The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-15 00:00:00

THIRD COURT.

(Before Hr. Sergeant MURPHY.)
Thomas Walker, 17, and William Johnson, 18, were
indicted for a highway robbery, with violence, on
Samuel Howarth, at Arksey, near Doncaster, on the
evening of the 16th of December last.
The prosecutor, on the evening in question, was on his
way home from Doncaster, and having got to Sprot-
brough-lane-end was attacked by two men, who robbed
him of his watch and money. The hands of one man
were placed upon his mouth and throat, while the other
rifled his pockets. The way in which the two prisoners
were connected with the offence was in consequence of
Walker and Johnson, along with another man, named
Holdsworth, who has since escaped, having been taken
before the magistrates the day but one after the robbery,
on a charge of vagrancy, and when searched, a watch,
which turned out to be the one of which Howarth was
robbed, was found in Walker's possession.
The jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of
Guilty against Johnson, and he was sentenced to be tran-
sported for ten years.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
George Butcher, who was on Tuesday charged with
having obtained money under false pretences, was brought
up for final examination before Alderman Carden. Lieut.
Waghorn attended to give evidence.
Mr. Goodman, the chief clerk, having read over the
evidence which had been given on a previous day,
Mr. Gibbs, who had caused the prisoner to be appre-
hended for having obtained from him the cheque for five
guineas as a contribution to the Waghorn testimonial,
begged to be allowed to make one most positive declara-
tion. It was, that he had never beheld the prisoner in
his life before the day on which he gave that cheque,
and never had any communication with the prisoner pre-
viously either directly or indirectly.
Mr. Waghorn said, that a subscription for a testimo-
nial to him had been raised, and the defendant had been
appointed a collector. It was the prisoner's duty to net
under a committee, through Mr. Stikeman, and he
gave up to Mr. Stikeman his right of collecting. Wit-
ness knew that Mr. Stikema❑ had long ago settled the
prisoner's account, and had done with him. The pri-
soner had had, in ❑o shape whatever, an authority from
him to collect fresh subscriptions. Witness had a wife,
but no children. No subscription whatever had been
opened, with his sanction, for the benefit of Mrs. Wag.
horn. There was never anything of the kind that he
knew of, and never had a farthing passed between him
and the prisoner, either as regarded Mr. or Mrs. \Vag•
horn. The prisoner's accounts lay with Mr. Stikeman.
Witness never gave him authority to apply to Mr. Gibbs
or Mr. Capel, or Mr. George (the gentlemen who gave
evidence on the preceding day, as contributors to the
testimonial), and never saw the cheque produced before.
The defendant should have handed the cheque upon re-
ceiving it to Mr. Stikeman, but he was not authorised to
receive it at all, having given up his authority twelve
mouths ago. Up to last Friday, said Mr. Waghorn, the
prisoner was in the habit of coming to me, but since
April, 1848, he never was authorised to collect. I told
him, in the intermediate time, that it was an inoppor-
tune time for collecting subscriptions, and on Friday
last he left me, upon the distinct understanding that he
was not to go on collecting, and after that I find that he
has not only collected, but that he got the cheque
cashed at the London Joint-stock Bank .
The prisoner said he had been informed by somebody
that the subscription was for both Mr. and Mrs. Wag-
horn, and he spoke of the high opinion entertained of
his integrity and exertions, as a collector, by several
persons of eminence. lle had been engaged in getting
subscriptions for the Fry testimonial, for the Rowland
Hill testimonial, for the Free Hospital, and for several
other institutions, and there never had been any error
in his accounts, or the least imputation upon his charac-
ter, in any of the transactions in which he was con-
cerned. He was willing to pay the difference claimed,
but he considered that there was a sum of money due to
him for commission, and he had been always in the habit
of stopping his commission money out of the subscrip-
tions. He did not consider that his authority to collect
ceased, for there were several sums promised which had
never yet been paid, and he thought he was bound to
collect them.
Alderman CARDEN—It has been positively sworn that
you called upon Mr. Gibbs and the other two gentlemen
who paid contributions, without any authority, and that
your right to collect had been given up by you a year
ago. Why, then, did you continue to collect? The pri-
soner—l had been informed that some tea•brokers were
anxious to contribute to the testimonial, and I there-
fore called upon Mr. Gibbs. Here the prisoner re-
peated several of the statements which had been so
strongly contradicted 'upon the oaths of the gentlemen
who had been examined. It was quite evident that the
story about the subscription for Mrs. Waghorn had been
hashed up to answer the fraudulent purposes of the fa-
bricator, a circumstance which Alderman Carden em-
phatically noticed in the course of the investigation.
Mr. Gibbs said it must not be forgotten that his name
had been torn out of the prisoner's list. That fact went
to strengthen the other unquestionable proofs of the dis-
honesty of the accused.

