The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-16 00:00:00

SURREY SESSIONS.

DARING HIGHWAY ROBBERY BY A FEMALE ON
HUNGERFORD BRIDGE.—Ann Phipps was indicted on
Saturday for stealing a gold watch, guard chain, and a
purse containing 205., from the person of Robert Brooks,
a tradesman residing at Kennington, under the follow-
ing daring and outrageous circumstances :—The prose-
cutor deposed that on the night of the 29th ult., a little
after twelve o'clock, he left some friends near Hunger-
ford Market, and proceeded across the bridge towards
home. When he arrived a little beyond the centre of
Ilungerford Bridge, the prisoner accosted him and
wanted to induce him to go home with her. He told her
he was going home to his wife, and wanted nothing
more to do with her. While they were talking a man
ran up against him, and nearly pushed him down, when
the prisoner snatched his watch and his purse, and ran
away. The man held him down while she escaped ;
and when he recovered himself, he found no person near
him. He ran to the Surrey side of the bridge, calling
" Stop thief," and a few minutes afterwards the prisoner
was apprehended.
In cross-examination, prosecutor said he was much
intoxicated at the time, and he might have fallen down
without being pushed. He was certain, however, that
his property was all safe when he met the prisoner.
Hughes, the toll-collector on the Surrey side of
Hungerford-bridge, stated that he knew the prisoner
well, she being in the habit of frequently passing over
the bridge. On the night of the robbery he heard a man
call out " Stop thief," and immediately afterwards the
prisoner rushed passed him into the Belvidere-road.
Suspecting that she had committed some offence, he re-
quested a gentleman who was passing to pursue her,
and prevent her from making her escape. The gentle-
man ran after her and. directly afterwards the prosecu-
tor came up to him, and told him that the prisoner had
robbed him of his watch, chain, and purse. He remained
with the witness a few minutes, when the prisoner was
brought back, and identified by him as the thief.
Mr. Parr, a tradesman residing in the Blackfriars-
road, said that a little after twelve o'clock on Thursday
night, the 29th ult., he was passing along the Belvidere-
road, and he saw the prisoner rush from Hungerford-
bridge. Last witness galled out to him to stop her, as
she had robbed a gentleman. He instantly went in pur-
suit, and captured her near Canterbury-street, when he
saw her throw the purse into the road. He held her
until a policeman came up, when the watch and guard
were found upon her.

In defence-the prisoner denied having the purse, but
the watch was picked up by her on the bridge.
The jury found her Guilty, and the Court sentenced
her to six months' hard labour in Brixton House of
Correction.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

A man named Fawcett was charged with having most
dangerously assaulted his daughter, who appeared to be
about 18 years of age. The poor girl had not been able
to move from the hospital to which she was conveyed on
the 25th of March, until Saturday, and two attendants
were obliged to wait upon her.
The girl, who reluctantly appeared against her father,
stated that he suddenly rose between twelve and one
o'clock in the morning from the bed in which he had
lain down dressed, and ran after her mother for the pur-
pose of beating her. • The mother escaped, but the wit-
ness unfortunately happened to be in the way, and he
kicked ber in the front of her person and on the hip.
She had, in consequence of his desperate violence, lost
the use of her legs and been subjected to frequent faint-
ing fits, and for a considerable time, her life was believed
to be in danger. He had struck her mother upon a
former occasion, and she attributed the attack to the in-
fluence of strong liquors.
The prisoner, in answer to the Lord Mayor, said it
appeared to him to be nothing but a dream when he was
told that he had kicked his daughter. He had no idea
of such a thing at all, and he deeply regretted it.
The LORD MAYOR said the case was too serious a one
to be passed over or decided upon by a magistrate, and
ordered the defendant to be bound over to attend the
next session to answer the complaint.
GUILDHALL.

Robert Payne, of 33, St. John's•square, Clerkenwell,
in the employ of Mr. George Dollond, of St. Paul's
Churchyard, optician, was charged with stealing a num-
ber of object-classes for telescopes, besides a quantity of
spectacle glasses.

Alde,m—an GIJES committed him for trial, and the
depositions being nude out, ho was conveyed to New-
gate.

THAMES.

