The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-02 00:00:00

affair was a rnistfike, end the facts were tly,.:—`7!-,e
prisoner had got into ti
:?,,?2)cil, and thcit when g)t,u%
which was at a late hour in the evening, and clo3e to
his own house, he was very sleepy, and took up the
bundle by mistake. The prisoner was a man of the
highest respectability, and had been for years money
collector to Messrs. Mawoocl and Rogers, patentees
of steelyards, carrying on business in Upper Thames-
street, and so high did he stand in their estimation
that when they heard of the scrape he had got into
they came down to him, and one of the firm and their
solicitor became his bail, and be had continued in their
service up to the hour of his having surrendered in
this court to take his trial.

11::>r

Mr. Mawood, who appeared to speak to the pri-
soner's character, said he had been intrusted with

:housands.

Several other witnesses of the highest respectability
said they deemed the prisoner incapable of the act at-
tributed to him.
Mr. BULLOCK said the case was one of doubt.
Thejury immediately Acquitted him.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
GUILDHALL.
William Morcomb, a weaver, and Robart Land, an
apprentice, were brought before Alderman Lawrence
on the charge of being on the premises of Messrs.
Kent and Co., hardware and brush-manufacturers,
Falcon-square, with intent to commit a felony.
It appeared from the evidence of the principal wit-
ness, Felstead, that be was occasionally employed at
the above warehouse, and upon going up one day to
see if there were any jobs for him he entered into
conversation with Morcomb, who said he should
like to get into the overseer's room, and asked
him if he could not make something out of
wires to open the door. Felstead said that he could,
his idea being to ascertain what plan was laid
for robbing the premises, and who was in it. There
was some conversation about Christmas time, when
Land said that for 10s. he could show the way to
get as many pounds, which was by being locked in
the warehouse. Felstead remarked that that would
not do, as the windows were screwed down. On his
calling a few days after, Morcomb asked if he had
had the wires made; and being told that they were
not, he rejoined, " Then you need not mind, for we
have an impression of the key in soap," and Land
said, " I know a ' cross' smith who will make it."
The imprression in soap was then shown to him by
Morcomb. When next Felstead visited the place he
was requested to see if it would fit. He went down
stairs for the ostensible purpose of doing so, but in
reality to see the overseer, and inform him of what
was going on ; but, unfortunately, he was not within,
upon which he returned to them (the prisoners), and
said he had not been able to try it. On the Friday
following, when he again called, he was told by
Morcomb that the key could not be got to fit, and
Land said that it would require two keys of wire,
one to unlock and the other to lock. Felstead then
had some words with Morcomb on the subject of
working under price, and left, when he communicated
the whole circumstances to a workman in the upper
room, who at once informed Mr. Garrod, one of the
partners, of the whole affair. That gentleman called
the prisoners down, and accused them of having had
a key made for the purpose of plundering him, which
they at first denied, but after wards admitted their
guilt, Morcomb saying that he gave the key to a
young man, but declined to give his address.
Alderman LAWRENCE said, he should send Mor-
comb to prison for two months, and Land for six
weeks; and, if Felstead had been beside them at the
bar, he would have awarded him three months, as
being the worst of the three.
The prisoners were removed.
The sitting Alderman requested our reporter to
acknowledge, through the press, the receipt of 101.
10s. from the Merchant Tailors' Company, for the
Guildhall poor-box.
BOW-STREET.
Robert Boyle, a turnkey lately discharged from
Newgate, was charged with being concerned with
Augustus Schmidt (now under examination) in
stealing schedules, sc., from the Insolvent Debtors'
Court.
The evidence went to show that the prisoner was
seen in the company of Schmidt when the latter was
leaving the landing or staircase where the official
papers were deposited, with a bag containing the
official papers in his possession.
An officer of the E division further proved, that
on apprehending him at his lodgings, in Red Lion-
passage, Holborn, the prisoner observed, "I'm the
man you want," adding that a villain named Robert-
son had been the cause of the whole affair.
A woman with whom the other prisoner (Schmidt)
had been lodging proved that Boyle was frequently
in the habit of calling at her house ; and shortly after
Schmidt was taken by the police he (Boyle) lit up
a fire in the room he had occupied, and burnt a great
quantity of paper.
Mr. HALL remanded him for further examination.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
John Taylor was brought before Mr. Hardwick
charged with pot stealing.
Stringer, 193 C, said, on Saturday night, about half-