Alderman CARDEN said ho had attentively examined
the evidence, and he had come to the conclusion that the
prisoner had been going about collecting money for his
own advantage upon a fraudulent pretence. It was an
offence of a most dangerous kind, for it was calculated to
dry up the great sources of benevolence, and in the pre-
sent instance it was to be peculiarly reprobated, inas-
much as Mr. Waghorn was a gentleman to whom a deep
national debt was due. I shall sentence the prisoner to
the full term of three months, and hard labour.
Mr. Waghorn addressed a few words to Alderman
Carden, expressive of a wish that a less severe punish-
ment might be inflicted,
Alderman CARDEN said he only regretted that the
law did not give him the power to pass a more severe
judgment on such a delinquent.
The prisoner said he was ready to pay up what he
had received without accounting for it; but
Alderman CARDEN would not listen to any hint at a
compromise, and the prisoner was forthwith sent to
Bridewell.
JOSEPH ADY AGAIN.—This extraordinary character
appeared before the Lord Mayor, to answer the com-
plaint of Mr. Peacock, upon the part of the Post. office
authorities.

Mr. Peacock said the defendant had, notwithstanding
the great indulgence with which he had been treated by
the Post-office, and his promise not to act upon his old
plan of universal correspondence, deluged the establish-
ment with letters, and failed in the performance of his
promise to pay the postage of the letters, for which he
was responsible. The establishment now demanded of
him the sum of 141. Bs. 2d. for 1,729 letters, 1,387 of
which had been refused by the parties to whom they had
been transmitted, 309 returned as having been addressed
to parties unknown, and 33 returned as having been ad-
dressed to parties deceased.
Mr. Hyde, a clerk in the Post office, produced a large
parcels of letters, and said he had examined them all,
and they purported to come from Joseph Ady, and had
upon them stamps indicating the causes of their return.
The defendant, after an ineffectual effort to convince
the Lord Mayor that the evidence against him was not
sufficiently strong, assured his Lordship that he never
posted an unpaid letter since he had made the promise,
and that it was his intention to adhere to that regula-
tion. He said the charge against him was, that he had
neglected or refused to pay the postage on these letters.
He denied that such was the case. Ho had not refused,
but he had been, by the severity of the law, reduced to
penury, after a confinement of six months. He did not
mean to carry on a tiresome warfare with the Post-office,
but he was unable to pay the amount, except the indul-
gence of further time were given to him. He was 74
years of age, and becoming infirm, and he begged that
some consideration would be entertained for him on those
grounds, as well as on the ground that he had been
the means of restoring to the public millions, which
would otherwise have been lost to them. He hoped, at
all events, if the Lord Mayor were determined to issue
process against him, he might be consigned to the
Debtors' Prison, and not to a place in which he might
be obliged to be the associate of assassins and robbers.
It should be taken into account, too, that amongst those
who benefited by his industrious research were some of
the Aldermen themselves.

The LORD MAYOR ordered that a warrant should is-
sue, and be put in force, if the defendant did not pay
down 51. at once, and 11. a week until the whole amount
should be liquidated.

GUILDHALL.
Paul Pinchin, a carman in the employ of Messrs.
Swaine, Boord, and Co., distillers, in Bartholomew-
close, and Edward Dudeney, a butcher, in the service of
Mr. Silverside, of Paternoster-row, were placed at the
bar, before Alderman Lawrence, the former charged
with stealing some gin and gingerette, and the latter
with receiving the cordial.
Evidence having been given,
Alderman LAWRENCE said there was no doubt Pinchin
had robbed his employers, but to what extent could not
be ascertained, and therefore he should sentence him to
two months' imprisonment; with respect to Dudeney,
there was some doubt whether, he received it knowing
it to be stolen; ho was discharged, but he had better be
more careful for the future.
BOW-STREET.
William Tookl4 the son of Mr. F. Tootell, postmaster
of Edgeware, was placed at the bar for final examina-
tion, on the charge of forging Post-office orders and
advices, and obtaining various sums of money thereby.

No fresh cases were entered into.
It transpired at the previous examination that the pri-
soner, having stolen the printed forms from his father's
office, filled them up with fictitious names and particu-
lars, and forged the signature of his sister, who had au-
thority to sign the orders. He then sent the fictitious
" advices" to the respective postmasters, subsequently
calling himself with the orders and receiving the
amounts specified therein. He obtained nearly 301. by