The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-24 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-Aug. 23.

(Before Mr. Sergeant Adams.)
SELLING FORGED ORDERS OF ADMISSION TO " THE
ADELPHI."
unlaw-
fullyGhaving
pretences
from
JohnPallett, one shilling, with intent to cheat and defraud
e4rge
attemptedi‘rewn ton'
obtain 47, pleaded
b y
him thereof.
It appeared that on the 4th inst., the prisoner went
to the shop of Mr. Pallett, a fishmonger, in Hunger-
ford-market, and asked him if he could make use of an
guilty
false to
order for the Adelphi Theatre. He told the prisoner to
call for an answer in a quarter of an hour. He went
away, and returned within the time mentioned and
handed to Mr. Pallett what purported to be an admis-
sion to the Adelphi Theatre. He asked for money for
it, and represented that he was Mr. Webster's mes-
senger. The prosecutor, while the prisoner was away,
had sent for an officer, who apprehended him, and on
his being searched, a bundle of similar " orders" was
found upon him. It would seem that he had been driving
a rather successful trade in his own way, for one night
no less than 60 of these spurious orders_were presented
at the theatre, but were of course refused. The pri-
soner set up that in consequence of the great cab strike
the play-going public could not get to the theatre, which
had been the reason of an overflowing issue of orders to
make up a house. This was untrue, and the order he
had attempted to cheat the prosecutor with was a
forgery.
The Assistant-Judge said he found the prisoner had
twice been convicted of felony, and then sentenced him
to one year's hard labour.

(Before Mr. Witham.)
SINGULAR CASE OF ROBBERY.

Elizabeth. Billings, 19, was indicted for having stolen
a mahogany box, eight gold rings, and other article;
value 201., the property of Selina Deane, in the dwell-
ing•house of Abraham Simmons. Mr. O'Brien appeared
for the prisoner.

The prosecutrix stated that she was the kept mistress
of Abraham Simmons who was formerly landlord of the
Sir John Falstaff public-house in Brydges-street, Covent-
garden. The prisoner had been in her service as maid-
of-all-work at that house, and during the time of her
servitude several articles were missed. The prisoner left
for a short time, but she returned again to her place on
the 25th of July, on the following day she missed a box
containing eight gold rings, a guard chain, four gold ear-
rings, and other articles, the value of which she esti-
mated at something more than 201. On the morning of
the 28th of July she went with a sergeant of the detec-
tive police to 15, Lewisham-street, Westminster, where
the prisoner was apprehended ; and on the way to the
station in Bow-street, she began to cry, and asked wit-
ness whether, if she told all about it, she would not for-
give her ; to which she replied, that if she told all about
it before a magistrate she would forgive her, if he would,
as she had no wish to prosecute her, and she then said
she had taken the things and had pledged part of them.
Several pawnbrokers' assistants proved the pawning
of the articles by the prisoner. It was an important cir-
cumstance in the case that one of the rings was pawned
on the 23d of July last, but the assistant could not, he
said, swear that it was pledged by the prisoner.
It was proved that the prisoner said at the police sta-
tion, " I took the things and afterwards pledged them."
Mr. Witham then read from the depositions the fol-
lowing statement made by the prisoner before the magis-
trate on the 4th of August :
" Last Wednesday week Mr. Simmons gave me the
mourning ring. Last Monday morning week I went to
his house ;he was standing at the door. I went in
with my sister, and he told me to get him a cup of tea.
I could not find my mistress, and he told me to go into
the kitchen. I went there, and he followed me and be-
gan pulling me about in a very indecent manner, and I
told him to keep his hands to himself. I went into
the bar parlour, and he followed me in there. My sister
(a child) was outside the bar, and she began to cry. He
then brought this box out of a cupboard in the parlour
and three receipts. He told me to burn the receipt, and
gave me the mahogany box, saying, I will make you a
present of this—it contained the rings and the ear-rings,
and he behaved very indecently-towards me, and I told
hiin I would not allow him to touch me from what I had
heard of him. I said to him here's my mistress coming
down stairs, and he said no she is not, she is fast asleep,
and he began again with me ; and I said if he did not
leave me alone I would go out of the house and call an

officer. He said I will make you a present of these
things, and if anybody asks you anything about it, deny
it, and say I did not give it you. I was not to mention
how he acted towards me. I asked him for some luci-

