The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-25 00:00:00

140VDON, MON DA Y

8 V N,

were brought up several times, and received a
lenient punishment instead of transportation, were
no sooner escaped from their confinement than they re-
peated the offence. With every disposition to act
leniently the parties charged with the administration
of justice found it necessary to inflict severe punish-
ment, and by so doing they in many cases subjected
themselves to public animadversion most unjustly,
because when they saw the same parties coming up
session after session charged with the same offence, it
became the duty of the Court to inflict more serious
punishment. The practice of picking pockets was
one carried on as a trade or profession by gangs who
went from place to place for the purpose of robbing
parties whom they suspected of being possessed of
money or other valuables. It was necessary to
punish severely so serious a crime. There was one
case of sending threatening letters. By an Act
passed in the last session that crime was made
punishable by the application of public flogging. The
act was a most dastardly one, and the alteration in
the Act with respect to it was a most salutary one.
There was one other charge against a person for
keeping in his house gunpowder and fireworks. The
keeping of that article beyond a certain quantity was
punishable, both by statute and common law, and if
the jury were satisfied that danger would result from
keeping such articles in such quantities as the pri•
soner was charged with it, would be their duty in
that case to return a true bill against the prisoner.
He would not detain them any longer, but dismiss
them at once to the discharge of their most im-
portant duties.

SURREY SESSIONS.—(THIS DAY.)
The adjourned sessions for the county of Surrey
were held this day, at the Sessions House, Newing-
ton-causeway. The calendar contained the names of
forty-one prisoners, of whom thirty-three were
charged with felony and eight with misdemeanour.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Puckle), after the grand
jury had been sworn, briefly addressed them on the
nature of the duties they would have to perform.
ASSAULT. William Taylor, proprietor of the
Greyhound beer-shop, Waterloo-road, was charged
with an assault on Mr. John Ponter. From the
statement of the prosecutor, it appeared that on the
Ist of June last he went into the defendant's
shop, and called for a pint of ale, with which
the defendant's wife served him. He then
inquired if he could get a bed there that night, and
on being answered in the negative by the defendant,
he said that he did not want the beer. Defendant
then said, " if you don't want my beer I want my
money, and if you don't pay me pay you."—
(Laughter.) au g h
the
t er) He
. (the t
he prosecutor)
prisen
prisoner
then n
eturned h toin
leave house,when
down.

On his cross-examination, the prosecutor ad-
mitted that he took a woman in with him on the
night in question.
For the defence some witnesses stated that the
defendant only gave Ponter a push outside the door,
and that not till after the prosecutor had refused to
pay for the ale and used very insulting language.
Police-constable 15 L, bore testimony to the re-
spectability of the house and the uniformly peaceable
conduct of the defendant.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, but recom-
mended him to mercy on the ground of the provoca-
tion he had received.
The CHAIRMAN concurred in the propriety of the
recommendation, and sentenced the prisoner to pay a
fine of 403.

lARLBRO'-STREET—(THIS DAY.)
Timothy Donovan was placed at the bar, charged
with being drunk and assaulting Mrs. Eliza Middle
ton, landlady of the Poland Arms Poland-street, and
also with assaulting the
.police in the execution of
their duty.
It appeared that on Saturday night the defendant
went into complainant's house in a state of " obfusca-
tion," and called for a pint of half-and-half, in pay-
ment for which he put down twopence-halfpenny.
Complainant told him that she always charged three-
pence for her half-and-half, but as he had no more
money she would let him off the other half-
penny. The defendant, instead of being obliged
to complainant, assailed her with the grossest
abuse, and struck her in the face. She called
out, and her daughter came to her assistance
and tried to- push him out. He turned round and
laid hold of her, and, having got her head under his
arm, began " pummelling" her in a dreadful manner.
Complainant called out for the police, who speedily
came to her aid and took the defendant into custody.
Police-constable C 81, said he was on duty in
Poland-street on Saturday night, when he heard the
cry of " Murder " and " Police." He proceeded to
the spot, and saw the prisoner in the act of striking
Mrs. Middleton's daughter. He laid hold of him for
the purpose of taking him into custody, when he
turned round and struck him, and tore his coat up
the front. He eventually became so violent that he
was obliged to send for assistance to take him to the
station.

