The Sun.
London, England, 1822-10-04 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MAXSION-HOITSE.—EXTENSIVE EMBEZZLEMENT.—
Wtn. Clarke, a person of respectable appearance, was brolight
before the Lord Mayor,- charged with having feloniously em-
bezzled several sums of money, which he had received for Jane
Purser, widow, as her servant.
The statement of the witnesses for the prosecution was to the
following effect :
Mrs. Purser, who has lately become the wife of Mr. Allison,
and carries on the business of a newspaper and medicine-vender
in Finch-lane, employed the prisoner for some years as a clerk,
he having been .for a length of time, before the death of her
late husband, engaged in the, concern. Very great confidence
was placed in him, and he was in the habit of receiving conside-
rable sums of money, for a great deal of which, it was lately
certained, he had not accounted. In order to escape detection,
it became necessary for him to make erasures in the cash book,
and to adopt other modes of confusing an ordinary glance at his
accounts. It happened, however, that the practice was so fre-
quently resorted to, and the erasures so multiplied, as to excite
suspicion, and the consequence was, the discovery of very im-
portant losses to the house.
The cash-book having been produced,' several items which
had been entered by the prisoner were pointed out to the Lord
Mayor, and evidence was called to prove that those items did
not correspond with the prisoner's receipts, which always turned
out to be greater than the sums he acknowledged to have re-
ceived. The cash-book, in fact, was crowded with errors, which
the prisoner accounted for by stating, that the irregular manner
in which he was paid by the customers, compelled him to make
entries in parts of the book not properly selected for those par-
ticular entries. An examination of the book by the complain-
ant and her present husband, however, soon negatived the truth
of this apology, and it was ascertained that a deficiency of seve-
ral hundred pounds had taken place ; the effect, it was asserted,
of a systematic plan, by which he had kept his mistress in the
dark during the whole period of his engagement with her.
Mr. PLATT, the Counsel, attended for the prisoner, and en-
tered into a cross-examination of the complainant. She ad-
mitted that the prisoner had always said that he was ready to
go 'over the accounts with her husband, and that he had pro-
mised to call at her house for that purpose on the day lie was
apprehended and taken to prison, but she denied that she knew
..anything of the prisoner's intention to set up business in oppo-
sition to her.- She also denied all knowledge of a letter which
was put into her hands by Mr. Platt, who,very particularly
questioned her as to the hand-writing. She was evidently
struck with the letter, but she' said it was the imitation . of her
writing preSented in that letter that caused her surprise.
Dr. P. Kelly, schoolmaster, in Finsbury-square, proved the
payment of a sum of money to prisoner on account of the com-
plainant, which was not entered in the books.
The prisoner was sent back to the Compter, as his prosecutors
•think proper to add some other cases to those already detailed.

GUILDHALL.—CAUTION TO COACII OWNEIIS.—A deci-
cision with respect to an imposition very frequently practised,
and, one which it is important the pubhc should be made ac-
quainted with, took place at this office yesterday.
Garrett, a porter belonging to the Mrbite Horse Inn, Fetter-
lane, appeared on summons to answer the,complaint of a Gen-
tleman of the .name of Tanner, residing at Grove-lane, Cam-
berwell, for an overcharge for porterage of a small basket of
game. The basket,.it appeared, came per coach to the White
Horse Inn, directed to 111 r. Tanner as above, and was taken by
the defendant to the Kini, and Keys public-house in Fleet-
street, to•be forwarded as directed by the Camberwell coach.
The charge made for porterage was ad., which Mr. Harrison,
the landlord of the King and. Keys, bad paid.
Upon reference to the Porterage Act, the sum legally charge-
able appeared to be 3d., or at the utmost 4d.
The porter admitted the facts, and pleaded his master's
orders for the sum taken, and for the whole of which he had
accounted.
The Clerk of the Coach-owner came forward, and stated that
the charge of ad. was usually made between office and office,
no matter whether near or distant, and in no case, let the office
be ever so distant, was any more charged for a parcel, even
though it were sent by coach.
The defendant was then convicted in the full penalty of 205.,
and ss. costs, which were immediately paid.
Mr. Tanner said he had no other object than to put a stop
to this imposition, and therefore desired that the moiety of the
penalty due to him as the complainant, should go with the
other moiety to the poor of the parish wheiein the offence was
committed.

