The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-05 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—March 4.

MANSION-HOUSE.—John Grady was broughl
before the Lord Mayor, charged with being con-
cerned with another man (not in custody) in steal-
ing a watch, value £l4, from the person of Mr,
Thos. Buddin, licensed victualler, Commercial-road,
Mr. Lewis attended for the prisoner.

It appeared that at about half-past Bon the pre-
vious evening a young man, named Thomas Stanis-
las, saw the prosecutor standing on the steps by
the Blackwall Railway, and saw a man go up to
him and take his watch out of his pocket, which
he immediately handed to the prisoner, and they
both walked away. The prosecutor mis3ed his
watch and raised an alarm, and the witness
pointed out the prisoner as the man who had it. He
immediately laid hold of him, and the man who
took the watch and another man who was with him
ran away. The prisoner was taken into custody,
but the watch was not found.

On being cross-examined by Mr. Lewis, the wit-
ness said he was quite sure the prisoner was the man
to whom the watch was given.
Hancock, a detective, said he knew the prisoner,
and had seen him in custody on several occasions.
He was a trainer of thieves, and seldom took any
actual part in robberies, but merely received the
property.
Mr. Lewis said his client was quite willing that
his lordship should adjudicate in the case, but
The Lord Mayor said he could not do so. The
prisoner must go before a jury.
The prisoner was then committed for trial.

BOW-STREET.—ALLEGED FRAUD AT A THEA-
TRICAL TICKET-OFFICE.—James Westfield, assist ant
at a theatrical ticket•office, in Brydges-street,
Drury-lane, was charged with obtaining money by
false pretences from Sir Edmund Lechmere.
Mr. H. Brandon, of Essex-street, attended to
watch the case for Mr. E. T. Smith, lessee of Drury-
lane Theatre; and Mr. Pater, barrister, instructed
by Messrs. Weekes, appeared for defendant.
Sir E. Lechmere—l reside at Ridcourt, Worces-
tershire. On the 26th ult. I took a cab at the West-
end of London, and told him to drive to the box
office of Drury-lane Theatre. He drove me to
Brydges•street, Covent-garden, and stopped at an
office opposite the theatre. It was fitted up, not
like a shop, but like an office—fitted with red baize,
and surmounted by the Royal arms. There was a
board up marked "Drury-lane Ticket-office." There
was a model of the theatre in the office.

Mr. Pater—Why do not you come to what oc-
curred ? Never mind describing the place,
Sir Edmund Lechmere—l think the descrip-
tion is very material, The prisoner was attend.
ing in the office. I asked for a ticket for the
pit stalls, and the prisoner said they were all
sold. I then asked him if he thought that a ticket
for the pit stalls could be obtained at any of the
West-end houses where tickets were sold. He said
it was impossible ; that all the tickets were sold
there, and at the West-end houses they were not
likely to be had. I asked him whether any and
what other places were to be had. He said that, if
I liked, I could have a seat in a private box, but I
must pay 14s for it. I asked him what the price of
the pit stalls was, and he told me Bs. I thought it
was very likely I should not be in town again for
some time, and might not have an opportunity of
seeing Mr. Kean again, and so, though I thought
14s. a very extravagant price, I agreed to take it.
I asked him where the box was situated, and he said
it was in the front row, near the Queen's box. He
gave me the ticket, of which the counterpart is now
produced, and he said there were three front places,
and I might take which I pleased. I paid him 14s.
Had I not believed that the place was in a private
box I should certainly not have taken it, The word
" dress circle" was not mentioned throughout the
interview, and I should not have taken the ticket if
I had known it to be for the dress circle. The words
" Box 20" appear on the ticket. I went to the
theatre and found that there was no private box 20.
I was not admitted to any seat by virtue of that tic-
ket. Mr. Smith provided me with a seat under the
circumstances, but not by virtue of that ticket. I
noticed that the ticket was for two, and I told him
I did not want two places, but only one. He made
some entry in a book, and said it was all right, he
had made an erasure and the ticket would admit to
one place.
Cross-examined by Mr. Pater—l will swear he

said it was a seat in a private box. I did not see
the plan produced, or any plan whatever. Ido not I
know whether the ticket would have admitted me
to any part of the h mse. I found it was not for a
seat in a private box, and so I went away. I gave
the defendant into custody that night, but the in-
spector at the station-house refused to take the
charge.
Mr. Pater—Why did you allow so long a delay
before taking out the summons P
Sir Edmund Lechmere—Delay. I took out the
summons the next morning. I was quite sober. I
must appeal to the magistrate whether such a ques-
tion ought to be put to me.
Mr. Uorrie—l think you may as well answer the
question even if you think it improper. I do not
say that it is.
Mr. Pater—You can't say so, sir.
Sir Edmund Lechmere—l could bring witnesses
to character, if need be.

