The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-07 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

CLERKENWELL.—CharIes King, described as a
coal agent, was brought up on remand before Mr. Tyr-
whitt, charged with obtaining two guineas from Mrs.
Frances Wilcox, by fraudulent means.
Mr. Humphreys, as before, attended on behalf of the
Great Northern Railway Company, and Mr. Lewis, of
Ely-place, attended for the prisoner.
The evidence taken at the former examination in con-
nection with the alleged fraud on Mrs. Wilcox, appeared
in The Sun of the Ist inst.

A second case now gone into was that of Mrs. Agnes
Eastoe, of 24, William-street, Hampstead-road, who
said that on the 30th of October the prisoner called on
her and asked her if sh4e wanted any coals for the win-
ter. She told him that she had ordered a ton of Silk-
stone's at 265. from Mr.,llerbert Clarke, of the King's-
cross station, and that they were to be in on the follow.
ing Thursday. He replied, " Oh, I come from Mr.
Herbert Clarke, and I can let you have them earlier, you
know they are getting dearer." She replied, "I know
that, but they will not be dearer to us, because we have
booked them. She, however, said she would speak to
her husband about it. On the following day he again
called, 'out she told him that her husband would wait.
On the Thursday, about a quarter-past 10 o'clock in the
morning, a van arrived with a ton of coals, and I paid
the driver 265. About an hour after one of the Great
Northern Railway waggons brought a second ton, and
she took them in also and paid for thom.• She gave a
sample of the first coals to Mr. Lockerby.
Mr. Middlemass having repeated his former opinion
as to the difference of coals, said that the sample taken
from Mrs. Eastoe were common "Barnsley."
Mr. Lewis—What is the value of such coal at the pit's
mouth?

Mr. Humphreys—Do not answer; the object is to open
the secrets of the trade. (Laughter.)
Mr. Tyrwhitt—l suppose there is a difference in value
at the pit's mouth and at market in London.
Mr. Middletnass— There is. _ _

Mr. Lewis at great length contended that there was
no evidence, in point of law, to make the first case heard
an indictable offence.

Mr, Tyrwhkt, however, said he quite disagreed in
that opinion, but would again remand the prisoner to
complete the cases. He would accept the same bail as
before.

The bail was put in.

THAMES.—C;LarIeS Bailey, an American seaman,
was charged with stabbihg William Nubley, a basket-
maker.

The injuries inflicted resulted from a public-house
brawl, and the complainant being in a dangerous condi-
tioulthe prisoner was remanded fora week.

MANCHESTER.—Yesterday (Tuesday) a weaver j

Robert Welding, respectable and intelligent-looking for
Ins class, was charged at this court with cuttin4 and
wou-nding step tom, a youth about seventeen
of age, with a razor, intending to do bi some bodily
harm.

The stepson, who is apprentice to a cork-cutter,
said—On Saturday evening week his mother had left
the house for a little time, when his stepfather came
and asked for her by an opprobrious name, and the
result was that they quarrelled and fought. He acknow-
ledged that he struck his step-father first. Subsequently
the latter renewed the quarrel, saying he would take the
life of witness, aad in a second struggle they rolled on
the floor together. Whilst on the floor Welding took
a razor and cut him across the forehead and other parts
of the face, saying he would cut his threat.
The stepfather having been asked by Mr. Maude
what he had to say to this charge, replied that this took
place more thaa a week ago, and he thought it was all
forgotten and forgiven. He believed the charge was
prompted entirely by spite, as he could have shown if
time had been given him to get his witnesses.
Mr. Maude.—But what do you say to taking this
razor ?

Prisoner (with great manifestation of surprise)—God
bless you, sir, I know nothing about it. I cut myself
as well as him, and I thought in about a week that was
all forgiven. I should have forgotten and forgiven
it in that time. I could have forgiven murder in that
time.

Mr. Maude ?—What are you ?
Prisoner—A small ware-weaver.
The Magistrate—Does anybody know anything about
this man ?

Prisoner—l dare say there is, but I was taken so sud-
denly from my work that I bad not time to get wit-
nesses. I thought it was all forgiven. It's all spite.
You see, sir, she's younger than me, is my wife. ram
an old man, and they want to get rid of me. She does
not live with me. I cook my own victuals, clean my
own shoes, and pay my own rent. That's the way I
carry on.

In the course of further investigation, it appeared,
that husband and wife lived in the same house as lodgers,
but rented different apartments, and the worthy magis-
trate expressing great surprise at such a way of " carry-
ing on," decided, ultimately, upon adjourning the case
till this day, that the wife might be examined.
The prisoner (who appeared to regard himself through-
out as the most injured party), on hearing the magis-
trate's decision, bowed deferentially and said, " I think
I can suit you to-morrow, sir ; I have no doubt of it,"
and was put back into the dock amidst much laughter
ou the part of the idlers who filled the gallery of the
police-court.

OWNERS OF A COLLIERY COMMITTED

TO THE ASSIZES.

Two coal owners at Wigan, Messrs. James and Thomas
Gidlew, and their manager, Daniel Battersby, have been
committed for trial at the Liverpool assizes, on a charge
of drowning, or filling with water, certain mines belong-
ing to the Earl of Balcarres. The case has been the sub-
ject of a long investigation before Mr. Acton, mayor of
Wigan, and other magistrates, and the substance of the
evidence was to the effect, that Messrs. Gidlow are the
owners of an estate called the Arley estate, adjoining the
property of Lord Balcarres, at Wigan, through which a
tributary stream of the river Douglas passes, called the
Arley Brook. A seam of coal passed under the land of
Lord Balcarres, and under the Arley estate, gradually
rising towards the surface of the land till it cropped out
near the Arley Brook. That portion of the seam of coal
which underlays the Arley estate was worked many
years ago, leaving the subterranean workings open ;
and as the Arley Brook sometimes overflows, large
bodies of water find their way into these old workings,
which are open to the surface, and pass within a yard of
the bed of the stream. Great indiscretion was no doubt
committed in getting the coal so near the surface. It, fol-
lows, of course, that the Earl of Balcarres' portion of
the seam of coal being on the lower level can only now
be worked by keeping up a barrier between these old
workings and the new ones. Such a barrier, it is
alleged, was left by Mr. Peace, the noble earl's manager,
and the charge is, that the prisoners did, about the 13th
of October, maliciously cause about 10,000 tons of water
to flow into the subterranean workings communicating
with those of Lord Balcarres, with intent to delay the
working and to damage and destroy the same. By 7 and
8 Geo. IV. cap. 30, sec. 6, this offence is made felony,
and is punishable by transportation. The evidence ad-
duced was very lengthy, the chief witnesses being the
owners and managers of adjoining coal mines ; and the
case was so far made out that the magistrates, as stated
! above, decided to send the case to th assizes, but they
accepted bail.