The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-15 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.—Maria Clarkson, a young woman,
from the neighbourhood of Southwark-bridge-road, was
brought up for further examination, charged with steal-
ing a number of gold and diamond rings.
The prisoner went into the shop of Mr. G. Cording,
232, Strand, about a week ago, and told the assistant
in attendance that she wanted a hair-ring made. She
had a lock of hair in her possession, and, on being shown
a collection of rings to select a pattern from, she pointed
out one of them as her choice. In a minute or two
afterwards, the assistant saw a vacant place in the tray,
and consequently knew that one of the rings had
been taken out. He immediately accused the pri-
soner of stealing one, and went round the counter with
the view of detaining her; upon which she delivered
up a diamond ring, worth 31., and it was at once
identified.
The prisoner was fully committed for trial.

MARYLEBONE.—Signor Sebastian Pinto Leitj, a
Portuguese merchant, residing in Harley street, Caven-
dish-square, and Mary Barkin, his housekeeper, ap-
peared according to their personal assurance, given on
a former occasion, to answer a charge of felony, in
taking a quantity of cloth and an invoice, the alleged
property of Antonio Lopes Justianino. At the former
examination it appeared that the complainant, who had
served as a lieutenant-colonel under General Cabrera, in
the Carlist war, now follows the business of a tailor in
this country. In December last the defendant, Mr.
Leitti, a merchant in the city of London, had em-
ployed him to do some jobs, and knowing the position
he had one time filled, he took him by the hand, and
proposed placing him in a house in Harley-street, so
that he might gain a certain livelihood. The house was
taken in the name of Mr. Leitd, but the complainant
asserted that he was recognised as master by the lodgers
and that he carried on his tailoring business in the
stables of the premises, the defendant agreeing to be-
come a lodger in the house. In March this year the
tenancy of the house commenced, and then the defen-
dant purchased the cloth in question for the complainant,
and otherwise became his security to allow of his re-
ceiving credit. In July some matters of disagreement
arose between them, the result of which was, that Mr.
Leiti turned the complainant out of the house in the
first instance, and subsequently, with the assistance of
the police, out of the stable in which the cloth was kept.
In August the complainant found that the cloth was
taken away, and he made the present charge. In cross-
examination the complainant admitted that he was in
great distress when the defendant first served him ; that
he had been security for two several sums of 501. for him
with West-end drapers ; and that, although he knew
that the defendant had paid for the cloth alleged to be
stolen, he (complainant) had never paid defendant for it.
On the case being called on,
Mr. Broughton re-called the complainant, mut asked
him what position he held in the house in Harley-street
on the 26th of March ?—Complainant : As owner.
Mr. Broughton—How could you consider yourself
owner when you neither paid the servants, the taxes,
nor rent of the house ?—Complainant : Because Mr.
Leitd had promised to take the house in my name.
Mr. Broughton—Who took the money from the
lodgers, and what was done with it ?—Complainant : I
used to take it, and hand it to Mary Barkin. Mr. Leitt
gave her what other money was wanted for the use of
the house. She kept an account of it. I never put any
of the profits in my pocket. Mr. Leitti had advanced
me 201. to carry on my business as a tailor.
Monte; late coachman to Mr. Leit4, and two of his
discharged female servants, were called, but their testi-
mony with reference to the taking of the cloth in no
way tended to place the matter in that position that
would denote a felonious intent.

Mr. Parry, for the defendant, Mr. Leitd, said—l most
humbly submit to your worship that in this case no
charge of felony has been made out at all. Even sup-
posing the facts of the case to be such as given in
evidence, no jury of England would convict Mr. Leitd.
Apart from the fact that the defendant, a foreigner,
may have unintentionally committed a breach of the
English law, still it cannot be construed into an intent
of taking that which did not belong to him, for the cloth
in question was, in justice, his property, he not having
been paid for it. Had not many tradesmen been placed
in the same position, and on applying to a magistrate,
had not the reply been, " I cannot interfere in the mat-
ter, it is out of my jurisdiction; but if you see your
goods you have a right to take them if the party will
not, or does not, intend to pay for them." Here is a
man, who, whilst in distress, worms himself into Mr.
Leitd's confidence, and then, with the greatest ingrati-
tude, turns round and makes the present charge. The
acts of the case were simply that the defendant had
placed the complainant in a place of trust, and he had,
with the greatest ingratitude, turned round on his pa-
tron, and attempted to blacken his character before the
world. The learned counsel then reviewed the whole
case, and concluded by earnestly appealing to his wor-
ship not to stigmatise the character of his client, who
held a high position in the city of London as a mer-
chant, by sending this most trumpery charge for trial.
Mr. Henry Harris, for the defendant Mary Barkin,
contended that the statement made by her had in no
way connected her in an admission of wrong, and that
what she knew of the matter showed that she had acted
strictly under a sense of right. He also insisted that the
magistrate could do no other than not interfere in such
a case as the present.
Mr. Broughton said he would take time to consider
his judgment.
The defendants left the court with their friends, with-
out entering into any recognisances.

