The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-05 00:00:00

ZA W INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY—JAN. 4.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Holroyd.)
IN RE D. MARRIOTT.
The bankrupt was a draper in Oxford-street. His debts
are 1,6701., assets about 2001. This was the certificate
meeting. _

Mr. Linklater applied for protection.
Mr. Mardon said he would not object to protection
being granted for a limited time. The creditors would
then have an opportunity of seeing how the bankrupt
behaved.
The Court granted protection for one month.
IN RE ROBERT VIMTLEY.
The bankrupt was a boot and shoemaker of Green-
wich. His debts are 516/. ; there aro no assets. This
was a certificate meeting.
_ _ _

His Honour said the case against ;he bankrupt was
ene of great suspicion. He had, however, been without
his certificate two years, and he felt that a suspension of
six months from this time would meet the justice of the
case. A certificate of the third class would then be
granted. In the meantime protection would be granted
from month to month.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS COURT.—JAN. 4.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Phillips.)
IN THE MATTER OF GEORGE GODDEN.
This insolvent, connected with the St. Pancras vestry,
applied to be discharged from prison under the act. He
was described as a tallow-chandler, of George-street,
Tottenham-court-road.

The insolvent was in custody at the suit of Mr. Birch-
more, relieving officer of St. Pancras parish, for the
damages and costs recovered in an action for slander.
The damages were Si. 55., and the costs exceeded 791.
Mr. Commissioner Phillips observed that the damages
were only five guineas, and the insolvent had been in cus-
tody since the 2d of December, at the suit of the oppos-
ing creditor.
Mr. Nichols said the verdict was taken by consent.
Mr. Commissioner Phillips said he took it for granted
that the insolvent had uttered the slander, as he con-
sented to the verdict against himself. The Court, in
cases like the present, was guided by the amount of
damages recovered. The insolvent had suffered one
month and two days' imprisonment, and in his opinion
that was a sufficient atonement.
The insolvent was discharged.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—Jan. 4.

OLD COURT.

Thomas Constantine Reed, 27, pleaded guilty to a
charge of bigamy.
Mr. Lilley, who appeared as counsel for the prosecu-
tion, said he was instructed to put the Court in posses-
sion of the facts of the case, in order•that it might be
aware of the very aggravated circumstances under which
the offence to which the prisoner had pleaded guilty
was committed. The prisoner had formerly been a
policeman, and in July of last year he was married to
his first wife, who was now pregnant by him. He very
soon afterwards deserted her, and on the 4th of Novem-
ber he married a widow named Eliza Telby, and shortly
after the marriage he induced her to sell all the little
property she possessed in the world, and they both
took berths on board a vessel bound for Australia, and
had proceeded on their voyage, but by stress of weather
the vessel was driven back to the Downs, and this
afforded an opportunity for an officer to apprehend the
prisoner upon the present charge. At the time he was
taken into custody the prisoner told the unfortunate
woman who had become his victim, that he was going to
London to see a brother who was on the point of death,
and he borrowed her watch, which was all the property
she had left, and she was in such a state of destitution
that a subscription was raised among the passengers by
the vessel to enable her to proceed to London.
The prisoner before sentence was passed begged to be
allowed to make a statement to the court in mitigation
of punishment, and the permission being granted, he
entered into a long tale regarding the misconduct of his
first wife, and said that she told him that if he left the
country she would notjfollow him. He also said that
the second wife was aware that he was married, and that
she had made overtures to him to marry her in the first
instance, and that she gave him a quantity of rum, and
he married her while he was under the influence of
liquor, and did not know what he was about.
The second wife, who was brought into court almost
in a fainting condition, in answer to questions put by
the learned Judge, contradicted all the statements made
by the prisoner with regard to her conduct. She said.
that at the time she became acquainted with the prisoner,
he filled the situation of master in the Merchant Sea-
men's Orphan Asylum, and she understood that he had
served in the army, and was entitled to a pension. It
was at the request of the prisoner that she disposed of
the whole of her furniture, which realised 501., and she
gave the prisoner 101. in money besides, for the purpose.
of paying their passage to Australia.

