The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-22 00:00:00

TUE LATE BURGLARIES IN THE CITY.

102 &

Ur. Alderman STONE (in the absence of Mr. Alderman
and Sheriff Besley, who had given the notice) moved " that
it be referred to the Gaol Committee to consider and re-
port whether any, and, if any, what alterations can be
safely made with respect to the custody of prisoners under
remand from the police courts of this city." He said he
knew not what Mr. Alderman Besley's arguments in
favour of the motion would have been, but of this he was
aware, that the mode in which prisoners were kept in
custody after a hearing before the magistrates was
sometimes very harsh. At the same time statements
were often made on this subject which were not, perhaps,
altogether well founded. Nevertheless, there was some
truth in them. The present motion was in all probability
occasioned by certain proceedings which had lately taken
place at the Justice-room of the Mansion-house, in reference
to the Messrs. Barry, but more was made of the treatment
of the prisoners in that case than ought to have been. Some-
times counsel raised popular feeling by dwelling upon the
topic, but in the House of Commons Sir George Grey had
very properly said that the matter was one which ought to
be brought, if brought at all, before a committee of the
Aldermen, they being the visiting justices of the gaol.
Mr. Alderman SALOMONS said he had great pleasure in
seconding the motion. A representation had been made to
him of some practices which prevailed at Newgate with re-
ference to remanded prisoners and prisoners awaiting trial
which appeared very objectionable, and he thought a mode
might be adopted whereby the treatment of such prisoners
might be rendered less grating to their feelings. Newrga,te
was a criminal prison, the name of which sounded harshly,
and imprisonment within its walls was disagreeable and
derogatory ; and, therefore, without wishing to raise any
discussion, and being anxious to speak of all prisoners of
every class who wore sent there under the presumption of
guilt without any distinction, he still thought that such
prisoners ought not to be subjected to any treatment grating
to their feelings while they were untried. He belieyed
that several usages within Newgate might be abolished
without any injury to the public.
Mr. Alderman WiLsox did not object to the motion, but
ho was in favour of having the rules and regulations of the

" ' That it is most undesirable that large masses of valu-
able property should be left in this city without resident
protection, such a course acting as an encouragement to
skilful and daring thieves, and casting thereby a most
onerous and difficult duty upon the police force by with-
drawing their attention from other and equally important
duties.'

" The Commissioner of the City Police furnished your
committee with the most ample returns relative to the mat-
ter under investigation, and gave the fullest information
upon every point connected therewith.
"After a very full inquiry we consider that the allega-
tions of the memorialists have not been supported bysevi-
deuce, nor has anything transpired to substantiate the
charges contained in the letter of Mr. Walker as .to the
general efficiency of the City police force. Your committee
can discover nothing calculated to weaken the confidence
which has hitherto been felt in the management and effi-
ciency of the force.
"Your committee can only express their regret that pro-
perty of such value, and so readily convertible, should not
have been more safely secured by the owners.
"As there were matters involved in the reference which
your committee were advised did not come within the pro-
vince of our jurisdiction, in pursuance of the resolution of
this honourable court we sought a conference with the Po-
lice Committee of the Court of Common Council, and directed
their attention to those subjects. They informed us that
one of them—namely, the question of the pay of the force
—was already under their consideration ; and that with re-
spect to the other—namely, the desirability of increasing
the number of the force—that would also have their atten-
tion.—All which we submit to the judgment of this hon-
ourable court.
"Dated this 18th day of March, 1865."
In reply to Mr. Alderman CARTER.,
The TOWN-CLERK said this report was signed by Alder-
men Moon, Wilson, Challis, Rose, Phillips, Waterlow, Gib-
bons, Abbiss, Besley, Lusk, Allen, and Stone.
Upon the motion of Alderman Sir F. MOON, the report
was unanimously adopted.

BILLINGSGATE ON SUNDAYS.
Upon the motion of Mr. Alderman SYDNEY, a petition
from the inhabitants of the ward of Billingsgate, praying
the court to take such measures as shall relieve them and
the public from the serious nuisance occasioned by the sale
of fish on Sundays, was referred to the General Purposes
Committee.

