The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-20 00:00:00

NORFOLK CIRCUIT—HuxriNanoN, MARCH 18.

CROWN SIDE.:
(Before Mr. Justice BOSAYQUET. )
Charles Cole, a boy of respectable connections, aged 15
years, was indicted for feloniously assaulting Edward H. Ro-
berts, a boy about ten years of age, and stealing from him a
bay pony, a'bridle, saddle, and whip.
The young adventurer, wko took so early to the road, met
the juvenile prosecutor on a day in the latter end of last Janu-
ary, riding a pony which his father had given him, on the pub-
lic road near Marborn. He immediately commanded him to
" stand and deliver," producing a pistol at the same time,
which he pointed at the boy's head, and who was compelled by
him to dismount'and give up the pony with the caparisons.
The prisoner told him to go to the other side of the way, and
then rode off on the pony, having first told the youngster
that "if his father inquired for the animal, he might find
him the next thy at York." Soon after the prisoner rode
off with the boy's pony, he was met by a servant orthe
father of the young gentleman, who was on foot, proceeding
towards Marborn, and who at once recognised the pony, and
supposing the thief was a friend of his young master touched his
hat and wenton. He had not proceeded far, however, when
he found his young master on the way, wringing his hands,
and lamenting the loss of his pony. He instantly pulled off his
coat and waistcoat and gave the stripling robber chase' but he
he put the pony to speed, and the servant was compelled to give
up the pursuit. He went home and informed his master, who
mounted his horse and rode ten miles, when he came up with
the thief, with whom he entered into conversation. They rode
into Stamford together, and Mr. Roberts having proposed that
they should stop to have some refreshment. they alighted, when
be collared the thief, and there was found on him a loaded
pistol, 11 bullets, with powder and flints.
He was convicted, and sentenced to fifteen years' trans-
portation.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT—YoRr. MARCH 18.
Joseph Wood, Thomas Shaw, and John Shaw, were found
guilty of a burglary in the dwelling-house of Charles Haigh, at
Lingard, on the 24th February last.
John Hamon Sutton, a Canadian, and a person of very re-
spectable appearance, was indicted for forging a certain coin
resembling a dollar of the republic of Mexico.
The indictment, was framed under the 37th George 111.,
chap. 126, sec. 2, which was passed for the purpose of pre-
venting the counterfeiting of foreign coin. It recited, that
the practice of counterfeiting foreign gold and silver coin, and
the bringing into the realm, and uttering within the same, false
and counterfeit foreign gold and silver coin, and particularly
pieces of gold coin commonly called Louis d'ors, and pieces
of silver coin commonly called dollars, had of late greatly in-
creased, and it was expedient that provisions should be made
more efectually to prevent the same. It was then enacted
that " if any person should, from and after the passing of that
Act, make, coin, or counterfeit any kind of coin, notthe proper
coin of the realm, nor permitted to be current within the
same, but resembling, or made with intent to resemble or
look like any gold or silver coin of any foreign Prince,
state, or country, or to pass such foreign coin, such person or
persons so offending therein shall be guilty of felony, and be
transported for seven years." The prisoner had not himself
made this coin, but he had employed others to do so under his
superintendenee. It appeared, that on the 10th of December
last he went to Sheffield, and called on a man of the name of
Briggs, a silversmith. He looked at his stock of German sil-
ver, and asked if he could not make some medals for him of a
harder metal. He said he wanted them for traffic among the
Indians of North America, in the fur trade. Ultimately, Mr.
Briggs agreed to supply him with 2,4001., and he produced a
die from which he wished to have them struck. Mr. Briggs
required a deposit, as the prisoner was a stranger, and he
left 90 sovereigns with him. Some of the medals were
then struck off, and tke prisoner said he should require
holes to be made in them and some rings and chains.
Mr. Briggs told him he would get the latter better at
Birmingham. ' The' die, after several of the medals were
struck off, began to wear out, and the prisoner employed a
person named Brown to stake another. Brown, it seemed,
soon entertained a suspicion that the medals were being made
to represent coins, and he imparted his suspicions to Briggs,
who immediately wrote to the prisoner at Liverpool requesting
him to come to Sheffield. He accordingly came, and had an
interview with Brown, when he informed him that the act was
perfectly ;legal, stated the purpose for which he wanted them,
and showed him letters from a die-sinker in London named
Withers, who had made the original die, by which it appeared
that inquiries had been made at the Bullion-office, as to the le-
gality of the transaction, which Withers deemed satisfactory. Mr.
Briggs, however, declined to go on with the order, and the pri-
soner agreed to pay him 401. for the trouble and expense he
had been put to, and 5/. as compensation for his declining to take
a quantity of cutlery, which he had ordered for the American
market. He made an appointment to see Briggs on the fol-
lowing day, but in the meantime he was apprehended on this
charge. On his person were found the letter referred to from
Mr. Withers, and a letter from a person named Blis., in Ame-
rica, referring to the prisoner's appointment as Agent for a
Fur Company, at a salts, y of 1,200 dollars a year, and speak-
ing of his purpose in coming to England being to obtain a
supply of goods fit for the fur trade.
air. BA INES addressed the Jury for the prisoner, contend-
ing that all the circumstances of the case showed it to be a
bona fide. transaction, and that the medals were merely intend-
ed for the purpose he had stated—viz., traffic with the Ameri-
can Indians.
His LORDSHIP summed up, telling the Jury that he really
did not think it could be said that the prisoner intended to
pass these medals as coin, which intention he must have in
order to bring him within the provisions of the Statute under
which the indictment was framed.
The Jury entertained the same opinion, and immediately re-
turned a verdict of Acquittal.
Mr. Justice MAULa was occupied the greater part of the
day in trying a Special Jury case, " Doe dem. M%rewood v.
the Earl of Harewood and others," relative to the right of a
large portion of land from which the sea had receded. It
was expected to have lasted two days. The details were
uninteresting.
The Jury found in favour of the defendants.
The business has been so heavy here that in order to get
through it in time to open the Commission at Lancaster on
Saturday next (this day) three Criminal Courts hare been
sitting.