Police-constable C 180, said he was called to the
assistance of last witness, and on requesting prisoner
to go along quietly, he rushed at him and kicked him
under the jaw. He became so violent that witness
was obliged to procure the stretcher in order to convey
him to the station.
The prisoner said he had no defence to make. He
was very drunk at the time, and did not know what
he was about. However, there did not seem to be
any one hurt, so there was no harm done.
Mr. LONG fined the prisoner 20s. for each assault
on the complainant and her daughter, 20s. for the
assault on the first constable, and 40s. for the assault
on the last, or in default to be imprisoned in the
House of Correction for three months.
Phillip Riley, a repulsive-looking fellow, was
brought before Mr. Long, who sat in the absence of
Mr. Hardwick, charged with wounding James
Morris, of No. 11, Dudley-street, under the follow-
ing circumstances:—

The complainant stated that on the previous after-
noon he was standing against his door when the pri-
soner came up to him and said " Jem, old fellow, we
had some words together a week ago, now let us
settle it." Complainant did not answer him, nor
notice what he was talking about. Defendant then
called him by a most filthy expression, and taking his
pipe from his mouth made a "job" at complainant's eye.
He turned his head on one side to avoid the blow, but
the stem of the pipe struck him on the side of the
cheek bone, and entered the flesh, inflicting a wound
more than an inch and a half in length. The blow
was struck with such force that complainant had the
greatest difficulty in pulling it out. He detained the
prisoner till a police•constable arrived, when he gave
him in charge.
James Turner corroborated the evidence of com-
plainant.

The defendant denied inflicting the injury pur-
posely. The complainant tried to strike him, and he
put up his hand to ward off the blow, and the stem of
the pipe struck complainant in the face.
Mr. LONG said it was a brutal assault, and he
should fine him 51., or two months' imprisonment with
hard labour.

Mr. Joll7l Chapman, a medical gentleman, was
charged with riding a horse down a paved thorough-
fare, called Tyler's-court.
Police-constable D 93, saw the defendant riding his
horse down the court, to the danger of some children
who were playing there. As it was against the law
he took him into custody.
The defendant said he was a medical man from the
country, and did not know that he was acting con-
trary to law, as in the course of professional avoca•
tions in the country he frequently rode up courts.
Mr. LONG cautioned defendant and discharged him.
CLERKEN-V—(THIS DAY.)
James Frostick, a pot-boy, in the employment of
Mr. Joseph Holland, of the Duke of Sussex Tavern
Peirpoint-row, Islington, was placed at the bar
on the charge of stealing a quantity of cigars and
tobacco, and 13d. in copper, the property of his
master.
Mr. Holland stated that the prisoner had been in
his service for about five weeks, and during that time
several sums of money were missed, as well as a quan-
tity of cigars and toba6co. Suspicion fell upon the
prisoner, and last night he (Mr. Holland) marked a
quantity of copper money, which he placed in the till,
and this morning, soon after 'he heard the prisoner
come down stairs, he followe.d him, and upon going
to the bar found the door open. Having missed
13d. out of the marked money, he sent for a consta-
ble, who found them in the prisoner's pockets, and
upon searching his box found a large quantity of
tobacco and a box of cigars.
He wag fully committed for trial.

THAMES.—(THIS DAY.)
Thomas Murphy and Catherine Slice were charged
with stealing a half sovereign, the property of Julia
Ilurly.
It appeared that the prisoners and the prosecutrix
both lodged in one room, in Rosemary-lane, White-
chapel. The poor woman had been out hopping all
the week, and returned home on Saturday night with
the half sovereign. She fell asleep, and from the
evidence of Mary Brazier, who was in the room at
the time, it seemed the female prisoner put her hand
in prosecutrix's pocket, and abstracted the purse con-
taining the half sovereign, and she handed it to the
male prisoner, who, however, returned it to her
again. When the prosecutrix awoke Brazier told
her what had happened, and she was almost frantic
at her loss, imploring the female prisoner to give her
back her money, but she only laughed at her en-
treaties, and the consequence was, they were both
given into custody.
Police-constable II 101, who apprehended the pri-
soners, said both they and the prosecutrix were in a
most destitute condition. In one room, where there
was not the slightest vestige of furniture, not even a
chair, or any covering, the prosecutrix, the two pri-
soners, and three other females were all huddled to-