The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-10 00:00:00

ROBBERY OP GAS.

George Strutt, 31, a hairdresser, was indicted for having
stolen 700 cubic feet of gas, the property of the London
Gas Company. When called on to plead, he said—l am
guilty of burning the gas, but not in the way of stealing
it. I intended to pay for it at the proper time.
The Assistant Judge—Very well, that is a plea of not
guilty.
This was a prosecution of a novel nature, and thefacts
upon which the charge against the prisoner rested were
shortly as follows :—The prisoner was a hairdresser,
carrying on business at No. 10, York-street, Camden-
town, and had a contract with the London Gas Company
to supply him with gas for one bat's-wing burner for his
shop. On the 23d of December two inspectors in the
company's service went there in consequence of some
suspicion that all was not right, and on lifting up a pot
which was used for the hot shaving water, and was fixed
to the window-board, they found a burner under it alight
which was supplied with gas by a small pipe, surrepti-
tiously introduced into the pipe which supplied the
burner for which the contract was made. Some play-
bills were pasted about the board to conceal the pipe
from observation, and when the pot was in its place
nothing calculated to show that a gas burner was under
it could be detected. Newman (one, of the inspectors)
asked what this was for, and the prisoner in reply said
he supposed he could get over it by paying for it, and
that it had -been done in his absence in the country by a
person whom he left in charge of the business, about
three weeks before. Evidence was given to show that
anterior to that time the pot had been seen in the
same place, with water boiling in it, but no one had ever
seen either the pipe or the gas light by means of which
the water was heated. Newman even said that lie had
seen the pot there as much as twelve months previously,
before he went into the company's service, having re-
peatedly been there to be shaved.

In answer to questions put by-the Assistant-Judge, it
was admitted than there was some confusion in the
neighbourhood of Camden-town between the Imperial,
Equitable and London Gas Companies, and that.by mis-
take one company occasionally tapped a main belonging
to another, and actions were now pending in reference
to such matters. This introduced some doubt as to the
right of the prosecuting company to the gas consumed
by the extra burner in question, but it was cleared up by
a statement of Imipeetor Larkin, to the effect that
means were taken to ascertain the fact, and the service
pipe in the street, from which the pipe was laid into the
prisoner's shop, followed up to a main which he knew to
belong to the London Company, al it was of a different
size to the main of the Imperial. The main wasplugged
up, and the gas in the shop was extinguished, thus
proving that the supply was from the London Com-
pany's pipes.

The Assistant Judge, in summing up, said he thought
the jury might take it as proved that the gas was the gas
of the London Company, and that it was used by the
prisoner; but the question for them to determine was
I,Thether, on the evidence, they were satisfied that he
used it, with the intention of stealing it. If they were
LettLfied th.-;t lie had the pipe put up, or put it there
himself, and that it had been in use some time before he
said it hail, then he theiight they should return a verdict
of guilty ; bat if they were of opinion that the pipe was
'fixed in his absence, as he had himself said, and that he
fumed the gas without the felonious intention charged
against him, then they must undoubtedly acquit him.
After the jurymen had conferred together some little
time,

The Foreman abruptly turned round, and said, "Guilty,
my lord, without the felonioua intention."
The Assistant .Tudge—Gentlemen, that. is nonsense.
That iE; a verdict of not guilts,
though you say guilty.
It is the felonious intent that makes the guilt; and that
verdict is like a jury finding a man guilty of murder
without wilful design.
A juryman said they had not all agreed, and they
were locked up in charge of Mr. Sawyer, the beadle.
After being absent some time, they returned into court,
and found the prisoner gouty.
The AsAstant-Judge sentenced the prisoner to hard
labour for one calendar month.