The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-08 00:00:00

CHARGE AGAINST A POLICEMAN.

William Reimers, police-constable A 595, ap-
peared at Bow-street Police-court, yesterday, to
answer a summons charging him with an assault
on Francis Prior, a well-dressed man of about 35
years of age.

Mr. Lewis, jun., of Ely-place, opened the case
for the prosecution, but in the course of the pro-
ceedings was relieved of the conduct of the case by
Mr. Lewis, sen. ; Mr. Abrams, of Bow-street, ap-
peared for the defence.

Mr. Lewis, jun., said he was extremely sorry to
appear against a policeman, knowing what a diffi-
cult duty constables had to perform ; but it was
quite clear that they were not justified in maltreat-
ing any person, whatever might be his character.
Mr. Corrie—What is the complainant.
Mr. Lewis—You will hear that from himself, sir.
I think he describes himself as a betting man, and
I will not disguise from you that he has been in
custody on a charge of skittle-sharping. But even
if a person was known to be a bad character that
would not justify the police in maltreating him. I
am afraid the fact is that the policeman has exceeded
his duty, and my client has a right to demand that,
whatever may be his character, tie may be protected
from assault. Mr. Lewis proceeded to state the
circumstances as they appear in the evidence of the
complainant.
Francis Prior deposed—l reside in Chelmsford-
terrace, Bayswater. I am by trade a baker, but
have not been in business for some time. On the
27th of September I was standing on the Parade in
Hyde-park, when the defendant came up to me and
said, " You scamp ! what are you doing here ?" and
told me that if I did not go away he would " cuff"
me again.
Mr. Corrie—Are you sure he said " cuff you
again ?"
Witness—Certainly, sir.
Mr. Corrie—Did that mean that he had "cuffed"
you on some previous occasion ?
Witness—Yes, sir. He then struck me on the
back, and called me a thief and a magaman, and
some other names. I said I was waiting for a
friend. I appealed to the public for protection.
Mr. Abrams—How long have you lived at
Chelmsford-terrace ?

Witness—About two years and a half.
Mr. Abrams—Who keeps the house ?
Witness—l do not know the landlord's name.
Mr. Corrie —What ? Not know the name of your
own landlord ?

Witness—No. My landlord is not the landlord
of the house. He does not keep the shop.
Mr. Abrams—Are you not stopping with another
man who lodges there ? Will you swear that it is
not another person who has the lodging ?
Witness—No, sir.

Mr. Abrams—You will not swear ? Very well.
Now, do you meet friends in the Park every day ?
Witness—Not every day ; perhaps once a-week.
I meet the same party I went to meet that day.
Mr. Abrams—Do the parties you meet there
follow the same occupation as yourself?
Witness—One does. The man I went to meet.

Mr. Abrams—How many were with you ?
Witness—Only two with me. There were seven
or eight there. Some of them left directly they saw
the policeman, Ido not know whether they were
persons with whom I was acquainted. I did not
observe. He did not tell me to go away three or
four times, but only twice. I walked away. I
thought it more discreet to do so. I did not say,
" I will spend a guinea on you." I did say I would
report him. After I left him I went back again.
I 'did not tap him on the breast. I offered to go to
the station with him. Ido not follow any profes
sion. I have friends who are well off, and would
allow me money if I wanted it. I take commissions
for persons who bet upon horse races. I have never
been a skittle-sharper.
Mr. Abrams—Why, your own advocate states
that you are,
Mr. Lewis, jun.—No.
Mr. Abrams—l understood you had been con-
victed.

Mr, Lewis, jun.—No ; charged, but not convicted.
Mr. Abrams—Very well. How often charged ?

Witness—Two or three times;but always acquitted
directly. I have never been convicted. (A laugh.)
Mr. Abrams—Then you have been very lucky.

