The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-08 00:00:00

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, Nov. 6.

The Court was occupied the whole of the morning
with motions of course, which presented no feature of
the slightest interest.

POLICE INTELL i(TENCE.
MANSION-HO USE.
A lad named Wiliam Hopkins, who was errand-boy in
the establishment of Messrs. Edgcombe and Co., of No.
24, Watling-street, was charged with having stolen
several bobbins and a skein of silk, and his father, Ed-
ward Hopkins, i-as charged with having received the
property, knowing it to have been stolen.
Mr. J. 11. Fellowes stated that he had the care of the
house, and having reason for suspecting the boy, he
went with an officer to the house of Edward Hopkins,
the boy's father, and found in the drawers, the keys of
which the father had in his pocket, several bobbins of
silk, from which the name of the prosecutor bad been
evidently burnt off. The father said that they were his
property, and that he had had them fur years, but he
afterwards stated that his son had brought them home.
The LORD MAYOR—What account does the father now
give of the business ? The father (Edward Hopkins)—
I am completely innocent of any intention to do the least
wrong, and shall state the whole matter most truly. I
was suspicious that my son was not going on properly,
upon finding that he had more halfpence than in my opi-
nion he ought to have, for I only allowed him ninepence
a week for pocket money ; and having mentioned the
matter to my wife, she determined to go and watch for
him in Watling-street, which she had to pass on her way
to business. She observed him go from his employer's
house towards Milk-street with a bundle, and she fol-
lowed, and demanded it ; and the boy having refused to
deliver it up, she called a policeman, and, by his inter-
ference, succeeded in obliging him to hand it over to her.
Upon bringing it home she found that it contained a
sailor's jacket and trousers, and in the pockets were the
bobbins of silk, which were afterwards found in the
drawers by the officer. The boy ran off, and my wife,
after she brought home the bobbins, burned off the name
of Mr. Edgcombe.
The LORD MAYOR—Why did she do that ? The fa-
ther—l suppose because she was afraid he might be ap-
prehended. I put the bobbins in my drawers afterwards
that he might not come at them again, and I said no-
thing about it, because I thought it hard that a parent
should give evidence against his own child, which I am
afraid I shall be obliged to do now. I am totally guiltless.
The mother, who was called in, stated the circum-
stances in nearly the same manner. She declared that
when she found her son had been acting dishonestly, she
wished to burn the; bobbins altogether, for she could not
think of going against her own child ; and how it was
possible to avoid that, and speak of what she had found
in his pockets, she did' no ;know. If either her husband
or herself deserved blame, she was the culpable person.
Mr. Edgecombe stated, that he employed from 250
to 300 men, women, and children, in his business, and
he suffered dreadfully from constant pilferings. It was
only a few days ago he lost silk by pilfering to the
amount of 1:1. He should, therefore prosecute the boy.
The LORD MAYOR—I shall commit the boy for trial,
and the father must find bail for the appearance of his
wife and himself on the trial.
William Hopkins was:then committed to Newgate.
BOIV-STREET.
John Kennot, Thomas Packard, and John Packard,
were placed at the bar before Mr. Hall, charged on sus-
picion with having administered deleterious drugs on
Friday evening to a man named Aurigier, thereby
causing his death.
The prisoner John Packard was not present during
the first part of the examination of witnesses.
John Kemp, a cab-driver, was sworn, and deposed as
follows:—About half-past two o'clock on Saturday morn-
ing, a boy came to me at my stand in the Strand, and told
me to go to a druggist's shop in Drury-lane, to take up
a gentleman. I went to the shop, which is the second
house from the corner of Russell-street, towards Holborn.
I waited about half an hour in the house, when a gen-
tleman, whom I supposed to belong to the shop, but it
was neither of the prisoners now present, came down and
brought me halfa glass of brandy and water. After waiting
for about another half hour the prisoner Kennot and the
other gentleman brought down a gentleman very much in-
toxicated. The prisoners and the other man took the de-
ceased into a back room, where they gave him some
drink, telling him to take it, and that he would be bet-
ter. I was in the front shop. I could not see anything,
but I heard them urge the deceased once or twice to
drink. They then took him up stairs again, and
I heard one of the prisoners tell the man to lie
down, and that he would be better. About ten mi-
nutes or a quarter V. an hour after that they
brought him down stairs again and put him in the cab.
I saw the prisoner Kennot and the gentleman who is
not now present. The prisoner Kennot and the other
person got on the box with me. They told me to drive
to the liummums, in Covent Garden. I did so, and we
stopped there. The prisoner and the other gentleman
got down, and one of them gave me a half-crown, de-
siring me to drive the drunken man in the cab to 18,
Chancery-lane. I did so, but I found no one up at the
house, and after knocking for some time I drove back
again to the shop in Drury-lane. After ringing the bell,
and not finding any one answer, I brought the man to
the station-house in Bow-street. I immediately saw the
inspector, to whom I stated what lied occurred; and he
.old me he could not interfere in the case; and I again

