The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-09 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER.

William Elgan, late a shcpman in the service of Mr.
William Smith, of Albion•h)use, Pimlico, draper, &c.,
was finally examined, charged with systematically plun-
dering his employer to a very considerable extent.
Mr. Humphreys attended for the prosecution, and Mr.
Wontner for the defence.

There were three fresh cha.-ges exhibited against the
accused yesterday, in addition to the one upon which
he underwent a slight examination on the previous oc-
casion. The following is the substance of the evidence
given in support of the whole of the four charges. The
prisoner bad been in Mr. Smith's service upwards of
fourteen months, previous to his apprehension on last
Saturday night, and in consequence of irregularities and
extravagacces which a person in his situation could ill be
supposed to afford, coupled with the extraordinary cir-
cumstance of his not having drawn a farthing of bis
wages, Mr. Smith communicated his suspicions to some
confidential persons in his establishment, who concurred
with him that something wrong was being done by the
prisoner. He was then pretty closely watched, and,
their suspicions having been confirmed, Sergeants
smith and Shaw, of the Detective Police, were consulted,
and means were taken to detect the offender. It
having been ascertained that the prisoner was in the
habit of giving away his master's gloves with unsparing
liberality, a woman was sent to the shop by Mr.
Smith on Saturday last to make purchases, amount-
ing to 16s. ; and having done so, the prisoner,
to whom she had gone by direction of the pro-
secutor to be served, insisted upon her accept-
tance of a box of new kid gloves (four pair). In the
evening of the same day a parchase was made of the
prisoner amounting to 35. 4d., and upon his being taken
into custody a few minutes afterwards the whole of the
marked money was-found in his possession, and a pair of
kid gloves were discovered concealed between one of
the wristbands of his shirt and his flesh. Prosecutor
then accused him of having entered his service by means
of a false character, and mentioned the name of the per-
son who had given it, when prisoner admitted that he
had. Subsequently to prisoner's examination at this
curt on Monday his dressing case and box at Mr.
Smith's were found to have false or secret bottoms, and
in the former was found an I 0 U fur 101., signed by a
person of the same name as prisoner, and in the secret
part of the case three yards and a half of rich satin and
some riband were found, the former precisely corre-
sponding' with the cut left on that in Mr. Smith's shop,
and so perfectly as to leave very little doubt that the
scissors had divided the two pieces. It was also very
clearly shown that the prisoner had embezzled money to
the amount of 11 4s.

Mr. Humphreys, after the evidence in the above cases
had been taken, observed that there were others, but
ho was not desirous of mulliplsing cases against the

prisoner.
The prisoner, who made no defence, was committed
for trial upon the whole of the above charges.
A young woman, whom the pr:soaer has recently se-
duced, one who is enceinte by his, was in court, and
fainted during the proceedings.
L.43IBETH.

John Collins, a most expert tticf, was placed at the
bar before Mr. Norton, on a charge of picking the pocket
of Mr. Gillingham, the magistrate, of a silk handker-
chief.

Mr. Cottingham, upon being sworn, stated, that on the
preceding evening, while on his way from the court to
his residence, and just as he had passed the Victoria
Theatre, he felt a twitch at his pocket, and instantly
missed his pocket handkerchief, ahich he had used but
two or three minutes before. Observing the prisoner
running away, and having no doibt he was the person
who had committed the robbery, he called out " Stop
thief !" but prisoner got away, and witness seeing a
policeman gave him informatiot of his loss and a de-
scription of the prisoner. On that morning, while pro-
ceeding to Southwark Court, be saw the prisoner in
company with two other men, anti having at once recog-
nised him as the person who Ltd robbed him of his
handkerchief, he approached him, but the instant
the prisoner saw witness he took to his heels, on which
witness followed, and told him he should not get away.
He said something about his with to get some employ-
ment, but witness ultimately secared and gave him into
the custody of a constable. On telling the prisoner the
charge upon which he took him, prisoner said it was
quite impossible he coud have robbed him, as he had
been at Camden-town the whole cf the preceding even-
ing. In conclusion, Mr. Cottingham said he was sur-
prised and grieved to find that, though the street was
crowded at the time, and that though people heard him
cry out " Stop thief!" and saw the prisoner run, not
one of them made the slightest eNort to stop him.
The prisoner boldly denied the charge, and said his
reason for running away in the first instance was the
fear that Mr. Cottingham would give him a month's im-
prisonment for loitering about.
Police- constable William Romaine, 38 L, said he had
known the prisoner for seven or eight years to be a no-
torious thief, and had seen him several times in custody.
lie " had two months from this court a short time since
for a similar offence," and had only been discharged
from prison on Saturday last. He was an associate of
Sale, who bad been hanged for the murder of Mr. Bel-
chambers, and was daily in the company of the worst
characters.
Mr. NORTON told the prisoner that if be persisted in
asserting his innocence of the charge he should send him
before a jury, but if not, as it was not the wish of Mr.
Cottingham to press for an extreme punishment, he
should deal with the case summarily.
The prisoner finally replied that Mr. Cottingham was
mistaken in his person, but having heard some of his
pals speak of the robbery of the magistrate as " summut
queer," he was acquainted with the chap wot served his
worship.—(Laughter.)

R)maine here said it was no use the prisoner's going
on so, for on seeing him at the station-house, he said,
" Why, Jack, did'nt you know Mr. Cottingham ? You
ought, you have been before him." He replied, that he
did not know him at the time,
Finding that there was no use in his persisting to
deny the matter further, the prisoner acknowledged his
guilt, and was committed to the novo of Correction for
two months.