A Park-constable, who said his name was Samuel
Parks, and he was an inspector of parks—Ca laugh)
—deposed that on the day in question his attention
was called to the prosecutor by the defendant, who
said, pointing to complainant and another, " Keep
your eye on those two men—they are swell mobs-
men." Complainant approached the policeman and
said, "'How dare you accuse me of being a thief ?"
Reimers replied, "I did not say so. I said you were
an associate of thieves." An altercation followed,
in the course of which defendant said, " Move on,"
and pushed complainant by the shoulder. He said
he was a respectable man, and he would rather go
to the station. I was surprised that he did not go
to the station, but the policeman let him go. He
came back again after that.
Cross-examined by Mr. Abrams—He did not ap-
pear excited. It was not a violent push. It was
no greater than I have often seen policemen give.
Mr. Lewis, sen., who entered the court during
the cross-examination, here observed that the police
did often push people about, but he apprehended
they had no right to do it.
Witness—l did not see the origin of the case. It
was no more than I should have done if I had wit-
nessed any misconduct.
Mr. Lewis—This class of men are more sensitive
to rudeness on the part of the police than other
people would be.
Mr. Corrie—What class of men, Mr. Lewis ?
Mr. Lewis—People who are in the parks, commit-
ting no offence, and doing no harm to anyone.
Mr. Abrams—By your own showing he belongs
to a class who have little right to complain of the
police for interfering with them. They prowl about
the parade and enclosures for the sake of accosting
and entrapping unwary persons for purposes which
I need not dilate upon. The assemblage of such
persons has become a nuisance, which has been
complained of by the inhabitants, and Sir Richard
Mayne has ordered them to be dispersed.
Mr. Lewis—Sir Richard Mayne would have no
right to order policemen to assault me,
Mr. Abrams—You would not be in the Park, as-
sembling with others for an unlawful purpose.
Mr. Lewis—l don't know. Perhaps I do.
Mr. Abrams continuing his address to the magis-
trate, contended that this was not an assault in the
meaning of the law, but that the constable was using
necessary force to remove a man who was loitering

in that Place for an unlawful purpose.
Police-constable Higgins, A 569, said he was
with the defendant on the occasion in question.
Complainant was with seven or eight others known
as skittle-sharpers. The others went away, but
complainant refused to go, though told to do so
several times. Defendant did not call him a scamp,
but did say " I know you as well as you know me."
Cross-examined by Mr. Lewis—Knew com-
plainant for about six months, by seeing him about
with other suspected persons. Never knew him to
commit any offence. Generally prevented him from
doing so by warning those whom complainant ac-
costed that he was a " magsman," and they had
better be cautious with him. Never had a charge
against him.
Sergeant Robinson, of the detective force, had
known complainant for seven or eight years as an
associate of thieves and skittle-sharps, and had had
occasion to caution persons against him.
Mr. Lewis, sen., objected to this as not being legal
evidence, but
Mr. Corrie ruled that it was.
Mr. Lewis—lf a man was a thief a constable
should not interfere with his liberty to walk abcut
in the Park.
Mr. Corrie—l think a constable should prevent
thieves from assembling.
Mr. Lewis—Then a thief must lock himself up ?
Mr. Corrie—He should keep out of suspicious
circumstances.

Mr. Lewis (to the witness)—I suppose sometimes
you are in the company of thieves ?
Robinson—Oh, very often, Sir. (Laughter.)
Sergeant Langley, of the detective force, also
spoke to the " character" of complainant, as an
associate of thieves, skittle-sharps, and magsmen.
Mr. Lewis said it would
b e a grievous oppression
to her Majesty's subjects if everyone whom the
police thought proper to describe as a bad charac-
ter was to be ordered about and assaulted. Still if
defendant would express his regret for what he had
done the case would not be pressed.
Mr. Come—lndeed I do not think he ought to
express any regret. I think he would have neg-
lected his duty if he had acted otherwise. I do not
believe that the liberty of the subject will suffer by
what larn about to decide. It has been opened by
complainant's advocate that he is a betting man.
H e says himself that he has been in several times
in custody as a skittle-sharp. It is true he was not
convicted. He cannot give any account of himself.
He does not know his landlord's name. He has no
occupation but betting, and his friends would give
trim money if he wanted it. Such suspicious
persons should be looked after. A thief may not
like the police to look upon him with suspicion, and
I can believe what Mr. Lewis says,. that the watch-
fulness of the police is more annoying to that class
of persons than to ordinary members of the com-
munity. But that is one of the disadvantages of
being a thief. if the police are not to remove such
persons, or do anything that may annoy them, it
will come to this, that the thieves, instead of the
public, will be masters of the parks and of the police.
I should not. have been surprised if the policeman
had taken him in custody. I shall dismiss the sum-
mons, as I think the policeman only did his duty. A

-PIOIIIV-4
R, TIV

CANAL.