fers to get out of the house, and he gave me some
money to get some, and gave my sister a cake or a half-
penny not to cry. When he had got hold of me the
barman came in, and he went away."
The prosecutrix, in cross-examination, denied that she
ever taxed Simmons with any impropriety of conduct to
the prisoner. She knew Laura Graham, and had seen
the party with Mr. Parkinson at the house. Simmons
did not get the money he demanded of Parkinson, but
probably he would yet.
Simmons was then called. He positively denied ever
having given the prisoner any of the articles, and indig-
nantly answered in the negative when asked as to the
charge made against him by the prisoner. On the morn-
ing of the 25th July, when the prisoner alleged this to
have occurred, she came to the house with her sister,
and he set her to work to get his breakfast. The bar-
man was present, and could bear him out in stating that
what the prisoner had stated was all false. The priso-
ner's sister, "An interesting child, 17 or 18 months
old," he said, began to cry, and he gave her some
bread-and-butter and a cake. She cried because her
sister was away. He denied the allegations one by one,
and swore they were utterly false.
. .

In cross-examination, he- said he could not recollect
whether the Chief Justice told him in his case (Simmons
v. Parkinson) that he ought to be indicted forperjury, and
told the jury not to believe him on his oath ; but this he
knew, that the defendant, Parkinson, owed him more
than 4,0001., and that they said he charged too much
for goods, and that the jury believed the other side
more than they did him, for he didn't get the verdict.
Mr. O'Brien—Were you ever tried yourself ?
Witness (carelessly)—l don't know.
Mr. O'Brien—Don't know, sir ! Do you expect that
jury there to believe anything you say after giving that
answer ?

eiln
a kindfr esho.
The witness here got very violent, and said be came
there to speak the truth, and nothing but facts, and he
wished to know what this had to do with the present
case. He said he was tried about six years ago for re-
ceiving a thousand pound note, but Baron Parke, the
judgo on the occasion, stopped the case before three
words were said. He had received the note as a bet on
the course at Epsom, one Derby day, from a man named
Green. " The case (he said) never went to the jury,
and why is this brought up agin me now ?" and he pro-
ceeded, heedless of the admonition of the Court, to give
the jury his account of all that took place in the bar
parlour on the morning of the 25th of July, very
earnestly protesting that his only object was to tell the
truth.
Mr. Witham said the witness was conducting himself
with great impropriety.
In further cross-examination, he said he had seen the
prisoner's father in reference to the case. He did not
say to him that if the prisoner would withdraw the
charge she had made upon him, he would not prose-
cute her—but that if she did se he would recommend
her to mercy.
Mr. O'Brien—Has Miss Deane ever charged you with
impropriety towards this young woman.
Witness—Well, this is fresh—You ask curious and
Btritiaheeens —epfr
prisoner.
nsoonnyyeoruci.
uknoweHsta:inas Lauranya tnhdiGn
gsroaomhfaetmthh
funny questions—
Witness—Yes I do—
Mr. O'Brien—And acquainted with her as you are,
ibOnyk'
—Answer the question, sir.
Witness—Why no, she never did.
The barman was then called. His evidence fully
cor-
roborated that of Simmons in negativing the charge
curred he must have both seen and heard • it. The pri-
soner's sister was five or six years old.
Mr. O'Brien then addressed the jury,
them that the evidence of Simmons Ho urged upon
credit, and that as the case dependedwaa not worthy of
entirely upon his
oath, the jury would see of what value what he had said
yoMu
madetrh.
on oath was. The learned counsel then alluded to the
late case of Simmons v. Parkinson, and the part the
plaintiff had borne in it—the painted horse
sums of money charged for ,the immense
Graham, with whom , jewell ery, and miss Laura
he had slept—and said it was
clear that his denial of •
what the prisoner had alleged
had
been got up between him and the barman.
The prisoner's father deposed that before the final ex-
amination before the magistrate, Simmons sent for him
and offered to forego all prosecution, if the prisoner
would withdraw the charge she had made. .
Mr. Witham, in summing up, dwelt strongly on the
admissions made by the prisoner, that she had taken
the things. If the defence was not true, it was an infa-
mous one, for then the prisoner had taken advantage of
Simmons' bad character—for it could not at all be said
that his character was good—to make up this charge
against him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, with a strong re-
commendation to mercy.
Mr. Witham inquired on what grounds ?
The Foreman said—Under all the circumstances of
the case.
Mr. Witham did not think it was a case for mercy at
all, after the defence set up.
Mr. O'Brien said, as he stood there, he believed every
word of what the prisoner had said ; and though twelve
men would not believe the ow! Simmers, I_3l a cue of