The Sun.
London, England, 1853-11-22 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.— Win. Curtis, a tailor, of No.
14, New-steet, Gravel-lane was brought before the
Lord Mayor for having cruelly beaten his wife, and
having threatened to murder her.
Emma Curtis—(the complainanti— On Sunday morn-
ing, between three and four o'clock he made me go to
bed stark naked, and ripped up my stays with a pen-
knife, took the bone out of it, and beat me on the body
with the bone till it broke in three pieces. He was
quite sober, and so was I, for I never drink. He had
been out, and I was afraid to go to bed till he came
home. After he had broken the bone he beat me with
my hair brush. He then dragged me out of bed, made
me make the bed three times, tried to strangle me with
his hand, and with the large square cut stick the police-
man now has in his hand struck me several times. I did
not call out, for he said if I did be would dance upon
my body. After having beaten me severely, he went
down stairs and to the bottom of the court, but he im-
mediately returned and began beating me again with
the stick, and then the police officers came into the
room.

The Lord Mayor—How often has this occurred?
Complainant—Ever since we were married, in Jan-
uary last. A month ago he gave me two black eyes,
and he has frequently used that stick upon me. He
has also thrown boiling water from the teapot upon me.
I am in the utmost danger, and I thrown my life upon
your lordship's hands, for I believe it is his intention to
kill me.

Policeman (28)—I was informed that a man had
locked up his wife in a house No. 14, in New-court, and
I went there with another officer, and upon listening in
the passage I heard a noise of tremenduous blows, as if
they were given with a stick upon the naked flesh. I
beard the prisoner say, "If you holloa out I'll dance
your guts out." I then broke open the door. The
woman was naked in the bed, and the prisoner had him
shirt sleeves tucked up and was in the position of a per-
sou who had been inflicting blows. I itnmediately
seized and dragged him away. He was perfectly sober
at the time.

Policeman (612)—1 saw weals upon the woman's arm
and neck, as broad as my two fingers, and correspond
ing with this stick, which she said her husband had bees
beating her with.

Thelord Mayor asked the complainant to what she
ascribed this horrible treatment ?

The complainant said, she had made an observation
upon her husband taking a young woman, who bad been
working with them, to drink, to a public house, and In.
was enraged at the libeaty she took in doing so, but hp
was in the habit of knocking her about without the least
provocation.

The prisoner said his wife was the person most in
fault.

The Lord Mayor said the prisoner was accused of a
very serious offence, and appeared to be a very likely
person to carry his threat to his wife one day into effect,
and thus to add to the deplorable exhibitions, one of
which had taken place this morning. It would, under
all the circumstances of the case, be an act of charity
in his lordship's opinion to put the act of Parliament in
force to its fullest extent, as during the long confinement
of the prisoner an opportunity would be afforded for
reflection and repentance.
The prisoner was then sentenced to hard labour in
Holloway prison for six calendar months.
James Wright, tailor, 20, Goodman's-yard, Goodman's-
fields, was also charged with having severely beaten his
wife, and with having threatened to murder her.
Ann Wright (the complainant)—Yesterday he said he
would be hung for murdering me, as the man that was
sentenced to hung this morning would be hung. He
hit me twice on the head with the sleeve board, and
cut open my skull in two places. I bled very much.
He also struck me with his fist in the face, and conti-
nued to knock me about for three or four minutes. I
called out for assistance and people came, and I went
to a doctor to have my head dressed. I have been
married to the prisoner three years, and he has beaten
me every month since I married him.
The Lord Mayor—ls there any cause for this con-
duct ?

Complainant—Drink is the cause, my lord. I believe
he married me in a wrong name, and I have asked him
to marry me in his right name. I left him a month ago
on account of it, and he said he had already murdered
one woman, and that I should be the next ; and I have
no douht of the effect of his future violence, if I have
no protection from your lordship.
The policeman who took the prisoner into custody
said, "The prisoner when going to the station-house
said he was a fool for letting me apprehend him, and
swore that as soon as he should get over this he would
smash his wife's brains out."

The Lord Mayor sentenced the prisoner to hard labour
in Holloway prison for 6 calendar months.
A person in the Seaman's Register-office was charged
by Mr. Coleman, the principal clerk in the establishment,
upon suspicion of having stolen two silver watches and
44 rupees from the office. He was remanded till Satur-
day next, in order that opportunity might be taken for
a rigid inquiry, but the Lord Mayor said he would take
bail.

