The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-15 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

BOW-STREET.
Yesterday a very respectably-dressed and good-looking
young woman, who gave her name Amelia Wright , was
placed at the bar before Mr. HALLS, together with a man
named Joseph Harris, who at least had do'ibled her number
of years, and was anything but an Adonis, on the charge
which will be found in the following evidence :
Mr. Miller, an extensive dealer in woollen cloths, stated
that the female prisoner was his sister-in-law, and that he
had two shops in High Holborn, one of which she had
the care as a sort of house and store keeper, and had strict
injunctions not to receive any visitors without the consent
of the witness ; nor was she to absent herself from the pre-
mises without special application to him, so that he might
place some one else there. On Sunday night last the
female prisoner came to his house, and informed him that
on going home she found that the door had been opened
in her absence, and that she feared something was the
matter. On examination of the premises, in consequence
of this information, it was found that they had been stripped
of property to the amount of from 701. to 100/. Sergeant
Soper, of the F division, was immediately sent for, and
upon an investigation of the circumstances, he was induced
to take her into custody. She at first denied that any one
bad been with her at the house ; but upon being very
closely questioned, she admitted that she had a male friend
with her during the night. Soper with some difficulty ob-
tained from her the name and address of her male visitant,
and he in consequence took him also into custody, but
found nothing upon him which could at all justify a sus-
picion that he had any participation in the robbery. They
were, however, both lodged in the station-house.
Soper apprehended the prisoners under the circumstances
described, and at first the female prisoner denied having had
any one in the house with her from Saturday until Sunday
night, when she found that the robbery had been committed.
On being pressed, however, she admitted that the other
prisoner had come to the place with her on Saturday night,
and that they had remained together that night, and the
whole of Sunday. She admitted also that she met him by
appointment on Saturday night near his place of business,
and took him home to her brother-in-law's premises. Wit-
ness found the male prisoner at No. 10, Primrose-street,
Bishopsgate-street, where he had a wife and family. When
he asked him if he had been at the house of Mr. Miller
the preceding day or night, he denied that he had, but, on
being pressed, admitted the fact, but said it was only " a
little bit of an affair." He strongly denied the slightest
knowledge of the robbery. The female prisoner was to
have gone to dine in Goswell-road on Sunday, but ne-
glected the appointment for (apparently) the more agreeable
one at Mr. Miller's house in Holborn. _ _

Mr. HALLS asked the male prisoner why he denied to
the officer that he had seen the female prisoner during the
time in question ? Minis (very coolly)—Why, your Wor-
ship, the only reason was, that she being a married woman,
and I a married man, I thought it would be rather discre-
ditable to both parties to acknowledge the fact, and so I
denied it.—(Laughter.)
Mr. HALLS—And pray how long were you together,
you loving couple P—Harris—About twenty-four hours, sir.
Mr. HALLS—And_ did you come out of doors at all
during that time ?—Harris—Only once, Sir, and that was
to get some bacon and eggs and a bundle of wood, to make
up a fire.—(Laughter.)
Mr. HALLS-Why, then, you had a pretty good spell of
it, I think.—(Great laughter.)
Harris—Yes, Sir, pretty fair for that ; but it was a very
coarse day, and we thought we were as well off there as
anywhere else.
Mr. HALLS—You really seem a remarkably cool sort of
a gentleman. Pray, what are you ?—Harris—A solicitor's
clerk.

Mr. HALLS—Where do you live?—Harris—At No.
10, Primrose-street ; but my place of business is in Bishops-
gate Church-yard.
Mr. HALLS (to the fomale prisoner)—Pray, how long
have you known the gentleman who stands by your side ?
Mrs. Wright (with perfect sang froid)—Oh ! dear me,
some years.
Mr. HALLS—Where, and at what time did you see Mr.
Harris on Saturday night ?—Mrs. Wright—About ten
o'clock, in Bishopsgate Church-yard, his place of business.
Mr. HALLS—HOW came you to meet him there ? Mrs.
Wright—By appointment, of course. We understood that
matter beforehand.
Mr. HALLS said that the only question before him was
whether there was any tangible charge to implicate the pri-
soners in the robbery. Could Mr. Miller swear that he
believed either or both of the prisoners to have been con-
cerned in the robbery ?—Mr. Miller could not venture to
swear that.
They were discharged accordingly, and were observed to
leave the office arm-in-arm, laughing and chatting together.