'THE PUBLIC EXECUTIONS AT NEWGATE.
Mr. Alderman PHILLIPS moved :
" That it be referred to the General Purposes Committee
to consider, and to confer with the Secretary of State to
- ascertain, if any and what alteration should be made as to
_ the place of execution, with a view to avoid the serious
objections consequent on the present practice of public
executions within the city of London."
He said that since he had given notice of this motion a com-
mission had been sitting to investigate the whole question
of capital punishment, and that if the subject were referred
by the Court he might probably be able to suggest a scheme
for ridding the city of public executions, which would be
worth consideration. Although some difference of opinion
might prevail as to whether executions should be conducted
in public or in private, he believed it would be generally
admitted that a great public good would be effected if the
fearful scenes of demoralization witnessed at Newgate on
the occasion of these executions were altogether done away
with. (Hear.)
Mr. Alderman SIDNEY seconded the motion. He was
anxious to await the report of the commissioners upon this
subject, but in the meantime he thought the time had ar-
rived when public executions should no longer be tolerated
in the midst of dense communities such as surrounded the
Old Bailey. Hitherto those executions had taken place on
the Monday, when the thoroughfares were crowded with
Smithfield graziers, and when certainly the law, which
ought to be sacred, was carried out on a most barbarous prin-
ciple ; but thanks to the present Sheriffs, the day was in
future likely to be altered. He did not see why the civil law
should bo behind the military law in this matter. When
a soldier was to be shot troops were drawn up, solemn
music was played, and the men viewed the sad spectacle
in silence. How different this was from the scenes at an
execution at Newgate ! He would not weary the Court
with the description of what went on at the latter place.
Once, when acting as sheriff, he went among the crowd
&wog., and never had he witnessed such bestiality and
disorder. Instead of being the.deterrents, public executions
were, in his opinion, the incentives of crime. Whether
they ought to be carried on outside or inside of gaols, or
whether the punishment of death ought to be abolished,
might be debatable questions, but of this no one could
entertain a doubt, that if they were to take place it was a
crying evil that they should be carried out in the midst o
three millions of people. (Hear, hear.)
The motion was put and adopted.
THE IHE.A.TAIENT OP PRISONERS LN NEWGATE.

The TOWN-CLERK read the following report from the
General Purposes Committee on the reference upon the
memorial of the inhabitants of the Ward of Cornhill, &c.,
relative to the recent burglaries and robberies in that
ward :
" We whose names are hereunto subscribed of your Com-
mittee of the whole Court for General Purposes, to whom
on the 11th day of February last it was referred to con-
sider a memorial of the inhabitants of the Ward of Cornhill
relative to recent burglaries in the ward, and praying that
the Court will immediately adopt such, measures as the
serious exigencies of the case require—a communication
from Mr. John Walker, of No. 68, Cornhill, requesting to
be heard before the Court by counsel and otherwise in re-
ference to certain proceedings before the Committee of this
Court, and complaining generally of the inefficiency of the
police force of the city of London, and also a letter from the
Commissioner of Police relative to certain resolutions
passed at a meeting of the inhabitants of the ward of Corn-
hill, and ordered to be presented to this Court, and with
authority to confer with the Police Committee of the Court
of Common Council, do certify that we duly proceeded
thereon, and we requested thefollowing of the memorialists
to attend us in order that they might be heard upon the
allegations of their petition—namely, Messrs. Barraud and
Lund, and Mr. William -Nash, Mr. Price, of Price and Pott,
Messrs. Mappin, Webb, and Co., Mr. J. P. Pearce, Messrs.
Sarl and Son, Messrs. A. B. Savory and Son, Messrs. A.
Purssell, Messrs. Barber and Smith, and Mr. W. Johnson.
" We were, however, only attended by Mr. Lund, who
declined, in the absence of other memorialists, to give any
information on the subject.
" We also invited Mr. Walker to attend, and he accord-
ingly did, attended by his two sons. But he also declined to
give any information with respect to the statements made
in his letter on the groundthat the proceedings of the Court
were private. (Hear, hear.)
" We have carefully considered the allegations contained
both in the memorial of the inhabitants of Cornhill and also
of the matters referred to, in the letter of Mr. -Walker, as
well as the communication of the Commissioner of Police.
We have also had before us the proceedings of a meeting
held in the ward of Cheap to consider the subject of the
late robberies, at which the following resolution was
passed :