The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-11 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.-J,uf. 10.

John Btodeie, 20, was indicted for stealing a purse,
the property of W. J. Swain, from his person.
A. builder of the name of Barton saw the prosecutor
turned out of the White Hart public house at King's-
cross, in a state of drunkenness, on the night of the 26th
of December. The persons who were collected and also
Barton, saw the prisoner's hand in the prosecutor's
pocket, from which he took out his purse. Barton
called out to him, "You have picked the man's pocket,"
upon which he made off. Barton, however, followed
him, but in the pursuit the prisoner dropped the purse.
He was overtaken at the corner of Chesterfield-street,
New-road, having never been lost sight of, and given
into custody.
Another witness corroborated this evidence, and said
that he heard money jingle as it fell, but did not stop
to pick it up, and followed in the chase. The purse
was afterwards picked up by a boy, but no money was
found in it.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
The Assistant-Judge sentenced the prisoner to six
months' imprisonment with hard labour.

THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM.
On the grand jury coming into court to be discharged,
the foreman, on their behalf; made some observations to
the effect that they considered the grand jury useless.
The Assistant-Judge concurred in this in so far as it
related to the metropolitan district. He would limit
the change to that district, and not extend it to districts
which were not under the supervision of police magis-
trates. He would retain the grand jury to a certain ex-
tent, as a tribunal to which any person dissatisfied with
the refusal of a magistrate to send a case for trial might
appeal, but certainly a grand jury was not required to
investigate every case which was committed for trial.
Thomas Payne, 40, a farm labourer, was indicted for
stealing at Harrow Weald, in this county, six pieces of
wood, value 6d. the property of Francis Dancer.
The prisoner pleaded guilty.
The prosecutor was a farmer at Harrow Weald, and
the prisoner had been in his service, as he said, off and
on for than thirty years. At this season of the year his
wages were 15s. per week, on which a wife and seven
children were dependent for support, and the case against
him was, that he had taken several pices of wood from a
barn belonging to his master. It appeared that the
prisoner unlocked the door with a false key.
Mr. Clarkson feelingly addressed the court on behalf
of the prisoner. Having urged the necessitous circum-
stance of the prisoner and his family, the learned gen•
tlernan said, what he had to offer for the prisoner was
not intended as an excuse, brit as a mitigation of the
offence he had committed. The real truth of the case
was that the prisoner took the wood for the purpose of
making a fire to put warmth into his children at this
most inclement season, and for no other purpose. The
prosecutor would recommend him to the most merciful
consideration of the court.

The posecutor was called into the witness-box—he said
he wished to recommend the prisoner to mercy. The
reason he prosecuted him was, that he had been illused
by an old servant. He had not the least idea that it was
the prisoner who took the wood, or he should have acted
very differently. The prisoner's mother had been in his
service more than 20 years.
The Assistant Judge said he did not think it a case for
a very lenient sentence, it was a servant of hitherto good
character robbing his master by means of that good cha•
racter. Of course the most serious spunishment to the
prisoner would be the loss of his character. The sen-
tence was that he be kept to hard labour for two months.
Mr. Clarkson—l think under all the circumstances,
Mr. Dancer, that this is a case which you might well
have forgiven. Two months is entire destruction to this
poor man.

- James Moore, 60, was convicted of stealing 95 lbs. of
tallow, value 40s. and upwards, the property of Thomas
Horatio Harris, his master.

The value of the tallow per pound was stated by the
prosecutor to be Gd. The prisoner sold it to a marine
store-dealer, a woman in Holywell-lane for 2d. per
pound, which she said she considered a fair price.
The Assistant Judge sentenced the prisoner to eight
months' hard labour, and told the marine store-dealer
that had she been placad beside the prisoner for receiving
and convicted, he should certainly have sentenced her to
transportation. The police would make an entry of the
transaction.

