The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-09 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE
MANSION-HOUSE.

Phcenix Parker, a very young boy, and a man
named Thomas Buckeridge, were brought before the
Lord Mayor. The prisoners were known to be
members of one of those very active gangs of pick-
pockets with which the City abounds.
Parker, the boy, was the principal performer in the
robbery which formed the ground of the charge.
Jenkinson, a metropolitan policeman, saw the pri-
soners follow a gentleman and two ladies, four other
thieves being occupied in covering their accomplices
from observation. The boy dexterously slipped his
hand into the pocket of one of the ladies, and passed
something to one of the men, who, at the moment,
observing the policeman, started off, followed by the
boy, who upon being grabbed swore " he had not got
it." Moore, a City constable, saw the boy going in
custody to the station-house, and perceiving Bucke-
ridge in the crowd looking on with more than ordi-
nary interest, apprehended and conveyed him to the
same place of security, where he was quickly recog-
nised as one of the gang. Spittle, another policeman,
had been observing the movements of the prisoners
together for some time previously. The other thieves
escaped in the crowd.
Miss E. Delamere, of High-street, Homerton,
stated that about half-past five o'clock on Friday, as
she was walking with her mother and brother in
Sun-street, the boy was brought to her by one of the
policemen, who asked her whether she had lost any-
thing. She was not aware that she had, but on
searching her pocket she missed her purse, which con-
tained two half-sovereigns, one half-crown, and two
fourpenny pieces.
Jenkinson, the policeman, produced two fourpenny
pieces, which were perforated, and which Miss
Delamere identified as part of the money, which had
been in her purse. These fourpenny pieces were
found upon the prisoner Buckeridge, when he was
searched at the station-house.
Buckeridge said the police belied him. He knew
nothing of the boy, but he did look on with curiosity
at seeing such a young person charged with robbery.
laugh.) The money found upon him was his
own, the produce of his industry, and as for the holes
in the fourpennies, they were almost as common as
the heads were.—(Laughter.)
The LORD MAYOR said the prisoner, who first
denied a participation in the robbery, happened to be
well-known to the magistrates of London as a person
in constant work in levying contributions upon the
public, and the removal of so active and intelligent a
member of the fraternity would be certainly a boon
to that public.
The policemen engaged in the apprehension of the
prisoners assured the Lord Mayor that it was most
necessary to caution people against the extraordinary
ingenuity of the pickpockets infesting Bishopsgate-
street and its neighbourhood. Gangs of thieves, in
divisions consisting of five or six, in each of which
was a boy well practised in slipping his hand into
pockets and passing the contents to one of his com-
lrades stood at the corners of lanes or alleys, and
quickly separated upon the approach of a police-
man, for whom they were always on the watch, and
frequently committed robberies with complete im-
punity.
Buckeridge—l am not one of that sort.
The LORD MAYOR committed the prisoners for
trial at the Central Criminal Court.
Henry George Pearce was charged with having
committed fraud.
Daniel C. Stocker, a licensed shipping agent, of
15, Cannon-street, St. George-in-the-East, said—
The prisoner was formerly employed by me, but I
have found it necessary to discontinue employing him
for the last three or four months. About the 23d of
September I shipped several seamen on board the
Athenian for Captain Boyntz, the part owners of
which are Messrs. Toulmin, of Great St. Helen's.
I had a claim on the owners to the amount of 3/. for
agency, and also for stationary. The prisoner had
no authority from me to receive that sum, as he did
not in any way
assist me in shipping the seamen.
The receipt produced by the next witness is in the
prisoner's handwriting.
Abraham Sergeant, clerk, to Messrs. Toulmin, of
St. Helen's, Bishopsgate, ship and insurance brokers,
said—On the 23d of September a person applied to
me for the amount of the account for shipping the
crew of the Athenian, and he presented to me the
account which I now produce, and•which is certified
by the captain. I paid the person in gold, and he
then signed, in my presence, a receipt at the foot of
the account.
The prisoner said it was true he had received the
account. He had, for three months past, to receive
a commission for the ships he recommended, and by
him the crew of the Athenian had been recommended.
He had had all the trouble, and some expense, and
the captain said so, and made out the account for 21.
for shipping the men, and 1/. for trouble, including
articles and notes for the men he had shipped.
The prisoner was committed for trial.
GUILDHALL.
Thomas Murrell, a warehouse lad, employed at
•
Messrs Bradbury and Evans's printingoffice, in
Whitefriars, was charged with stealing two' pieces of
cast typo metal, calks furniture, for filling up long
blank spaces.
Mr. Bradbury, jun., stated that some articles of
this kind are cast upon the premises, and in conse-
quence of the foreman having missed about 1 cwt. of
his castings of this description, and especially 101bs
weight on Monday, and slbs. on Tuesday, measures
were taken to detect the thief. That morning witness
secreted himself in a closet which has a window com-
manding part of the composing-room, before any of
the men came; and the foreman secreted himself in
another place, having first marked and counted the num-
ber of pieces of furniture metal on a board. The pri-
soner had no occasion to come into the composing-room,
but he came there to wash himself. Only one com-
positor was then in the room. When the compositor
left the room, the prisoner left the tank and went to
the board where the furniture was. This was out of
the view of the closet; but he heard the chink of
two pieces of metal, as if the prisoner had taken
them up in his hand. He returned to the tank, and
looking about he saw witness in the cupboard. Wit-
ness immediately went out, and made him go into
another room, expecting to find the metal secreted
about him. Nothing, however, was found in his
possession. In the course of five minutes after, how-
ever, the foreman found two pieces had been taken
from the board and dropped into the tank, where the
prisoner was washing. The prisoner denied having
placed them there. _

- Mr. Alderman MUSGROYM put several questions to
the witness, who admitted he never saw the two
pieces of metal in the prisoner's possession, nor heard
them placed in the water-tank. The prisoner's lodg-
ings were searched, and some small bits of melted
type metal were found under the grate.
Mr. Alderman MUSGROYE said it was a case of
strong suspicion, but he doubted whether it would
satisfy a jury. He remanded the prisoner to see if
further evidence could be obtained.
CLERKENW ELL.
Wuedehi t
hhiCaltifilid°a;Cwlih Clifton, was charged with the
wilful on, his wife, at No. 6,
B
sreet, Leather-lane Holborn,
Holborn, was again
p
Mr. Sidney, the solicitor, of Hatton-garden, at-
leaacilaai murderamtPh. feso of
rpf for final examination.
Mr.
at-
tended for the prisoner, and communicated to the
bench that a Coroner's jury had held an inquest on
the body of the deceased, and returned a verdict of
"Manslaughter."
After some proceedings,
Mr. TYRWRITT said he would commit him for the
manslaughter.
The depositions were then read over; and the pri-
soner, who, by the advice of his solicitor, reserved
his defence, was fully committed for trial. Bail was
accepted.