LAMBETH.—Henry Richardson, the driver of the
cab No. 977, and badge No. 4,745, appeared to a sum-
mons charging him with refusing to take a fare after his
cab had been regularly hired.

Mr. Charles Burrows, a gentleman residing at Dul-
wich, deposed that, about half-past 11 o'clock on the
night of the 25th of last month, several of the cabmen
?hr.limthe torhainskreasit Ca
dencmb e
on
nrwaseclel-rgen had
traeiningwherreefuhsd
eewatno take
wanted
dto
then with
go, and having observed the defendant drive up and put
denovgi:geadf.ar;il:ll)e went to him and asked him if he was
told the
residence at
Mrs,
defendant replied he was not, and he
Burrows got into the cab. He then
should give h.
defendantDulwich, upon
to drive him, namely, to his
d not
gtlhsoa.int6gdt.t:litvoz:hlimw.tch, upon which lie asked what he was
11crsao.vs2evdna.:Illeatwnhdoeuletdhheatankdgel:fhe
d , but that if he made it half-a-
-y
hallitness told him he should
but
28. The defendant replied
hiniotm:a.enss told him his fare was onl
second
about him, which was
t
iini home. He seemed,
about, as he expected, to d,,,,,gec'i 00 the box, and was
• however, to conceive a
jumping off the box, said be re ought, and instantly
uponwhich he directed to be om y.could not take him,
en t
house close by. Here the officers on dutyothe station-
him that he was bound to take the fare, not. only told
recommended him to do so. lie,
hewsevheut strongly
orily refused, and the number of his badge :;ixerentpt-
were taken, and written down by the sergeantt.hem-eab
Burrows further stated that it was exceedingly • --ix.
es singular
that both himself and the reserved man on duty at the
station-house should have made a mistake in the num.
her ; but they took it to be 337, and he had actually
summoned the driver of that number, and had to pay
him Bs. for his loss of time and trouble in attending to
the summons.
Mr. Elliott—Don't you think there is a probability
e and takin a
of your making a mistake in the numb possible, .
but it
nine for a three ?—Mr. Burrows—lt is
is somewhat strange that we should have both made
such a mistake. Had the defendant given mirth he usual
card with the number of his vehicle, as requ by act

of Parliament, I should have discovered if there had
been a change made in the plates, but he refused to give
me one, on the ground that I was not his fare.
The defendant, in reply to the charge, said that, the
day being wet, he was rather fortunate in getting fares,
and the fact was that his horse was quite knocked up
when the gentleman hailed him. His reply to the gen-
tleman was that he should take him a journey towards
his home, which was at Islington, and to which he had
then four miles to travel, but if he took the complain-
ant to Dulwich, he should have nine. The number of
his cab he said, had always been 977.
Mr. Elliott observed that if the defendant did not
wish to take a fare he should have taken his plates off,
but it was quite idle for him to assert that he had not
admitted the gentleman as a fare, when it was evident
he was ready to take him if he chose to be imposed on
and pay the half-crown. For the offence he must pay
a penalty of Bs. and the expenses, or be imprisoned for
eight days.
The defendant paid the fine.

WESTMINSTER.—The Rev. Mr. Hooper, curate
of St. Stephen's, Rochester-row, and assistant chaplain
at St. Thomas's Hospital, appeared to exhibit two
charges against Benjamin Crouch, a cab driver, for de-
manding more than his fare, and misbehaviour during
such employment.
Defendant pleaded guilty.
Complainant stated that on the morning of the 7th
inst., he rode to St. Thomas's Hospital, and hired defen-
dant's cab to return to Westminster, having to perform
morning service at St. Stephen's. He stopped the cab
in Bridge-street, and giving the driver half-a-crown,
asked him for eighteen-pence, to which defendant re-
plied that eighteen-pence was his fare. Complainant
told him that he was in the daily habit of riding the dis-
tance, and never was charged more than one shilling,
and directed the defendant to drive him to this court.
Defendant said, " Well, if I drive you there, you will
have to pay my expenses," when, a sudden thought
coming across complainant's mind that his duties at the
church would prevent his having time to go to the
police court, he desired defendant to drive him to
Palace•yard, where he pointed out to him, upon the
Commissioners of Police's table of fares posted up
there, that the distance from St. Thomas's Hospital
was 1,500 yards. Defendant said he did not care
for that, he would sooner be summoned than take
that amount ; but it was obvious that that was
a mere piece of bravado, for upon complainant hold-
ing some silver out in his hand defendant only took is.
While all this was going on he was surrounded by cab-
men. Complainant had applied for these summonses en-
tirely upon public grounds, and he wished to say that
defendant had called upon him and expressed great re-
gret ; and he (complainant) solicited as a favour that the
magistrate would deal with the defendant as leniently
as possible.
Mr. Broderip observed that defendant had met with a
most merciful complainant, but for whose interposition
he should have passed a widely different sentence from
what lie was now about to do. He felt that his duty to
the public would not allow him to suffer these cases to
pass without a penalty of ss. upon each, and costs.

