costs. He
then returned to his original statement as to the loss of
the cigar case in the water. His Honour at some length
eviewed the evidence in this remarkable case, and said
the question was whether the bankrupt had sufficiently ac-
counted for the loss of the money. There was no doubt
he had the money, but his Honour had also no doubt he
had lost some of the money in gambling, and that he had
fully determined not to lose any of the rest when he came
to this court. His Honour could not help thinking that
there had been some trick and contrivance on the part of
the bankrupts to prevent his creditors obtaining their
rights. His Honour did not believe the evidence of the
bankrupt, and should adjourn the case sine die, with pro-
tection to enable the bankrupt to appeal if he thought fit.

POLICE INTELLIGENCES—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SNOWBALLING.—Froderick Christy, a lad, was charged
before Mr. Tyrwhitt, with throwing snowballs in the
streets to the common danger of passengers.

Police-constable Gordon, 33 C, said that about half-past
9 o'clock last night, while in Panton-street, he saw the
prisoner with four or five other lads, some of them engaged
in making snowballs while the others were throwing them
at the passers-by. Having seen the prisoner throw a snow-
ball at a young man, who was then in court, he took him
into custody, the others getting away.

Henry Arnold, of No. 6, Brewer-street, Golden-square,
proved that while crossing Panton-street he was pelted
with snowballs, but he could not say who struck him.
The lad had nothing to say.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said that he was bound to inform the pri-
soner he could not be permitted to pelt persons passing
along the streets. It would not matter if a number of boys
pelted one another, and no doubt most of them had done
it in their time. As there was nothing furious about the
snowballing he would only fine the prisoner ss.