The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-25 00:00:00

WORSHIP-STREET.

Alfred Smith was charged with having stolen a box
containing private letters and legal documents, the pro-
perty of Mr. Sydney Calder Horry, the barrister.
Mr. lorry had occasion on the preceding clay to at-
tend the County Court, in Osborne-street, Whitechapel,
upon professional business, and having upon reaching
there received an intimation that a more dignified ap-
pearance would be expected of him at a county court
than it is thought necessary to demand at a police-court,
and that he would be required to appear in forensic
costume, he hastily dispatched a person named Hughes,
a confectioner in Bloomsbury, with a message in a
chaise-cart to his chambers, in Holborn, to procure the
necessary equipment. The messenger shortly after re-
turned with a box, but upon examining it, it was disco-
vered that by some mistake the wrong one had been de-
livered by a person at his chambers, and that instead of
his wig and gown a quantity of valuable private and
legal documents had been forwarded to the court-house.
The prisoner happened to be about the entrance of the '
court at the moment, and he was therefore directed to
take charge of the vehicle and box in the street until
the case in which the prosecutor was retained should
have been disposed of ; and, after the expiration of about
two hours and a half, he was found by Mr. Horry still
at his post ; but the most important thing he had to
mind (the box itself) had disappeared ; and, as his ex-
planation of its disappearance was anything but pro-
bable or satisfactory, ho was at once handed over to the
police.
In his defence,the prisoner denied all participation in the
robbery, and said, that in order to keep a strict look-out
over his charge, he had got into the cart with it, but had
unfortunately fallen sound asleep; and that during his
state of unconsciousness some thieves must have availed
themselves of his helpless condition to make off with the
property.
In answer to this, however, Mr. Hughes stated, that
upon engaging the prisoner to mind the documents, he
not only promised him a liberal remuneration for his
trouble, but gave him the strictest injunctions to sit
upon the box, and net move from it until Mr. lorry
appeared; notwithstanding which, he found him, when
the cause was over, carelessly standing by the side of
the horse, with the back of the chaise-cart opened, and
the property gone, and upon questioning him as to its
disappearance, he denied all knowledge about it further
than that he had been asleep, which was altogether im-
probable in the middle of the day and in such a public
situation; in addition to which the foreman of a flour-
factor, who was present at the time, gave him a flat con-
tra,liction and declared that he had seen him privately
talking with several women just before the witnes3
came up.
The prisoner adhered to his statement; but
Mr. HAMMILL was dissatiAed with it, and committed
him for a week, to afford the police an opportunity of
tracing the property, and discovering the witness who
could prove that the prisoner had been in communication
with the suspected women.
711 A. HE S.
Thomas Midge, a young man of gentlemanly appear-
ance, whose family and connexions are of great re-
spectability, and whose relatives have filled the highest
corporate offices, was brought before Mr. Seeker, charged
with forgery.
Mr. Pelham defended the prisoner.
Mr. Humphreys, the solicitor, said he prosecuted on
behalf of the London Dock Company, who charged the
prisoner with having on several occasions forged orders
for tasting wine in the docks.
Mr. SECKER committed the prisoner for trial for ut-
tering the forged orders, and on the application of Mr.
Pelham, said he would take bail for the prisoner, him-
self in 200 L, and two sureties in 100/. each.