(Before Mr. Witham.)
Timothy Warren, 23, was indicted for feloniously as-
saulting Edward Williams, and robbing him of a watch,
his property.

It appeared that the prosecutor, at about a quarter to
9 o'clock on the night of Monday the 26th ult., was
passing down Flower and Dean-street, Spitalfields, and
on coming to the corner of a turning leading from that
street, he saw the prisoner and two other men lounging
about. Proceeding along, he stopped to look in at a
cook shop window, and, while thus occupied, the pri-
soner came up behind him, placed his arm round his neck
and violently pulled hack his head, calling out to his
companions at the same time, "Be quick, be quick."
One of them took his watch from his pocket, and he
was thrown to the ground, and all ran away. The pro-
secutor, however, shortly afterwards met the prisoner in
Keate-street, and gave him into custody.
The jury found him guilty.
Mr. Witham thought it a very serious case, and said
he was determined to punish with the utmost severity
every person convicted before him of that kind of
offence.

One of the prison officers informed the court that in the
slang of the thieves, this mode of robbery was termed
" putting the mug on."
Mr. Witham—lndeed ; then I shall put the mug on
him. The sentence is that the prisoner be kept in penal
servitude for four years.
Joseph, Pearce, 14, described in the calendar as a tin-
plate worker, was indicted for the following desperate
attack upon an aged female :
The prosecutrix, a widow, named Rachael Palmer,
stated she kept a coal-shed in John-street, White Horse-
lane, Mile-end, and one Saturday in last month the pri-
soner came in and asked her for a quarter of a hundred
weight of coal. Knowing him, and in consequence of
something he had done on a former occasion, she refused
to weigh the coal until he had given her the money. He
told her that he lived with his lather at a particular
place, which statement she told him was false, and he
then said " Don't you know me ?" She replied that she
did not, and he went away ; but in a about five minutes
he returned and came round to the door of a little mom
in which she was sitting. He said to her, " Don't you
know me ?" and at the same instant he pulled out a
knife, and attempted to cut her throat. Fortunately
she had ors a thick comforter and .a handkerchief, which
prevented the edge of the knife coming in. contact with
her throat., but a wound was inflicted on her chin, ,and
another under her left ear. He then ran away, and she
went to her next door neighbour for assistance. Blood
was streaming from the wounds, and they were dressed.
She knew the prisoner and his father. In November,
the prisoner came to her shop and asked for half a hun-
dred of coals, and while she was weighing them, he
threw a stone at her head, cutting her bonnet through,
and in the confusion occasioned thereby, he helped him
self to the coals, and went off.
Police-constable 74 K took the prisoner into custody,
and found on him a small black-handled table-knife.
The prisoner was found guilty. He admitted the
charge.
The father of the boy was requested to give some ac-
count of him. He said that, unfortunately for him and
for the boy, he had a very cruel stepmother. Had she
treated the prisoner as she had the three children she
had had since her marriage to witness, or had be been
treated as his own mother would have treated him, he
never would have got into the bad company which had
brought him to ruin. The stepmother was kind to her
own children, but in his absence she had turned the
prisoner out of doors. Had it not been for this he
would have been doing well in the world. The step-
mother was in the hall of the court.
By direction of Mr. Witham she was brought in, and
on being told what bad been said about her treatment
of the boy, she denied it all, and loaded the father with
reproaches. She appealed to the prisoner as to whether
she had not always been kind to him, and his father
cruel, when the lad, crying, replied, "It was all through
my mother ; my father was always very good and kind
to me."
Mr. Witham observed that a cruel stepmother was a
very great curse to anyone. The assault on the pro.
secutrix was a very serious matter, and could not be
passed over. He could not go below four months' hard
labour, to which term he accordingly sentenced the
prisoner. _

A scene of recrimination ensued between the father
and his wife, each imputing gross misconduct to the
other. It appeared they were not living together, and
that the father was allowing her a sum weekly for the
maintenance of his children.