The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-17 00:00:00

POLICE---THIS DAY.

man Woman, named named Mac-
MARLBOROUGH-STREET, THIS DAY.
d o nAa 1 d , DESPERATEw a Bcharged RN
with r A .
assaulting
Jane Macdonald, residing at 5, Regent's-place, Crown-
street, FA young
a young
street, Soho, and also her mother, who appeared to be in a
bad state of health.

The mother said that the prisoner had cohabited with her
daughter, and came into her room last night, after 12
o'clock, and asked her daughter for some money, and be-
cause she refused to give him any he seized her by the hair
of the head. Sh© then called out, "Don't kill my poor
mother," and the prisoner then dragged her (the mother)
out of bed on to the floor and beat her. She screamed ont
of the window " Pohce " and " Murder," and three con-
stables came in. The prisoner also dragged her daughter
down the stairs and beat her. On a former occasion, the
prisoner had thrown a weight at her (witness's) head, and
fractured her rib, and she had charged him at Bow•street ;
but fearing that he would murder her if she appeared against
him, she did not appear against him, although he was be-
fore the magistrate two or three times.

Jane Macdonald., the daughter, said the prisoner, who
was the father of the child she had in her arms, kicked and
struck her.

The mother said her girl had had to go on the streets to
keep the prisoner.

The constables engaged in the case said the prisoner be-
haved in a most violent manner, striking and kicking them
on the way to the station.

He was remanded.

A GENTLEMAN CHARGED WITH A VIOLENT ASSAULT.
—Mr. Robert Smith, at present staying at the London
Hotel, Albeinarle-street, but residing at Great Yarmouth,
was charged with violently assaulting Francis Win. Davis,
a waiter, and also with being drunk.

On the prisoner being placed at the bar, the charge being
that of violently assaulting the waiter by striking him on
the head with a stick, so violently indeed that he was com-
pelled to go to Charing-cross Hospital to have his head
dressed, a constable got into the witness-box with a
thick walking-stick in his hand, and said the complainant
was not present.

Mr. Knox asked whether it was simply because he was
a little late, or had the parties settled it ?
Barnes, the jaoler, said he believed that the affair had
been settled.

Upon this the prisoner was discharged.

THAMES.

A HYDROPATHIC THlEF.—Thomas Smith, aged 21, a
well-known thief, who has been twice convicted of larceny,
was brought before Mr. Woolrych, charged with stealing
two shirts and two flannel petticoats, value 18s., the pro-
perty of Mr. John Gilbert, of No. 7, Cottage-terrace,
Stepney-green.

Last night the prisoner was met on Stepney-green by a
police sergeant, named James Briden, No. 4 K, who knew
him to be a thief, and, observing him to look ,very bulky,
asked him what he had concealed about him, to which he
replied " Nothing," and attempted to run away. The ser •
geant collared the prisoner and conveyed him to the station-
house, where he was searched, and two wet linen
shirts and two wet flannel petticoats were found
closely twisted round his body. There was a
wet chemise in his pocket. The prisoner would give no
account as to how he became possessed of the property.
The sergeant soon discovered that the sheets and petticoats
belonged to Mr. Gilbert. It was "washing day" iii his
establishment yesterday, and Mrs. Eliza Gilbert and her
laundress hung out the linen to dry in the garden behind
the house, and at night missed the articles found on the
prisoner. No owner was found for the chemise, which was
probably stolen from another garden.

- 'the prisoner, in his defence, said he picked up the wet
linen on Stepney-green, and faatened the whole round his
body, with the intention of conveying the same to the
station-house.

Mr. Woolrych asked the prisoner if he was under the
hydropathic treatment—the cold water cure?

No ; growled the prisoner, I picked up them ere things.
Mr. Woolrych—To dry them round your body.
The Prisoner—No to take 'em to the station-house.
Mr. Woolrych—You have adopted the cold water cure,
the hydropathic treatment, and placed wet sheets round
your body. You were regularly "packed" like a patient
of an hydropathic establishment. I convict you of the un-
lawful possession of the wet linen, and sentence you to be
imprisoned and kept to hard labour for six weeks.
A STRANGE CHARACTER.—WiIIiam Hislop, aged 40,
who yesterday described himself as an occasional writer for
the press, and living on a small income, was brought up on
remand, charged with assaulting Mr. Wilke, a gunsmith in
mNoernw-isntg.reet, Stepney, at half-past one o'clock yesterday

The prisoner, a somewhat strange-looking man, who said
he was the worse for liquor when he committed the assault,
seized Mr. Wilks by the throat while he was counting his
money, and it was some time before the prisoner would
release him.

Klicher, a police constable, said he had made inquiries,
and ascertained that the prisoner had given his right ad-
dress, 31, Fashion-street, Spitalfields, and was a respect-
able man.

Mr. Woolrych—Not a highway robber?

Klicher—No, sir; he was the worse for the liquor on
Tuesday night, and is generally a Well-conducted, peace-
able man.

Mr. Woolrych—You do not believe he intended to com-
mit a highway robbery ?
K licher—No, sir; he is an honest man.

Mr. Woolrych said the prisoner's conduct was quite
enough to alarm any man. To seize a man who was count-
ing his monoy by the throat in the middle of the night was
very bad. As he had heard a good account of the prisoner
from Klicher, he would now liberate him.

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE.—The Cork Examiner
says :—" We regret to state that a telegram has been re
ceived here announcing the circumstance of Miss Ratcliff,
daughter of Sir John Ratcliff, having been burned to death
at her father's seat in England• The catastrophe was
occasioned by her reading in bed, and the candle setting fire
to the bed-curtains. The deceased young lady, who is said
to have been endowed with great beauty and remarkable
accomplishments, was sister of Mrs. David I,,eahy Arthur,
of this city."