past eight, he saw the prisoner and another man, not
in custody, pass by him in Hertford-street, May-fair.
Suspecting from their manner that they were pot-
stealers, he followed them for some distance, when the
other man left the prisoner and proceeded in the direc-
tion of Shepherd's Market. Witness kept the prisoner
in view till he got to Queen-street, when he (witness)
went up to him and asked 'him if he had not got some
pots about him. The prisoner said he had not. Witness
then searched him, and found two quart and two pint
pots cut into pieces. Witness then asked the prisoner
where he got them from. Ile replied that he must do
something, he could not starve. Witness subsequently
took the pots to:four different publicans, who identified
them as their property.
The prisoner, who declined offering any defence, was
committed for trial.
Alexander Grimskne, foreman at Tollit's livery stables
in Oxford-street, was charged with assaulting John
Macarty, an errand-boy in the same establishment.
It appeared that the boy had a shilling given to him
for a Christmas-box. The defendant, according to the
regulations of the yard, claimed the money as his own;
and on complainant refusing to give it up, defendant
threatened to stop it out of his wages. Complainant
then became insolent, and defendant administered what
he termed gentle chastisement, by kicking him in the
ribs and pushing him down.
The assault having been proved, defendant was fined
403.;
the money was immediately paid.
MARYLEBONE.
A labouring man, named Hugh Slack, an old
offender, was placed at the bar before Mr. Broughton,
for re .examination, on the charge of having stabbed
Police-sergeant Bewley, 20 D.
It appeared from the evidence that on Tuesday, the
26th ult., Bewley was on duty in Orchard-place,
Portman-square, when the prisoner rushed out upon
him, and without saying a word, spat in his face.
He was told to go quietly home, but he swore he
would not do so, and making a thrust at the officer
with a knife, stabbed him in the thigh, thereby in-
flicting a deep and serious wound; and had the
weapon entered the flesh a little higher, the femoral
artery would have been cut, and death might from
bwmorrhage have ensued. It was quite clear, from
other statements made by the sergeant, that the pri-
soner and a number of his companions were, at the
period of the outrage, fully resolved upon taking the
sergeant's life in the event of assistance not speedily
arriving.
The prisoner was fully committed for trial.
" H. 'C." has forwarded to Mr. Broughton 51., and
" B. H." a half-sovereign, for the poor-box of the
Court. It was requested that an acknowledgment
might appear in the papers.
WESTMINSTER.
Mr. Broderip yesterday received half a .5/. note
from "B. G.,' for the poor-box, and stated, that on
its being intimated in the papers that it had come to
hand, he would transmit the other half.
WORSHIP-S7'RE ET.
Sarah Perry, Henry Lecointe, James Swayne, and
James Lough were charged with assaulting and
wounding the husband of the first named prisoner, a
middle-aged man named Henry Perry, residing in
Boston-street, Hackney. road.
The prosecutor, who, upon applying for the war-
rant, exhibited several wounds in his head, and whose
dress was completely saturated with the blood which
had poured from them, stated, that while in his bed-
room on the evening of the 26th ult., dressing for a
party to which he had been invited, he was alarmed
by a loud knocking at his street door, and before he
had time to reach it, it was forcibly burst open, and
his wife, from whom he had some time been separated
in consequence of the violence of her temper, rushed
into the passage, followed by the three male defendants
and a second woman. It was evident they had made
up their minds for some serious mischief; and observ-
ing that his wife was brandishing a short heavy poker,
he endeavoured to avoid her, and tried to induce his
assailants to quit the house peaceably; but the
female defendant instantly flew at him, and exclaim-
ing that she had got an instrument with her with
which she had determined to kill him if she could,
struck him a blow with it upon the forehead with all
her force. The prisoner Lecomte at the same time
commenced a furious attack upon him, beating him
about the head and face with his fists, and forced him
back into the kitchen, where his wife renewed the
attack, and struck him upon the head, arms, and body
with the poker till he was almost senseless, assisted by
Swayne and Lough, who likewise struck him, and
actively incited the others to ill-use him. They at
length left the house, and he contrived to get to the door
and secure it against them; but he had no sooner done so
than they all returned and made another attempt to
break in, exclaiming, " Give it the -," and
"Let's have another try at him ;" but, being foiled
in their efforts to burst in the door, they conatnenced
pelting showers of stones and other missiles at the
windows, until nearly the whole of the glass in the
front of the house ,was demolished, when they pro-
ceeded to the back through some adjoining premises,