Recorder postponed passing sentence for a short
time.

Mavtin, Goodale Reeve, 29, pleaded guilty to a similar
charge.

The Recorder having intimated a desire to be made
acquainted with, the 'circumstances under which the
offence was committed,

A woman in the body of the court rushed forward, and
said she could tell his lordship all about it.
The Recorder asked her who she was ?

The woman replied that she was the prisoner's first
wife.

The Recorder said as she was the real wife she could
not be examined either for or against her husband.
The prisoner said that his first wife did not wish to
prosecute him, no more did his second.

- The first wife—Oh no, my lord ; I want to recom-
mend him to mercy ; I don't want to hurt him. (A
laugh.)

The'prisoner here very roughly told his wife to hold
her tongue.
Emma Astell, the second wife, was then questioned
by the Court, and she stated that she was married to the
prisoner in the beginning of last year, but she asserted
most positively that they had never lived together as
man and wife, and that no connection had ever taken
place between them in that capacity.
The Recorder said the case appeared to be a very
strange one, and he inquired of the prisoner whether he
desired to give any explanation to the Court ?
The prisoner said he had lived with his first wife for
eight years, and she had advised him to get into ser vice
as a single man. He became acquainted with his second
wife while he was in service, and he really could not tell
how he came to do it. (Laughter.): He should not
have done so but that she fell "deeplyin love with him."
This observation of the prisoner, and the tone in which
it was delivered, occasioned a roar of laughter in the
court. The prisoner concluded his statement by assert-
ing that he had not obtained a penny from either of his
wives, and that the last one had sustained no injury
whatever by reason of the marriage.
The Recorder, in passing sentence, said that the
offence of trifling with the marriage ceremony was al-
ways a very serious one, and where a real personal in-
jury was inflicted by the performance of the mock cere-
mony, the Court always dealt very severely with such
a case. In the present instance, however, it appeared
that the prisoner had not obtained any money or pro-
perty of any kind, and the second wife had stated upon
her oath that she had not sustained the other descrip-
tion of injury to which he had alluded. There was an
absence, therefore, of all the aggravation that frequently
accompanied cases of this description, but still it was
necessary that the prisoner and all others should be
made aware that they could not trifle with the solemn
ceremony of marriage under any circumstances with im-
punity. He then sentenced him to be kept to hard
labour for four months.

The other prisoner Reed was then placed at the bar,
and the Recorder, after observing that his case differed
entirely from the one that had just been disposed of,
said that it appeared to him to be of the most aggra-
vated character, 'sentenced him to be transported for
seven years.

Lionel George Thompson, 23, described as a ship-
broker, was indicted for misdemeanour.
After a lengthened trial, the most part of which ap-
peared in our first edition of yesterday,
The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty, and the
Prisoner was discharged from custody:

NEW COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)

The principal portion of the day in this court was
occupied in disposing of the Mint cases, which were
wholly devoid of public interest.
Charles Mitchell, 25, labourer, was indicted for high-
way robbery on Thomas Bennett, and stealing from .him
one half-crown.--Mr. Pullen prosecuted:'
The prosecutor, a wine cooper, stated that on the
morning of the 29th of last month he was coming along
St. Giles's, near the church, when he saw the prisoner
and two other men standing by the railings. He crossed
into the road to avoid them, when prisoner came up and
struck him a violent blow on the head, seized him by the
throat and tried to strangle him. The other man rifled
his pockets and broke his watchguard, but an alarm
being given by a lady with him, he dragged prose-
cutor down, and then ran away. Shortly afterwards the
police brought prisoner back, and he identified him, as
also did the young lady who was with him.
Payne, a police-constable said, that hearing the cry,
he ran down Denmark-street, that being pointed to him
as the way prisoner had gone, and turning up a court,
came upon the prisoner, who was out of breath.
The jury found the prisoner guilty.
The Common Sergeant asked if the prisoner was
known ?
The police said he had been in prison for assaults.
Prisoner—Only for eight days ; that was when I was
one of the city militia.
The Common Sergeant said his offence was one of a
and sentenced him to seven years'
very bad character,
transportation.
Prisoner—Can't you make it ten ?
The Common Sergeant—Ten, if you like.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.--Jan. 4.

