The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-18 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE..

GIIILDHALL.—RicAard Biggs and Ruth, Biggs,
his wife, were placed at the bar before Alderman Moon,
charged with robbing their employer of property toi the
value of between 3001. atid 4001.

Daniel May, the detective officer, said—l received in-
formation from Mr. Waters, a wine merchant of White-
cross-street, that he had been robbed to a considerable
extent, and accordingly commenced watching his pre-
mises on Wednesday last. About half-past seven the
evening I saw the female prisoner leave, and watched
her to a marine store shop in Whitecross-street. She
had some empty bottles with her' at the time. I then
saw her go back to the prosecutor's warehouse anre-
turn to the marine store shop with more bottles. i On
Thursday night I watched her twice to the same shop,
and each time she appeared loaded, but I could not see
with what. On Saturday last I saw her leave the
bottle warehouse six times, and she was away each time
long enough to go to the marine store shop and back.
She went out loaded each time, but I did not followler.
On Monday night she went out twice with bottles, leach
time leaving the male prisoner in the bottle warehouse.
The second time I stopped her on the way to the marine
store shop and found 10 bottles in her possession.
Mr. Robert Waters said—l am a wine and vinegar
merchant, carrying on business at 15, Lower Whitecross-
street. The prisoners have been in my employ about
four years and had the care of the bottle warehouse
during that time. I took stock on the Ist of January
in the present year and discovered a deficiency of from
3001. to 4001. I thought I must have been mistaken,
and therefore took stock again, and found the result
the same. I then took stock of quantity of wine I
had received during the year and added it to the stock I
had on hand at the time I took stock in January, 1853,
and then deducted the quantity I had sold and the
stock on hand remaining, and the result, after allowing
169 gallons for waste, was a deficiency of 1,570 gallons
of wine during the last year. I therefore suspected I
was being robbed, and applied to the Commissioner of
Police, and the officer May was placed at my service.
There are four other persons in my employ, but some of
them have only been with me a very few months. The
prisoners were allowed to make overtime, and therefore
had the key of the bottle warehouse, and I imagine they
must have got a false key to the counting house, where
the keys of the rest of the premises are kept. I pay the
male prisoner 235. per week, and they earned about 15s.
more by working at night at bottle washing.
Alderman Moon said—lt seems almost incredible that
the prisoners could have taken so large a quantity of
wine.

Mr. Waters said—l have noticed that the casks fell
short of their proper quantity, but attributed it to the
carelessness of the men in not chalking on the casks the
quantities as they were drawn.
Mr. Garratt said—l am a marine store dealer at 78,
"Upper Whitecross-street. I know the female prisoner.
She brought some bottles several times during last week
and the week previous, and my wife bought them of her.
I have not known her more than a week or two. I have
only been in business six months.
Mr. Alderman Moon said—l suppose your predecessor
made a fortune and retired from business.

Witness said—No, sir. I married the person who
had the business before I came into it, but knowing no-
thing of it myself, I left her to buy everything. I was
generally in the way when my wife bought bottles of the
female prisoner, but I cannot say how many she bought.
She might have bought four or five dozen last week, but
I am sure she did not buy that quantity every week, nor
can I tell if it was a dozen a week. The female pri-
soner came several times with bottles during the week
before last, and always said they were her perquisites.
We sell them to the bottle collectors, but I don t know
what my wife gets for them.

Alderman Moon said—Bottles are very dear just now,
and wine-merchants have great difficulty in getting
enough, and surely if you have any interest in the busi-
ness you would know what price your wife sells them
at. Do you keep any books ?
Witness—Yes, sir, we keep books, but we don't enter
bottles in them.

