The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-13 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—Sept• 12;

The September general session of the peace for -the
county of Middlesex commenced this morning at -the
Sessions Honse, Clerkenwell-green. The calendar con-
tained the names of 63 prisoners for trial, 52 being in-
dicted for felony, and 10 with misdemeanour.
The Assistant-Judge, in charging the grand jury, re-
marked on the lightness of the calendar, notwithstand-
ing the length of time that had elapsed since the last
session. This diminution was very gratifying, but it
was not to be attributed to any particular cause, but
to a combination of circumstances. Many of the per-
sons by whom offences were committed were now at
harvest-work, hop-gathering, and other like employ-
ment. Offences that were numerous six years ago were
now but rare, but he was almost afraid they would be
again on the increase.
ROBBERY FROM THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY
COMPANY.

Henry Clapson, 28, William Hewett, 17, and John
Nethercott, 42, were severally indicted, Henry Clapson
and William Hewett for stealing two codfish and three
haddocks, the property of the Great Northern Railway
Company, their masters ; and John Nethercott for fe-
loniously receiving the said cod fish, well knowing them
to have been stolen. It appeared that the prisoners,
who acted in the capacity of carmen, had a key which
opened the fish boxes, and in this way they committed
the robbery.
Mr. Thomas Williams superintendent of the Great
Northern Railway police, said neither of the carmen
had any right to the possession of such a key. The
boxes were locked at Great Grimsby, from which place
the cod fish were sent, and a corresponding key was kept
by the agent in London.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty against Clap-
son and Hewett, and acquitted Nethercott.
The Assistant-Judge said that the two prisoners had
been placed by the company in offices of trust, in con-
sequence of their previous good character, and they had
taken the advantage of that good character for the pur-
pose of plundering their employers. If the sentence he
was now about to pass did not have the effect of stop-
ping these robberies by railway servants, he would here-
after increase the punishment until he arrived at that
sentence that should prevent offences of this sort. He
then sentenced them to imprisonment and hard labour
for 12 calendar months.
ROBBERY AT THE LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAILWAY.
John Callahan, 22, was indicted for stealing a purse
and ls. 6d., the property and moneys of Henry Redpath,
from the person of Grace Redpath.
It appeared from the evidence that the prosecutrix
was at the Stepney station of the Blackwall Railway on
the 31st ult., waiting for the train to London. Whilst
there the prisoner pushed up against her, and shortly
afterwards she missed her purse from her pocket. The
attention of the guard of the train was drawn to him,
who observed him raise his hand, and, from the jerking
motion, he appeared to throw something behind him. A
search of the place was then made, and the purse was
found. He was then taken into custody on suspicion of
the robbery.
The jury found the prisoner guilty.
The Assistant-Judge said the prisoner was a well-
known member of the " swell mob," and had been fre-
quently in prison. He then sentenced him (under the
new act) to penal servitude for four years.
Henry Jackson, police-serjeant, said two of the pri-
soner's companions were sentenced to ten years' trans-
portation, for a similar robbery committed at Cambridge,
a short time ago.
A NEW DEVICE FOR ROBBING.—.Tames Phillips, 18,
and .Henry Mackenzie, 18, were indicted for having
stolen a watch, the property of William Edmonds, in
his dwelling-house. On the 18th of last month the pri-
soners entered the shop of the prosecutor, who is an
umbrella maker, in East-road, Hoxton, Mackenzie ask-
ing Miss Edmonds for a fish-hook. While she was in
the act of giving it to him, a third boy, bearing a cai -
pet-bag, also came into the shop. He placed his bag on
a stove in the shop, and took from it a live pigeon, and,
going up to the parlour door, asked Mrs. Edmonds if it
was not a good one, and said something about flying it.
The pigeon was soon after let loose, and it flying up the
staircase one of the boys and Mrs. Edmonds went up
stairs after it, the other boy remaining alone in the par-
lour. He, however, made the best use of his time, for
during the temporary absence of Mrs. Edmonds he con-
trived to possess himself of a watch that had been hang-
ing over the mantel-piece, and which could be seen from
the street. The pigeon was soon caught, upon which
the three boys went away together, but directly after-
wards Mrs. Edmonds missed her watch. On the 12th
of August they went into a gingerbeer-shop, kept by a
widow, at No. 8, Seabright-place, Hackney-road, and
one of them, by pretending that he had dropped a peony
into the parlour, got permission to go in to get it, and
he stole a metal watch from the chimney piece ; and on
the 18th of August, Phillips, with another boy (not in
custody), went into a shop in Union-street, Kingsland-
road, and stole a watch from the chimney-piece of the
back parlour in precisely the same manner.
The Jury found them guilty.
The Assistant Judge said that Phillips, though young,
was a great rogue, and under the new law on the sub-
ject of transportation, he should sentence him to four
years' penal servitude. With regard to Mackenzie, whom
he had no doubt had been trained by Phillips, he thought
the best thing that could be done for him would be to
pass upon him such a sentence as would have the effect
of sending him to Parkhurst.

Mr. O'Brien submitted that these cases were only
simple larceny.
The Assistant Judge said it was larceny in a dwelling
house.

Mr. O'Brien said that not one of the watches was
valued so high as 51.
On reference to the indictment, it was found that the
value of one of the watches was laid at 61., another at
51., and the third at 10s.

The different witnesses were then questioned as to the
value of the watches, and the highest value put upon any
one of them was 41.

The Assistant-Judge said after that evidence the case
must be treated as one of simple larceny. He then sen-
tenced Phillips to two years' hard labour, and Mackenzie
to six months' labour.