returned to the shop, but could not gain admittance.
I brought the gentleman back to Bow-street ; I then I
took him out of the cab, and tried to set him standing
on the pavement, near the end of Arch-street. A police
constable then came up, and, on looking at the man, said
he was dying or dead. I told the constable what had
occurred. I thought myself at the time that the man
was dead. The gentleman was then conveyed on a
stretcher to the Bow-street station-house. I afterwards
returned, with a constable, to the shop, in Drury-lane ;
but we could obtain no admittance. On returning to the
station-house again I met the two prisoners, and having
pointed them out to the constable, he took them into
custody.
Police-constable F 51, stated that he had seen the de-
ceased when brought out of the cab, as stated by the
preceding witness. He took the number of the cab,
after saying that he thought the man was dead. The
man was brought to the station-house, and put into a
cell. 'Witness afterwards took the prisoners into cus-
tody, they having been pointed out to him by the cab-
driver. A surgeon was then sent for, and he found the
man was dead. When the prisoner Kennot was told of
it, he said he knew nothing about it, and he denied
that he had been present when the man was put into
the cub. He afterwards admitted that he had been in
the house of the druggist at the time the circumstance
had occurred.
John Hambley stated that he was a Sheriff's Officer,
and by virtue of a warrant of the Sheriff of Middlesex,
he had levied an execution at the house of Mr. Packard,
in Drury-lane, against his goods, and left the deceased
in possession. It was then between twelve and one
o'clock. To the best of his belief, he saw the prisoner
Packard in the house. At the time he left the deceased
in the house he appeared to be perfectly sober. There
were four or five persons in the house, but he could not
say the prisoner Kennot was one of them. The Sheriff's
officers were now in possession of the house.
Charles Pearson, an errand boy to Mr. Packard, stated
that he was in the house yesterday, when the num was
put in possession by the Sheriff?s-officer, and he continued
to remain there during the day: The deceased had been
playing cards in the evening, in the kitchen, with a
servant woman, and the witness heard him several times
call for gin. He got no gin ;. but Mr. Packard, the
brother of one of the prisoners, came and told him to
come into the parlour where he gave him some rum and
water. That was between six and seven o'clock. The wit-
ness went afterwards into the room and saw the deceased
drinking. Mr. Packard and the two prisoners were with
hint. Witness knew it was rum and water, because his
master had given him some of the same drink out of the
same bottle, but nut from the same glass. The other
three parties had wine glasses and a bottle of wine on
the table. Witness then left the room, and did not re-
turn for about a quarter of an hour. They were then
sitting as before. No one but his master seemed at
the time intoxicated. The parties afterwards had
supper ; and, about two o'clock in the morning, wit-
ness went to the Strand to call a cab. He saw
his master and the prisoners take the man up stairs while
the cabman was waiting; and his master and the pri-
soner Kennot afterwards brought him down. They drove
away with him in the cab, and they returned in about
half an hour.
Mr. John Richard Packard, the elder brother of one of
the prisoners already under examination, was here
brought in and also placed at the bar.
Jemima Cato stated that she was a servant in the
house of Mr. Packard. The deceased had been playing
cards with her on yesterday evening. Ho had asked
her to go for 3s. Gd. for him to her master. It was then
about 12 o'clock. The deceased had taken supper with
her in the kitchen, and bad had a pint of porter. A
little after twelve o'clock the deceased had gone into the
room to her master. They then had supper served to them.
They remained in the room till about two o'clock ; and
the witness had been there during the whole time, ex-
cept that she had gone for a moment for a plate. The
parties present were herself, the deceased, and the three
prisoners. They had four bottles of sherry, which the
gentlemen drank; and they afterwards had each a glass
of brandy. The deceased had drank some rum and
water ; he left part of it, which the boy drank.
The deceased had taken a glass of gin and
water early in the day ; he had afterwards
taken porter four times, and the rum and water
which the witness had mixed. Besides the four bottles
of sherry there had been also a bottle of port drunk.
She had seen the deceased on the sofa when her master
had given him some soda. Her master and Mr. Ken-
not afterwards drove away with him ; and they re-
turned in less than an hour. Her master had been
very tipsy.
The prisoners were then removed in the custody of the
police, and ordered to be brought up again on Tuesday.
To-day a Coroner's inquest will take place upon the
body of the deceased.
FORGERY.—Joseph Paybody, charged with uttering a
forged cheque for 1001., with intent to defraud Messrs.
Snow, Paul, and Co., the bankers, underwent a final ex-
amination, and was ultimately committed for trial on
that charge, but remanded for a fortnight on another
charge of uttering a forged cheque on the same banker.
MARLBOROUG H-STREET.
' Henry Sims, J. Minor, and Frederick Bowman, three