Yesterday, Dr. Lankester, the Central Middlesex
coroner, held au inquest at the Bank of England,
Cambridge-place, Paddington, touching the death
of a lad named Thomas Larkin, aged 12 years, re-
siding► with his parents at 3, Paull-street, Lisbon-
grove.
The evidence elicited from several witnesses went
to show that a few days ago deceased, in company
with several other lads, was bathing in the Regent's
Canal, near Maida-hill, and as he came out of the
canal and stood on the bank another boy came up,
and thinking he could swim, he, in a playful mood,
puled the unfortunate boy into the water. De-
ceased could not swim, and the boy who pushed him
in, seeing him sink, became alarmed, and ran tor
the drags. Thos. Keating, and another lad named
Donovan, hearing of the occurrence ran to the spot
and attempted a rescue. Keating took off some of
his clothes, and dived into the canal and brought
him up. By the assistance of Donovan the deceased
was got out of the water still breathing, and taken
to St. Mary's Hospital, where he expired imme-
diately after admission, notwithstanding the efforts
madf3 to save his life.
The name of the boy who it was alleged had
pushed the deceased into the water could not be as-
certained, and as some of the evidence was of a
conflicting character, and tended to show that the
death was purely accidental, the jury agreed to re-
turn a verdict of accidental drowning.
The Coroner remarked that it was exceedingly
dangerous for boys to bathe in and have such easy
access to the canal ; and that he had held an inquest
only the other day in a similar case.

ANOTHER CHILD MURDER.

Yesterday forenoon Mr. ll_ Raffles Walthew, the
deputy coroner for East Middlesex, held an inquest
at the iDuke of York Tavern, High-street, Shadwell,
respecting the death of a females child found mur-
dered under the following shocking circumstances.
Thames Police-constable 17 deposed that he was
engaged in his boat on Monday morning last off
the Tunnell-stairs, Wapping, when he had his at-
tention drawn to something like a dead dog, which
seemed to pass from the main sewer into the river.
He rowed to the spot and found the dead body of a
child, quite naked. He conveyed the deceased
ashore, and gave it to the constable of the parish.
The usual notices had been circulated round the dis-
trict, but no tidings had been obtained of the unna-
tural parents.
Dr. Ross, the medical officer of Shadwell, said
that he was called to the body, which was fully de-
veloped, and the chest well expanded. There were
marks of great pressure upon the nostrils and mouth.
The child had clearly been born alive, and had died
from violence. The umbilical cord was properly
secured by a midwife, or other person. It was a
singular fact that all the newly-born children
found in the Shadwell and Wapping districts of the
River Thames were discovered off the mouth of the
main sewer, adjoining the Thames Tunnel-stairs.
He believed that the children were, in most in-
stances, thrown down into► the cesspools communi-
cating with the sewers, and were washed into the
river by the force of the current.

The Deputy-Coroner remarked on the alarming
increase of infanticide during the last month, and
observed that much good would be derived if the
parochial authorities of the several districts were to
offer large rewards for the evidence of some person
who might throw light upon the mystery which
surrounds all cases of child murder. _

The Jury concurred in the remarks of the deputy-
coroner, and returned a verdict of " Wilful murder
against some person or persons unknown."

UNIRI MARKL2 6.

LEEDS-TUESDAY.

At to-day's market millers act with extreme caution,
and factors hold fine dry qualities of wheat at fully last
week's quotations, but cannot make sales. For fine barley
there was a fair sale at last Friday's ra( es, but damp sam-
ples met with little attention. In other articles prices were
unaltered.

LYNN-'

ITJESDAY.

White .. 60s to 62s I Barley 36s to 38s
New 50s to 54s I New ..32s to 34s
Rccl. : ..48s to 50s I Oats..
Beans .4os to 44s I New 22s to 250

MARKET HARBOROUGH—TUESDAY.
White wheat, 52s to 58s ; red, 48s to 55s per 36 stone.
Barley at 36s to 40s per qr., grinding 30s to 33s per 30 st.
Oats, —s to —s.; new, 22s to 25s per 24 at. ; beans, 38s to
43s per qr.