Alderman Moon—What do you enter, then ?
Witness—Oh, metals, sir. We buy lead and other
things.
Esther Garratt, wife of last witness, was then ex-
amined, after which the prisoners were remanded.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—John Brown and
William. Smith, two gentlemen under assumed names,
were charged with being drunk the over-night, and with
having assaulted several persons.
John Rendall, waiter at Scott's Oyster Supper-
rooms; 18, Coventry-street, said—About half-past 11
on the previous night the defendant's came into the
shop and were served with their supper in the first-floor
room. They had some beer with their supper, and
Brown ordered more, but seeing they were intoxicated
he refused to let them have any more beer. Brown
swore he would split his head if he did not obey
his orders, and got up from his seat and smashed one of
the door panels, declaring at the same time he ',would
serve everybody in the place in the same way unlpss he
was supplied with what he wanted. Witness and
another waiter tried to get Brown away, upon which
Brown lifted a stick he had in his hand and struck him
several times over the body and head with it. The
other waiter was also struck by Brown. At last the
defendants were pushed as far as the door, and then
Brown turned about, and seizing one of the waiters by
the throat, and at the same time laying hold of a knife
which stood on the sideboard, swore he would stick the
knife on the first person that touched him. The damage
done to the door was 10s.
John Scott, the proprietor of the supper rooms, said
—On hearing a disturbance in his house, he went down
to the first floor, and found the defendants, whb were
drunk, making a great disturbance and using', filthy
language. Witness called in the police and gate him
into custody. The defendant Smith struck him a.severe
blow on the face and his eye was cut with a ring'which
Smith wore.
Police-Constable Collins, 19 C, said he was called to
take the,elefendants into custody. He saw Smith strike
Mr. Scott in the eye.
In defence, Brown replied he had nothing to say.
Smith said he was perfectly sober.
Inspector Parkes denied this. Smith was not,sober,
but he was not so drunk as Brown.

Mr. Hardwick asked Smith why he assaulted the com
plainant ?

Smith replied that the complainant presumed to put
his hand upon his collar.
Mr. Hardwick asked what they were'?
Brown said he was a doctor, Smith that he was a pri-
vate gentleman.
Neither of these statements are entirely correct.
Brown is not known to the police. Smith is very well
known, and his real name was mentioned by Mrt Scott
in court.

Mr. Hardwick said it was impossible to bring
of more discreditable acts against persons in the
of the defendants than what had just been de

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evidence. The defendants were Proved to hai
mixed up in a vulgar night brawl in an oyster sE
saulting waiters, threatening one with a knife
filthy and disgusting language, and not sober
should inflict the higest fine on each for the al
namely, 51., and in addition require Brown to

damage.
The' fines and damage were paid.

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went in my van to the defendant's house
Richard May, proprietor of the Hi
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been paid the above amount.
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said that her
mistress was
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as well. She replied that he
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The servant had scarcely reached the top of the stairs
and what do you want ? I replied that I was
you,
' Richard May, and that I wanted my money. The de-
fendant at once replied, "How dare you detain my
things ?" and before I could reply he hit me in the face.
I was so completely stunned by the blow, that I could
in no way defend myself, and the defendant then shut
before Mr. Slattery came quickly down,
the door, and commenced beating me about the head and
face, dragging me along the passage to the stair head of
the kitchen. I became quite helpless from the ill-usage,
and only remember that a second man, to whom I can-
not swear, came and helped to turn me into the street ;
but I remember that as I was put out the street door
defendant gave me a kick. He also swore, whilst he
was beating me, that he would knock my brains out.
Mr. Broughton—Had he anything in his hands that
could have inflicted such dreadful injuries on your face ?
Complain.an t—l do not remember seeing anything in
his hands,' but believe he had rings on his fingers.
Defendant—Did I not order you to leave my house,
and you refused with an oath ?
Witness—You did not, nor did you give me an op-
portunity to make such a reply.
The defendant, in defence of his conduct, said that the
complainant had detained his clothes for the purpose of
pledging them ; that he was very insolent on Monday
evening when he called, and that when he took him by
the arm to turn him out of the house, he (complainant)
struck him in the mouth. He then considered that he