John Spooner, a cab driver, was brought before Mr. J.
T. Ingham, chargui with causing the death of Mr. Henry
Hunter, a master butcher, and robbing him of four
sovereigns.
It appeared that at nine o'clock on Thursday night
police-constable 113 K had his attention called to the de-
ceased, who appeared to be drunk and incapable of taking
care of himself, in the East India-xoad, Poplar. The
deceased was removed to the station-house in Poplar, and
locked up in one of the cells, where he was occasionally
visited by Sergeant Yeoman, the officer in charge of the
station. About two hours afterwards Yeoman heard the
deceased breathing very hard, and upon looking at him
ho appeared to be in a dying state. No time was lost in
sending for medical assistance; the unfortunate man was
brought out of the cell and placed before the fire, and the
stomach-pump was used to dislodge the contents of the
stomach, which smelt strongly of spirits. The surgeon
remained with the deceased for five hours, and he was
carefully attended to during the whole of the night by
Yeoman and others. At seven o'clock on the morning
of Friday he appeared to be getting better, and Yeoman
was about to send him to his OVirti home, when a
sudden change for the worse took pla co. The surgeon
was again sent for, but the man was beyond the reach of
human aid, and expired two hours afterwards. Inquiries
were then made by Inspector Holmes, of the K division,
and it was ascertained that the deceased was a butcher,
who had lately opened a shop in Poplar New Town, and
that he had been to London on Frida,y upon business,
and was brought to the East India-road in a cab, and set
down at some distance from his house. It also appeared
there were marks of violence on deceas id's person, and,
as he was known to have a considerable!, sum of money in
his possession when he left town, and ikone when he was
picked up by the policeman, suspicions. were entertained
that the deceased bad been improperly 'dealt with. The
cabman was sought after, and taken into custody on
Saturday afternoon, and the present chair ge was preferred
by Mr. William Hunter, a poulterer •and salesman of
Leadenball market, and the brother 'of the deceased.
Among other suspicious circumstances against the pri-
soner, it was stated that he left the dec es sed in a helpless
state in the East India-road, and allowE d him to ride on
the box alongside of him. On reaching a to White Horse-
gate, in the Commercial-road, the collector demanded
the usual toll, and the deceased fell off the cab into the
road, and was seriously hurt by the fts.ll. There were
two men inside the cab, and the whole party were in a
disorderly state, and appeared to have 'been drinking to
excess. The deceased was lifted on to the cab after his
fall, and it drove away at a rapid rate, bt it not before the
turnpike-man took the number, and looked very parti
cularly at the prisoner, that he might he able to identify
him again. The prisoner stoutly deni,ed, that ho was in

the Commercial-road at all on Thursday night, his
ifl, ntity wee :l.f,arly o,t,AbitsltM th,*
.'2111,4
at tile gate, and a tipsy man iali ttlert-tfullt. .The wit-
nesses also stated that the prisoner wore the same dress
then as he did on Thursday night.
Inspector Holmes said, if the prisoner was remanild
he should be able to produce evidence to sustain the
charge of ill-usage and robbery.
Mr. IriciHam asked if a coroner's inquest had beta
held?—Mr. Thompson, the beadle and summoning-offi-
cer of Poplar, informed the magistrate that the jury
would not meet until Monday (this day).
Mr. INGHAM then said, he should remand the pri-
soner, and that the most ,u,picious circumstance
against him, was that he had denied having driven the
cab on Thursday night, when the fact was clearly es-
tablished.

The prisoner, who was very boisterous, asked if bail
would t'e taken?

Mr. INGILAM—No, certainly not. I can't accept (4
bail in such a set ions ease as this.
RICHMOND.

Saturday being appointed for the reexamination of
Miss Lydia Dixon, a teacher of music, and the daughter
of an eminent solicitor now deceased, who stood charged
with stealing property of all descriptions from trades-
men at Richmond, the vestry-hall, where. the magistrates
sit, was crowded to excess, and the greatest interest
seemed to have been created by the publication of the
previous examinations. The bench was an unusually
full one, Sir T. N. Reeves being the chairman. Two
letters had been received by the bench, one from Mrs.
Betts, a surgeon at Hammersmith, who stated that he
had been frequently in the company of Miss Dixon!
and had always considered her conduct strange,-and
eccentric, and had also attended her for brain
fever for seven weeks. The other was from Mr. R.
Tapstell, of the lower. Deptford. road, Rotherhithe, ex-
pressing his conviction that she had been of an unsound
state of mind for a lengthened period, her brain being
affected through her long illness, and requesting the ma-
gistrates not to commit her for trial until they had satis-
fied themselves as to the state of her mind.

Inspector Beard informed the bench that he had, since
the remand found another lodging the prisoner had oc•
cupied at Hammersmith, where a quantity of fresh pro-
perty had been found.
Several fresh cases were then gone into, and after a
lengthened examination the prisoner was again remanded.
The property found at the two residences of the pri•
soner, at Richmond and Hammersmith, is of the follow-
ing description :—Cards of lace and fringe, rolls of silk,
satin and satinets, poplins, mousselines de laine, cash-
mere and cottons for dresses, black satin shawls, woollen
plaid, cashmere, Paisley, boas, victorines, and muffs, 50
rolls of valuable ribbons, bonnets, gloves, stockingi, 30
pairs of women's boots and shoes, pieces of flannel, calico,
linen, umbrellas, parasols, hair combs and brushes,
great number of wigs and fronts, lace shawls, veils and
falls, cap fronts, artificial flowers, and a vast number of
other things, sufficient to stock a bazaar, and nearly all
of which will be identified, the prisoner not having at.
tempted to remove the private mark.