IiATT ON-GARDEN.
Yesterday G. S. Mulch, the soi-disanl conveyancer, &c.,

was brought up for further examination, when increased in-
terest wys manifested, and the office was crowded to excess
by persons who had been swindled by the prisoner.
Mr. LAING inquired whether there were any fresh charges
against him ?—lnspector Perry, of the G division, replied
that numerous applications had been made to him by indi-
viduals upon whom the prisoner practised his designs, and
a profusion of letters from others had been received for the
purpose of exposing his tricks to the public.
Mr. Ford, proprietor of the Cheshire Cheese and
Amphion Concert Rooms, Fleur-de-lis-court, Fetter-lane,
knew the prisoner about two years and a half ago. He
had in his possession a 251. bill which he had received from
a tradesman. A person with whom he was acquainted told
him that he knew a gentleman (the prisoner) who was in
the habit of lending and discounting for a gentleman of
property, for whom he was steward and agent. On the fol-
lowing day prisoner called on witness, and asked whether
he had not a bill of the kind in his possession ; and being
answered in the affirmative, he said he would be happy to
discount it ; and he (Mr. Ford) told him that he was not
particularly in want of it, but he had no objection if it was
done on a fair principle. The prisoner took a copy of the
names and the bill, and partook of some refreshment and
went and said that every thing was reedy for the bills ; but
his employer would much rather lend 1001. at five per
cent., as he had various small sums to lend to trades-
men. He drank freely of whisky and water, and was
very " chatty," and he quitted the place. On the
next day he called again, and brought with him a tall
portly gentleman, who was introduced to him as
the prisoner's employer, and they conversed privately
together. The gentleman told him that he was a man
considerable property, and he was anxious to assist
tradesmen, that he was satisfied with the security, and
that the money would be forthcoming in a day or two ; but
the prisoner called him (Mr. Ford) on one side, and whis-
pered that it would be necessary for him to advance Si. for
the expenses and writings. He asked the prisoner whether
he thought he was to be humbugged in that way, saying that
he knew more of the world, and he would not pay until the
writings were ready, and placed before him. They both took
refreshments, and in the course of the afternoon he received
a note from G. S. Mutch, requesting that a bottle of whisky
might be sent as a sample to his employer, who was so much
pleased with it that he intended giving him an order, and the
whisky was to be forwarded by the bearer of the note. The
bottle of whisky was sent, and the next morning a person
called with Mutch with the draft of a deed, and represented
himself as a solicitor, and left his card of address, " Mr. J.
Gould, of Gray's Inn-road," saying that he expected 51.
Witness refused to give it, and they called in the evening,
and he then paid him 1/.los. for the stamp, and Mutch
requested the loan of 55., which he advanced him, and an
appointment was made to meet on the following morning,
when Mutch borrowed 10s. of him, and altogether they
swindled him out of 21. 18s. He ultimately called at the
solicitor's, when he discovered that it was all a deception,
and he had been duped. He saw nothing of the prisoner for
three months afterwards, when he met him in Gray's Inn-
road, with his green spectacles, on which he collared him,
and would have given him into custody if a policeman had
been at hand, but the prisoner cried like a child, and begged
for mercy, saying that he would call on the following morn-
ing with the money, and he took off his spectacles and
gave them up, and said he would pawn his umbrella and
give him (Mr. Ford) the proceeds if he would let him go.
He, however, kept his silk umbrella and returned him the
spectacles, and let him go, under a pledge that he would
come back to a public-house with the money, but he never
returned, and he heard no more of him until he read the
account of his examination in the newspapers.
Mr. Ford (looking at the prisoner)—Do you know me,
Mr. Mutch ?—(A laugh.) Prisoner (coolly)—I never
saw you before in all my life.—(lmmense laughter.)
Mr. Ford said that the prisoner was an upholsterer, and
he knew his brother, who was formerly an upholsterer in
the employ of Messrs. Gillow, the eminent cabinet-makers
and upholsterers, of Oxford-street, but he was not aware
of their relationship when he swindled him. The prisoner
was an indolent fellow, who would not work, and he be-
came a practised swindler, and was in the habit of asso-
ciating with a notorious gang in the neighbourhood of Far-
ringdon-market, where he had swindled a publican to a
great amount, and was there in the habit of concocting his
plans to victimise the unwary.
Mr. LAING said there was not the least doubt that he
was a dangerous and common swindler. He held a letter
in his hand which described the prisoner and his connec-
tions ; and he was known as a swindler all over the king-
dom. He asked the prisoner whether he knew a person
named Looney ?
Prisoner—l don't know any such person.
Mr. Ford here said that the prisoner had robbed a re-
spectable old widow lady and her two daughters, who kept
a boarding school a short distance from London, under the
most heartless and infamous circumstances. Finding that
their school was increasing, and that their means were not
sufficient to carry it on, they advertised in the Times for a
for a loan of 2501. upon securities ; the prisoner applied to
them, and, under a promise to supply them with the money,
they advanced him 201., and they would have been ruined
had not a Colonel (whose name did not appear) advanced
a sum of money to carry on their establishment. (Here
there was an expression of indignation.)
Mr. LAING inquired whether the parties could be brought
forward ?
Mr. Ford answered in the affirmative.
Mr. LAING—He is already committed for trial on other
charges, but I shall remand him until Thursday next, and
then bring them forward.
Mr. Ford promised to do so.
A young gentleman here stated that he knew something
of Looney and the prisoner. He advertised in the Times
for a situation, when a person named Looney and the pri-
soner (Mutch) called upon him, and represented them-
selves as solicitors, and obtained 51. from him, under a pro-
mise to procure for him a lucrative Government situation
under circumstances already described.
Mr. LAING suggested that the gentleman should attend
on Thursday next, when he would be ready to enter fully
into the various cases brought against him.
Mrs. Hallam, of 18, Giltspur-street, West Smithfield,
but formerly,of 5, Jewin-street, city, stated that the prisoner
about two years ago took apartments in her house as a con-
veyancer, and he ran away in her debt, and swindled nume-
rous individuals.
Mr. LAING—Yours is a matter of debt. We can do
nothing for you here. How much does he owe you ? Mrs.
Hallam—Seven pounds, which is too much for me to lose.
The prisoner, who treated the proceedings with his usual
indifference, was then remanded until Thursday, and he
was taken to the New Prison.