His lordship acknowledged the receipt of 5/. from a
lady through "J. C.," for the poor-box.

GUILDHALL.--Charles Clark was charged before
Alderman Humphery with stealing a watch from the
person of the prosecutor yesterday morning in the Old
Bailey.

Robert Pollard said—l was present yesterday morn-
ing at the execution of the man Mobbs. I was in front
of the scaffold, when I felt something at my pocket, and
then missed my watch.

Alderman Humphery—l suppose you were there to
see the man hung. Were there many persons there ?
Witness—Yes, sir, a great many.
Alderman Humphery—Did you miss your watch be-
fore the execution or afterwards ?

Witness—The condemned man was just coming on
the scaffold, and before he was hung I saw the prisoner
moving from my side. I followed him ; but perceiving
me behind him, he ran up Clement's Inn-yard, in the
Old Bailey, and threw himself on some matting. The
watch produced by the officer is mine. It is engraved
with my own name.

Priso'ner—l did not throw myself down, I fell down.
Alderman Humphery—There is one thing very clear.
The awful sight of a man being hung has no fear for
you.

William Gardiner saw the prisoner, on reaching the
lop of Clement's Inn-yard, throw himself on some sacks
and drop something down the iron grating. Witness
went below and found the watch produced.
Alderman Humphery—You came out to witness the
execution of a fellow-creature, but it does not appear to
have done you any good, for your intention in being
there was to pick pockets evidently. It is quite clear
that you committed a highway robbery, and that too
under the gallows, an offence that was punished at one
time with death. It is too serious a case for me to deal
with summarily, and I shall therefore commit you for
trial.

THAMES.—James Cropley, aged 36, a Lancashire
collier, was charged with committing a violent assault
on his wife Eliza, who, however, had refused to appear
against her husband.

Two respectable women, named Sarah Valentine and
Harriet Gentry, deposed that on Saturday evening,
about half-past six o'clock, they saw the prisoner and his
wife in Cottage-street, Poplar. The wife was carrying
a young child and could not move so fast as her hus-
band, who commenced swearing at her and struck her
with his fist. He then raised a heavy stick and dealt
her a tremendous blow on the nose with it. She fell as
if shot, and the blood gushed from the wound over the
footpath. The woman was insensible for some time
afterwards, and her nose was completely flatened by the
blow. The witnesses raised the prisoner's wife, and gave
the prisoner into custody.
The prisoner in his defence said his wife aggravated
him to strikd her. He only knocked her down.
Mr. Yardley sentenced him to six months' imprison-
ment and hard labour.

CLERKENWELL.—Tames Toomey, a young man
dressed as a labourer, was charged with having com-
mitted several robberies, and also with a murderous
assault upon James Abrahams, a police officer, 296 S
division.
Abrahams said that on Saturday night, at half-past 8
o'clock, he was passing through Weston-street, Somers-
town, when he saw the prisoner carrying a couple of
baskets containing carpenters' tools. He stopped him
and asked what he had got ? Pri4oner replied, " What's
that to you ?" and, throwing down the articles, said,
" You may carry them yourself." He then seized wit-
ness by the throat and held him against the wall. They
had a severe struggle, but the prisoner ultimately threw
him down on the ground, knelt on his chest, and kicked
him severely on the head and body. Witness called on
some costermongers to assist him, saying he was a police-
officer, but they refused, and said, " It is only man to
man, let them fight it out." The prisoner continued to
resist violently, and at length he gave him two desperate
kicks which rendered witness nearly insensible, and in
endeavouring to ward of the kicks, his arm was very
much injured. Pearse, 149 S, came to his assistance,
and he was also thrown down and maltreated by the
prisoner, who after considerable difficulty was secured
in the station house, it requiring five or six officers to
take him there. Witness was disabled from duty, and
had ever since been under the care of a surgeon. He
was now suffering great pain from the injuries he had
received. He produced the property, which he had
traced to have been stolen from Benjamin Holt, car-
penter, of William-street North, Caledonian-street, Is-
lington, and another carpenter in the same locality, who
•
identiaed the articles.
•
Mr. Corrie fully committed the prisoner on the charge
of robbery, but remanded him for the assault on
Abraham. •