Mr. Pater--My client is not a baronet, but he is
a respectable man.
in further cross-examination, Sir E. Lechmere
said that he had not had any conversation on the
subject with Mr. Smith. The only person with
whom he bad talked it over was another gentleman
who had been in the same plight as himself.
Mr. Edward Tyrrell Smith, lessee of the Theatre
Royal, Drury-lane—There is no such private box
as No. 20. The ticket produced is not for a seat
in a private box, but for two seats in bax No. 20,
first circle. It is not the dress circle, but a
tier above the dress circle. That is a
a public box. It is an inferior part of the house to
the dress circle. The admission to the first circle
is 3s. The plan now produced (on the part of de-
fendant) does not represent the theatre as at pre-
sent managed. It is a very old plan. Sir E. Lech-
mere might have gone into the first circle if he
pleased, with that ticket. Tickets might have been
obtained at the house on that evening. There was
plenty of room that night. Persons might have
gained admission to the first circle by paying at
the door.

Mr. Pater—ls it a common thing for tickets to
be bought and resold in this manner?
Mr. Smith—Yes, in the ordinary way; but not
by fraud.
Mr. Pater—Don't say fraud.
Mr. Smith—l do say fraud. They write up
" Drury-lane Ticket Office," and commit a gross
robbery on the public.
Mr. Pater—And upon you, I suppose.
Mr. Smith—Not at all. It makes no difference
me, once the tickets have been sold. I take the
matter up for the sake of the public, that they may
be protected from imposition. These tickets are
sold at the box-office for 3s. each.

Mr. Pater—And ls. for booking ?
Mr. Smith—One shilling for booking, sir. Mr.
Mitchell, Mr. Sams, and other West-end book-
sellers do not buy tickets in this manner. They
subscribe for the season in the regular and legiti-
mate manner. They sell these admissions, but not
in the way it has been done in this case.
Mr. Pater—Answer my question.
Mr. Smith—l have answered you.
Mr. Pater—You are answering me in a shuffling
manner.

Mr. Corrie—That is not a proper observation.
There is nothing shuffling in Mr. Smith's manner.
Cross-examination continued—The private boxes
vary from £1 ls. to la lls. 6d. There are four
seats in the guinea boxes. From ss. to 6s. is what
a seat in a private box is worth.
Mr. Pater thought this would become a question
of weight of testimony. There was a person pre-
sent at the interview when the ticket was pur-
chased, who would swear that nothing was said
about a private box. That person was not in so
high a position as the complainant. We do not
often find a baronet—

Mr. Corrie—And if it was a question of conflict-
ing testimony he could not decide it, but would
leave it to a jury to decide which they believed.
Mr. Pater then contended at some length that
there was no case on the evidence for the prosecu-
tion, but
Mr. Corrie held that there was, and committed
the defendant for trial, admitting him to bail in
two sureties of £2O each.

FROM THE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

FOREIGN-OFFICE, JAN. 22.

Addresses and resolutions of condolence, on the occasion
of the death of his Royal Highness the Prince Consort,
have been transmitted to Earl Russell, her Majesty's Prin-
cipal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to be laid before
the Queen. . _

From the British subjects residing at Havre, Amsterdam,
Lisbon, Beyrout, Odessa, and New Orleans, and from
the British subjects belonging to the Free Church Pres-
bytery of the North of Italy.
FOREIGN-OFFICE, MARCH 3.
The Queen has been pleased to approve of Mr. A. Hoary
as Consul• General at Cape of Good Hope for his Majesty
the King of the Belgians.
ST. JAMES'S PALACE, MARCH 3.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Miss Harriet
Lepel Phipps to be one of the Maids of Honour in Ordinary
to her Majesty, in the room of the Hon, Eleanor Stanley,
resigned.
MASTER OF THE HORSE'S OFFICE, ROYAL
MEWS, PIMLICO, MARCH 3.
The Queen has been pleased to retain the services of the
following Equerries to the prince Consort :
Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. Dudley Charles Fitz Ge-
rald de Ros, Ist Life Guards.
Major Charles Taylor Du Plat, Royal Artillery.
Colonel Henry Frederick Ponsonby, Grenadier Guards.
Colonel the Hon. Arthur Edward Hardinge, C. 8., Cold-
stream Guards.
These officers will perform the duties of Extra Equerries
to Her Majesty,
CROWN OFFICE, MARCH 1.