was justified.; what 11-:= wn house. He
. two - is to call.
Mr. Broughton—l have but one opinion of the de-
fendant's conduct—a more ruffianly assault I have never
had before me, and it reflects great disgrace upon h im.
I that any punishment by way of fine I can inflict
will not be adequate to meet the enormity of the assault,
and therefore to enable the complaint to seek redress for
injuries that will at least prevent him from business for
three months, by applying to the County Court, I will
bind the defendant himself in 1001., and two respectable
sureties in 501. each, to keep the peace towards the
complainant for four months, I also request that In
spector, Grant attend before the judge, and state that I
declined to adjudicate in the matter, because I felt that
what punishment I could inflict would not be sufficient to
meet the damage and injury done to the complainant.
Complainant-4 will at once adopt your worship's
advice.
Mr. Broughton directed the officer who bad the case
in hand to let the defendant have the clothing when he
had inspectei them, and paid the amount demanded,
14s. 10d.

THAMES.—Yesterday Mr. Pemble, the beadle and
inspector of nuisances in the hamlet of Ratcliff, brought
a very appalling case of destitution under the notice of
Mr. Yardley. He stated that on Saturday morning last
he was sent for to a small tenement, situate No. 41, St.
James's-place, Ratcliff. In one corner of a small room
was the emaciated body of a poor woman, who appeared
to have died from cold and starvation. It was lying on
a heap of short and dirty straw, which had very much
the appearance of chaff, and it was covered with the re-
mains of an old and ragged quilt.
There was no furni-
ture, provisions, or fuel of any kind in the place. The
husband of the woman, a fruit vendor, named John Ellis,
who was almost broken hearted, was in the room, and
said that he and his wife had been reduced to great dis-
tress, and that he was unable to obtain food for them ;
that he laid down by the side of his wife on the floor
on the previous night, and when he awoke in the
morning he found she was cold and motionless. The
poor fellow called in a neighbour and found that the un-
fortunate woman was dead. Pemble added that he had
seen hundreds of cases of destitution which had affected
him very much, but never saw such a
dreadful one as
this before. The husband of the deceased was an indus-
trious man, but a series of misfortunes, the high price of
provisions, and his inability to purchase fruit, bad
brought him to a state of utter destitution, and his wife
had perished for want of common necessaries.
Mr. Yardley was surprised and greatly pained that
such a deplorable event had taken 1 p : If the case of
the poor man and his wife had been made known before
he would have rendered every assistance. He directed
Pemble to fetch the man, who had met with this melan-
choly bereavement, and who was in waiting. Ellis, a
poor care-worn creature, suffering from starvation, was
brought into court, and his pitiable condition excited the
greatest commiseration. He was recognised by many
present as an industrious, civil, and well-conducted ven-
dor of fruit, well known in the neighbourhood of Step-
ney. He confirmed all that the humane beadle of the
hamlet had stated, and said he had been turned out of a
room he occupied in Brook-street, Ratcliff, because he
could not pay his rent. He had applied to one of the
relieving officers of the Stepney union in which Ratcliff
was situate, and the parish doctor had seen his invalid
wife, but all they obtained was a loaf of bread and some
oatmeal, with an order to go into the workhouse, which
he declined doing, because he did not wish to be sepa-
rated from his wife.

Mr. Yardly was much astonished that relief had been
doled out on so small a scale to the destitute people, and
he thought in a case like this meat and other nourish-
ments should have been supplied. There was neglect,
he was afraid, on the part of some sne ; it was very
painful indeed to hear of such a case as this. He felt
surprised the doctor had not recommended some nourish-
ment for the man and his wife while they were in such
a deplorable state more particularly as the same doctor
had recommended several cases of distress to him by
letter and he had attended to them.
Ellis said the doctor had not been near his starving
wife for three weeks.
notM bra
state he was in ?
Yardleybetter asked
for
him theto g poor o
intoor man
the
workhousewhether i t
iwn o ulthed
Ellis said he did not wish to go into the workhouse.
He could not bear the thought of it. If he could only
struggle on and obtain a few shillings to purchase a pair
of shoes and some fruit to raise a few pence he should
be satisfied.

Mr. Yardley condoled with the poor man on the loss
he had sustained, and said it was a very sad affair in-
deed. He awarded the man a sovereign from the poor
box, and told him to make the best Ilse of it he could,
and the case might be mentioned to him again.