The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-22 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—Sept. 21.

OLD COURT.
FORGERY.

Samuel Ellen, 38, was indicted for feloniously forging
an endorsement to a bank post bill for 301., with intent
to defraud.
Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Huddlestone prosecuted on
the part of the Bank of England. The prisoner had no
counsel.
The facts of the case have already appeared in full in
the police reports within the last few days. It will be re-
membered that Messrs. Hall and Sons, ship brokers,
having occasion for a bank post bill for 301., made
application at the proper office at the Bank of
England for such an instrument on the 25th August,
and having given the necessary instructions to the
clerk, it appeared that, according to the custom
of the bank, it was necessary that some little time
should elapse before the necessary forms could be
gone through for the perfecting of the bill, and
Mr. Hall was requested to call in about half
an hour for the instrument. He did not apply for it for
more than an hour, and it appeared that during that in-
terval some person, who bad probably been hanging
about the bank and bad heard what was going:, on, made
an application to the clerk in the name of Messrs.' Hall
and Son and received the bill. There was no evidence
that the prisoner was the person who so obtained pos-
session of the instrument, but it was clearly made out
that a very few days afterwards the stolen bill was in his
bands, and he endeavoured to pass it first at a clothier's
at Chatham, and then at Messrs. Moses', in Oxford-street.
The prisoner, when called upon for his defence, at-
tempted to set up a very lame answer to the charge, by
calling his son to prove that on the 26th of August, the
day after the bill had been fraudulently obtained from
the bank, under the circumstances above narrated, they
were together in the Royal-qxtlrange, and that the
prisoner went out for a short time, and when he re-
turned he was in the act of wiping the dirt from
a piece of paper, which turned out to be the bill
in question. The son also said that his father took
him with him to show him where he had found the
paper, and he pointed out a scaffold pole, that was lying
upon the ground near Capel-court, and said that he had
picked the bill up from underneath it.
Mr. Justice Crompton having summed up, the jury
immediately found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sen-
tenced under the new statute to undergo four years of
penal servitude.

ASSAULT.
Edward Butler, the prisoner who was acquitted upon
the charge of endeavouring to murder John Thomas, by
throwing him into the river, was placed at the bar to
take his trial upon a charge of a common assault arising
out of the same circumstances.
Mr. O'Brien, who appeared for the prisoner, said it
would be useless to endeavour to struggle against a
conviction for an assault, and by his advice the prisoner
would retract his plea of not guilty, and plead guilty to
the charge.
Baron Martin sentenced him to be kept to hard labour
for a year.

MURDER AT SHEPHERDS-BUSH.

Mr. Sleigh applied on the behalf of James Hayes, who
stands charged upon the coroner's inquisition with the
murder of his wife, for a postponement of the trial to the
October sessions.—The application was granted.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL. Mary Cotter was charged with
stealing a gold watch and guard-chain, and about 16s. in
silver, from the person of Mr. Boyd, of No. 11, Bolt-
court, Fleet-street.
Mr. Boyd stated that about two o'clock on the morn-
ing of Wednesday he went into • a publichouse in Fleet-
street, where he found a lot of men and women drinking
in front of the bar, and, being a little in liquor himself,
he treated them all round. He remembered changing a
sovereign and spending about 3s. or 4s. of it, after which
he turned his steps towards home, when the prisoner
officiously offered to see him safe to his domicile. On
reaching his bedroom in company with the prisoner he
counted his money, consisting of five half crowns, one
florin, 35., a fourpenny piece, and two half-pence, and
found it correct. He then sat down on the bed, and,
feeling drowsy, he slept for about 15 minutes, when he
awoke and found the prisoner feeling his pockets. He
immediately searched for his money, but it was all gone,
and he then took the prisoner down to the police-station,
where she was searched, and two half-crowns, :Is., and a
halfpenny were found in her possession. On the way to
the station prosecutor missed his watch and guard, and
at once requested the assistance of an officer, who accom-
panied him back to his bedroom, and on the bed they
found the gold watch and guard folded up, and by its
side two half-crownp, one florin, and a halfpenny.
The prisoner here said that the prosecutor gave her the
Bs. that was found on her.
The prosecutor expressed great surprise at this asser-
tion, and denied having had any improper intercourse
with the prisoner.
Alderman Cubitt said it would be useless to send such
a case as this for trial, for the jury would be sure to
credit the prisoner's statement ; and it was only natural
to believe that a respectable person would not allow a
woman of the prisoner's class to accompany him home
without remunerating her. The prisoner was therefore
discharged.
The prosecutor asked if the Bs. found on the prisoner
were to be given up to him
Alderman Cubitt said he should make no order about
the money.