The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.— Thomas Taylor, a young man, de-
scribing himself as a printer, lately in the employ of Mr.
Peel, of the New-cut, Lambeth, was charged with being
concerned with a man named Stewart, now in custody,
in committing a burglary on the premises of Mr. Wil-
kinson, of 89, Watling-street, on which occasion silk
goods to the value of nearly 2001. were stolen from the
warehouse.

It appeared from the evidence by Sergeant. Sheppard,
Ratcliffe, and Bleach, officers of the City Police force,
that from information received by them they went to
No. 10, Bell's-buildings, Salisbury-square, Fleet-street,
where they saw the prisoner. This was on Saturday
evening, and Ratcliffe asked prisoner if he knew any
one of the name of Stewart, upon which prisoner said
he did not, but would make inquiry for Ratcliffe if
he would call again. Accordingly Ratcliffe called
again yesterday morning and found the prisoner had
decamped from his lodgings, leaving a letter ad-
dressed to Ratcliffe, in the name of Smith, the name
he gave the prisoner on first calling. The following is a
copy of the letter :—" 10, Bell's-buildings.----Dear sir,—
Having been called away upon urgent business, I hum-
bly beg that you will excuse me disappointing you ; but
I have made every inquiry about . the man of the name
of Stuart, and I am very sorry that I cannot give you
any information respecting the person, bat those parties
that gave you my address are the most likely persons to
give you that information which you require.—l remain
yours, &c., THOS. TAYLOR. "—Sergeant Sheppard, Rat-
cliffe, and Bleach, then proceeded to No. 3, Britannia-
court, Whitefriars, where they found the prisoner at
breakfast, and, in the same room, a carpet bag, very
similar to the one that was found in Mr. Wilkinson's
passage, with handkerchiefs packed up ready to take
away. The prisoner said he had left a letter for Ratcliffe
at his lodgings, and Sergeant Sheppard then told him he
was charged with being concerned in a burglary, and
directed Bleach to take him into custody. The prisoner
denied all knowledge of the robbery.
Alonzo Lestrange identified the prisoner as having
been at the warehouse of Mr. Wilkinson only a few days
before therobberr

Mr. Wilkinson also recognised the prisoner as having
applied to him three or four days prior to the robbery.
He said he wanted a few dozens of handkerchiefs, which
was not a trade term, such goods being sold in pieces,
and not in dozens. He said he was going to Australia,
and wished to take out a few dozens to sell. Mr. Wil-
kinson told him that he generally sold wholesale ; upon
which the prisoner represented he had been recommended
to apply to him whereupon Mr. Wilkinson said he
would find him a little lot cheap, and then showed him
20 pieces of Indian corahs, which he offered to let prisoner
have for 171. 10s. He, however, went away, promising
eall again in half-an-hour ; but Mr. Wilkinson saw no
more of him, and when the subsequent robbery took
place those identical 20 pieces were taken away, with
other silk goods.
In cross-examination, Mr. Wilkinson !mid he was a
silk printer, and only printed to order, and it was there-
fore a very unusual thing for persons emigrating to
apply to him for small quantities of goods, although it
was very general with retail houses.

Sir Peter Laurie said he should remand the prisoner,
to be brought up again with the man already in custody
on the same charge.

THAMES.—Captain .Ridley Wilson, aged 35, the
master of the collier brig Fifteen, was charged with
sinking the schooner Essex Lass, at sea, on or about
Christmas, 1850.

The last prosecution of any importance in the part of
London relating to the sinking of a ship, took place forty
years ago, when Captain Codlin was hanged at Execu-
tion Dock for casting away the ship of which he had the
command, by boring holes in the cabin with an augur.
The captain in this case is alleged to have sunk his ship
in a similar manner.

The prosecutors were Messrs. Barnes and Neck, of
Colchester, the underwriters of the Essex Lass.
William Cudmore said--I was a seaman on board the
Essex Lass, which left Colchester about two years ago. I
think it was two years last Christmas. We loaded at
Amsterdam for the Mediterranean. I recollect when we
were on our return voyage from the Morea, I was stand-
ing at the helm, steering the vessel, about half-past
eight o'clock, the ship being then off Faro, on the Por-
tuguese coast, when I saw the captain, who is now
a prisoner, go to a locker, and open a tool-chest, from
which he took an augur, and commenced boring with it.
I saw the captain bore three holes underneath his bed-
cabin, in the ship's side, in the cabin, and below the
water-line. The water ran in through the holes between
the skirt and lining of the vessel into the hold. At
twelve o'clock the watch was called, and I told all hands
forward what the captain had done, and they said " Non-
sense."t
'' owuawtcilhl sweeasthactallledam quite right."pps
Atfourl rzlloicekd,
he
sounded. There was five feet water in the hold, and
one of the men said, " That's true, Bill, what you said."
We worked at the pumps from four till twelve, but the
water continued to gain on us, and the captain said it
was a bad job. We saw the water getting higher and
higher by the rod. At daylight the next morning we got
the boats out by the captain's order. The ves-
sel appeared to be filling. The captain got into
the dingy alongside the ship, with an adze in his
hand, and cut the larboard port out, and then ordered
the ship to be turned astern and cut away the starboard
port. The dingey was then afloat. After the ports
were cut out all hands took to the boats and pulled away
for Faro. The vessel went down about ten minutes after
we left her.

In answer to questions by Mr. Yardley, the witness
said the ports were about ten inches out of the water
when the captain began to cut them away, and the vessel
filled rapidly after that and began sinking—indeed,- she
sunk almost immediately afterwards. All hands got
safe to Faro.

Mr. Yardley—How did you see what was going on
below ?

Witness—l was standing at the helm. The cabin was
right under me. I looked through the skylight. I could
see everything that passed. The cabin floor was below
the water line.. The first time he communicated any-
thing about the sinking of the ship was a fortnight ago
last Saturday.
Upon this evidence the case was remanded.