I'TAIII.IIOIIOUGH-STIIEET.—EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF
Anso N.—Yesterday an elderly gentleman, with powdered hair,
and dressed in a suit of black, was brought up from St. Giles's
watch-house, charged by Mr. Edwards, landlord of the Bull
and Gate, Holborn, with having attempted to set fire to his
house under the following circumstances :—The case excited
great interest, and the Office was very much crowded. Mr...Ed-
' wards being sworn, stated, that on Thursday night last about
eight o'cloCk the prisoner, accompanied by a young woman,
came and knocked at the door, which on being opened by the
servant, she was asked whether they could have a lodging for the
night. Witness and his wife were at the time sitting in the
back parlour, and hearing a noise, he went to see what was the
matter along with his wife. The prisoner and his companion
were then kt into the house, and were conducted up stairs to
No. 6. apartment on the second floor ; on which he paid 3s. for
the lodging, and the servant went down stairs. In about half
an hour after, the young wornan who accompanied the prisoner
came down stairs and had.some conversation with the servant,
on which-she quitted the place. Witness had occasion to go out
for about a quarter of an hour, and on his return ho was in-
formed that an attempt had been made to set the house on fire
by the gentleman who had come in, and that the prisoner ran
down stairs with a candlestick in his hand, which contained a
morsel of lighted candle, which he took out with him into the
street and threw away under a gateway, but soon afterwards be
returned, having forgotten his umbrella. He was asked to
walk in, on which he was challenged with having attempted to
set lire to the house, which he denied, and he was given in
charge and taken to the watch-house.
Thomas Pask, waiter at the Bull and Gate, Holborn, deposed,.
that on Thursday.night he was in his master's house, about "9
o'clock, when he heard 'somebody running quickly down stairs,
and he went" and,saw it was an elderly gentleman dressed in
black, who ran out with a candlestick, &c. in his hand ; wit-
ness , proceeded up
.stairs to No. 6 toom„and found the door
closed ; it was fastened by a spring lock, and he had to burst it
open, on doing which he found the plate all in a blaze, and the
• flames rushed out on him ; he endeavoured to pull the clothes

• the
off the 14d, and by procuring pails of water and throwing,
on the flames he extinguished them ; the place was much in.liel(l7,
The prisoner, who, was very much affected, and agita,ra
such a degree that tfle perspiration dropped excessivelyerirea
his countenance, was called on for his defence. ne de On
that he was as innocent of the charge as the child unborn.
Thursday evening he met with the female, whom he aceoweci,
vied to prosetutor's house, where they were shewn tothe adP she
ment ; she requested of him 6s. which he gave to her/cratte did
left the room under a promise to return; but on findinb the
not do so, he prepared to leave the house; he certainly tnez4os
candle down stairs, and on returning for his umbrella he ,d
detained: He still declared his innocence of the charge/
said he had been robbed while he was in the house. for bis
Sir G. FARRANT, the Magistrate, asked the Pris°°°'
name and address.
The prisoner shed tears, and requested that the 3
would not urge him to mention his name ; his family were Teach
respectable, and he would not wish the circumstance t° 'bred
their ears ; suffice it to say, he was a fanner, but had heell
an attorney, and held a farm in Norfolk. 'sorer
Plank, the officer, suspected that he had seen the Prkteen
there before. Prisoner.said he had.been there about „ftv for
years ago to give evidence in a case. He was willing to
any injury done. erY
Sir G. FARRANT thought the circumstances of the case cdle
suspicious, especially those of the prisoner's having throgards
candle away, and the door being fastened. If 31r. Eid be to
could attribute the affair to accident, the best way 10°'
matter
retire with an officer, and to endeavour to arrange 1-'l' oa.
and for the prisoner to let his friends know of the transaett,, er,
They retired into a separate room and consulted tnge"lde;
but no arrangement was entered into; Mr. Edwards was
termined to prosecute. chi
Sir G. FARRANT informed the prisoner, as he did not
to arrange the matter, the law would take its course. v,j.
111 r. ••••
Prisoner—What am Ido ? What do you want,
wards ? W'l,atarn Ito do? Sir
Mr. Etiwards--It is in the hands of the Fire Office,
I agiL s. trhaitcy

.
have nothing now to do with it. •
Prisoner—Shall I
told procure bail ? batn te
The Magistrate the offence was bailable, tto '
could not be allowed to quit the Office. He would be sent
the House of Correction, where would have an 01)Pnr
of seeing his friends. woain
Prisoner said he could procure bail immediately if they '
suffer him to go. to the
The Magistrate again told him he would be sent
House of Correction. is friell"
Prisoner said he would rather go to New ate than h
should know it, and appeared to labour under great ag?nY
u and
The prisoner was then committed for re-examinanoie,
handed over to Marsden, the gaoler. Prior to leaving:sl,e ns
put on him; on which the Alagistrate assured him
sence of the Magistrate, the prisoner requested not tell should
not; but every attention should be paid to his comfort.
_ea his`
The prisoner produced a will; from which it apPem
name is Copeland. He is a venerable looking man. n DAC°
LABIBETII-ST REE T.—Yesterday two Jou rn eYnle_7 dot on.
were convicted in mitigated penalties and COsts, atteo y,
the informations for driving their trucks on the foot It% bail
Mile-End Old-Town. One of the defendants was Office
for assaulting the Street Keeper, just us he had left the
after the cases were decided. of. tbe
HAT TON-GARDEN.—Yesterday John kcel'el'im of
Highgate Archwaygate, was fined 20s. fors eizin, the gol,
Gentleman who had inadvertently passed through'theg"
and who not knowing of such a toll had refused to PO'
they