THAMES.—Joseph Naylor, 42, Brunswick-street,
Poplar, and James Daniel Jeffreys, waterman, 8, Globe-
yard, Poplar, were charged before Mr. Yardley with
stealing 1421b5. of lead from the Parana steamer, lying
in the East India Dock, the property of the Royal Mail
Steam-packet Company.
Mr. Delamere, jun., attended on the part of the com-
pany ; Mr. Pelham was engaged for the prisoners.
Mr. Delamere stated that the prisoner Naylor was em-
ployed to remove ashes from the Parana, and that on the
previous day, while so employed, he was seen by the
ship-keeper, James Carter, to fling a piece of lead from
the steamer into the barge, where the other prisoner was
at work. After the latter prisoner had received it, he
covered it over with a quantity of ashes, upon removing
which Carter discovered the lead. Upon information
being conveyed to the second mate, he directed that a
search should be made to see if there was any more lead
on board the barge. That was done, upon which four
pieces were discovered, the weight of which was 1421b5.
Carter was examined, and proved that the lead was in
the chest over the steam-engine ; and a seaman named
Smith stated that the prisoner had only to remove the
ashes, which were placed on board the barge by him and
three other men.
The prisoners were committed for trial.

GREENWICH.—John Benin, aged about 50 years,
who formerly kept a booking-office and tobacconist shop
in Broadway, Deptford, was brought before Mr. Traill by
Sergeant Carpenter, of the detective police (R division),
charged with having feloniously appropriated nearly
1001. in cash and other moneys, entrusted to him for
deposit in the London and County Bank, the same being
the property of his employer, Mr. Thomas Wheatley,
of Greenwich.

Mr. Carttar, the coroner and solicitor, appeared for
the prosecutor.
Mr. Anderson, clerk to Mr. Wheatley, deposed that
on Monday, the 15th of August, the prisoner was in
the prosecutor's service, doing duty as booking-clerk at
White Hart Tavern, London-street, Greenwich. At
10 o'clock that morning witness gave prisoner 731. 14s.
9d. in cash to take to the London and County Bank.
Prisoner had been sent by Mr. Wheatley and his son
on a like service, Witness also gave a cheque, enve-
loped, for 2001. to put into the post-office. At 6 o'clock
the same evening, finding that the prisoner did not re-
turn, he made inquiry at the bank, and found that the
prisoner had not paid the deposits. The cheque was
for 2181., payable to bearer, but crossed ; the letter,
however, reached its destination.

John Carpenter, police sergeant, R division, deposed
to searching the prisoner's lodgings after the robbery.
He found some books, one of them was a railway guide,
the leaves of which were turned down, and the marks
therein enabled him to trace the prisoner's route from
England to France, &c. He visited Calais, Paris,
Brussels, and Lisle, and at the latter place, after a
short time, he met the prisoner promenading in the
Grand Place. He had a previous knowledge of the
prisoner, and therefore quietly accompanied him to
the Hotel de l'Europe, where he had taken up his quar-
ters. After ra private interview the prisoner frankly
admitted the robbery, and said that he supposed witness
wanted him for the same. Witness told him that he
hoped he had not made away with much of the money,
and he replied that he had spent only 7/. or 8/. of it.
After being further questioned, the prisoner undressed
himself and drew forth a belt of leather in which he had
secured a bag of silver and a quantity of gold and foreign
bank notes, value 460 f. He also gave him the key of
his portmanteau. At this time a French officer of police
entered to examine his passport, which bore the name
of John Thomson, London, dated the 11th Aug. The
prisoner passed as Captain Thomson, in the hotel-
keepers' books. Prisoner was willing to return to
England with witness, but the police of Lisle detained
him, and demanded the custody of both prisoner and the
moneys which he had received from him. Witness re-
ceived an intimation that the prisoner might be met
with in Westminster, having been discharged by the
police magistrate at Lisle (the mayor) with a sum under
twenty francs to defray his expenses back to England.
He yesterday met the prisoner between Smith-street
and Dean-street, Westminster, and took him into cus-
tody. The prisoner, on his way to Greenwich, told
witness that he had applied to the minister of a French
Protestant Church at Lisle, and was kindly assisted
with twelve francs and sixteen francs by the Lisle autho-
rities ; these sums enabled him to reach Dunkirk, where
he took the steamer to London, and arrived the day
previously.—The prisoner was committed for trial.