Mich,met Vallent
three sus of move ' frig to 71. 135., R _
ne
iny---e,
a2nsi,ouwnasi indicted for embezzling
three
had received in the ca a^it of servant to Philip a
'Au' and another, his p masters'y and employers. ' ,
Mr. Byerley Thc,"„„ou de-
fended. prosecuted ; Mr. Sleigh
The prosecutors were cifiaturnerchants at
and the prisoner was in their Petea
traplov The case
some considerable time, and after a- • able Whitechlasa 1
Mr. Sleigh very speech by
The jury acquitted the prisoner.
William Davis alias William
v? fad
Walkr,, son, 27, 27, Samuel White 24, and James 8/419
//ivlienan, '''() were
indicted for stealing a shawl and other art-idea, value all
es., the property of Mary Knott.

Mr. Birnie appeared for Davis, Mr. Byerley Thomson
for Jackson, and Mr. Sleigh for Sullivan.
It appeared that from information furnished to Ser-
geant Smith, of the E division, by a person of the name
of Boylett, he went, accompanied by a constable, Smee,
110 E, to the Hunter's Arms public-house, kept by Mr.
Pattie, in Compton-street, Brunswick-square, and con-
cealed himself in an upstairs room, having reason to ex-
pect that the prisoners would pay an unauthorised visit
to that portion of the premises. Smee watched White,
Davis, and Sullivan into the house, but Jackson went in
and was apprehended afterwards, and at his lodgings
a large number of skeleton keys were found. Smith,
from his hiding-place, saw Davis ascend the staircase
stealthily, and try a door with it "jemmy." He went
down, again came up, and proceeded to the housekeeper's
room, and out of a box there he took the articles men-
tioned in the indictment. He made further use of the
jemmy and other implements used in housebreaking.
The sergeant then took him into custody, and Smee, who
was waitingbelow, saw White and Sullivan hurriedly leave
the house and cross the street, but he followed and took
them into custody. The person who gave Smith the
information was, if the statement of the prisoners were
true, as deep in the mud as they were in the mire, and
the irst question Davis asked, when he found himself in
custody was, why had Boylett not been taken.
Mr. Birnie, in cross-examining Smith, asked him whe-
ther be had not acted on information given to him
by Boylett
The witness rather pertly said he should not answer
the question.
The learned counsel repeated the question.
The witness—l shall not answer unless compelled to
do so by the Court.

Mr. Witham (who tried the case) told the witness he
must answer the question, but need not say what the
information was.

The witness answered the question in the affirmative,
having first given it as his opinion that it was injudicious
for the police to have to disclose such matters.

- -
Mr. Witham thought there was not evidence to go to
the jury with regard to Jackson.
Mr. Birnie then addressed the jury for Davis. The
learned gentleman's speech, a tolerably lengthy one, was
in parts of the most humorous character. He commented
with severity on the conduct of Boylett, whose dupe and
tool Davis had no doubt been.

Mr. Sleigh followed on behalf of Sullivan.
Mr. Witham having summed up,
The jury acquitted Jackson, and found the three other
prisoners guilty.
Davis pleaded guilty to having been convicted at these
sessions in August, 1850. _ _ _

Lokyer, the officer, said the prisoner Davis had been
twice in Coldbath-fields, and had been regularly brought
up as a thief.
The police proved that White had been convicted of
uttering base coin ; and Sullivan had had fourteen days
for unlawful possession of stolen property.
Mr. Witham sentenced Davis to be transported for
seven years, and each of the others to one year's hard
labour.