The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-27 00:00:00

the dray, and there was certainly no evidence to show
that it had been wilfully put there by Press, with a
view to rob his masters.
Mr. BODKIN said, that he should not feel himself
justified in withdrawing altogether from the prose-
cution.
The RECORDER said he did not require him to do
so. It was a very proper case for inquiry ; but, in
his opinion, the evidence was not sufficient to justify
the jury in convicting either of the prisoners. It was,
however, a very proper case for inquiry, and the
eminent firm who prosecuted would obtain some va-
luable information as to the mode in which their
business had been conducted, which would, no doubt,
be useful to them for the future.
The jury said that they were perfectly satisfied,
and expressed themselves prepared to return a verdict
of acquittal.
The RECORDER said, that as the counsel for the
prosecution wished to go on with the case, they
had better hear what further evidence could be ad-
duced.
One or two other witnesses were then examined,
but the facts they deposed to were not of a material
character, and,
The RECORDER having addressed a few obser-
vations to the jury, they returned a verdict of Not
I Guilty.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
William. Adams, a well-known thief, was yesterday
brought before the Lord Mayor, charged with having
robbed a lady of her purse, containing two sovereigns
and five shillings.
Mary Ann Warin said, while I was yesterday in
the Custom-house Queen's sale-room, about two
o'clock, I felt a hand in my pocket, and seized the
prisoner, who had drawn my purse from my pocket.
He quickly passed it to another man, whom I could
also have detained if I had had assistance from those
around me, but nobody was disposed to interfere, and
the fellow walked away. From the moment I gripped
this man I held him fast.
The LORD MAYOR—I am very much surprised at
your statement that nobody would give you help in
the room. I should wish to have an explanation of this.
Miss Warin—lf I had received any help I could
have stopped the man who had my money. Although
there were several persons in the room, they allowed
I
him to retire after a pretended search. should know
him anywhere. He just opened his waistcoat, when
the alarm was given, and said, " I have been searched,
and the gentlemen are satisfied that I have got no-
thing," and away he walked.
Jordan, a revenue officer and constable, said that he
was called from the quay to take the prisoner into
custody. There were 20 or 30 persons appointed to
attend the sale-room for the express purpose of pro-
tecting the public from the ingenuity of thieves.
The LORD MAYOR—It would rather appear from
the conduct of the persons in the room that they were
disposed to assist the prisoner. Are these 20 or 30
persons who protect the room in this manner con-
stables ? Jordan—No ; but they are in the rooms to
prevent robberies. I am a constable as well as a
revenue officer, but I was not present at the time.
Two or three other persons lost their purses yester-
day in the sale-room.
The prisoner said—l assure your Lordship the
lady makes a mistake. My hand accidentally
touched her, and she seized me and held me till I was
searched. Nobody could find anything about me,
but she would not let go her grip.
The LORD MAYOR—You are committed for trial.
I wish the revenue constable would mention to the
authorities that if, on sale days, they kept a couple
of city or metropolitan policeman on duty in the
Queen's sale-room pickpockets would not gain ad-
mission. Fellows of this description, if by any chance
they should get in, would be speedily recognised and
kicked out. It is most discreditable to the persons
who were present when this lady was robbed, that
they declined to render her the assistance she re-
quired.
The prisoner was sent for trial at the Central
Criminal Court.
Edward Prohert, the secretary to the Silk Hatters
Trade Society, held at the Black Bull public-house,
in Upper Thames-street, was brought up charged
with having stolen 201. Bs. Oid. out of the box.
The prisoner was remanded.
BOW-STREET.
Edward Peckham, a middle-aged man, who stated
that he lived at 3, Flood-street, Dean's-yard, West-
minster, and was the superintendent of the Fine Arts
Commission, having had charge of the pictures re-
cently exhibited at Westminster-hall, was yesterday
charged with an indecent assault on Robert Pre-
cious, a private in the 2d battalion of the Coldstream
Guards.
The soldier stated that he was on guard near the
mortar-gun, in St. James's-park, between eleven and
twelve o'clock on Monday night, when the prisoner
came up and asked him how he was, what was the
hour of the night, and how long he had to remain on
duty ? Witness answered these questions civilly, and
the prisoner then approached him in an indecent
manner, and made disgusting proposals to him, upon
which he called to his sergeant, and had a policeman
sent for, to whom he gave the man into custody.
The prosecutor added that he was once before
accosted by the prisoner in a similar manner, in
Spring-gardens, about three months ago, since which
time he had not seen him.
The constable, A 44, deposed that he found the
prisoner and.the prosecutor together in the park, both
calling for a policeman, and, as it appeared to him,
accusing each other of indecency. The prisoner
asked him if it was likely that a man in his station of
life and public capacity would do such a thing as that
imputed to him by the soldier ? He made no resist-
ance, but offered to go quietly to the station-house.
The defendant avowed his innocence of the charge,
stating that the soldier first saluted him, and asked
him how much he had money about him. They were
" arguing together " when the sergeant walked up to
them, upon which the prosecutor made the charge
in question, solely, as he (the prisoner) believed, for
the purpose of extorting money from him.
The constable said, he did not hear the prisoner ac-
cuse the soldier of having attempted to extort money
from him when taking him into custody.
Mr. JARDINE committed the prisoner for trial ;
but accepted bail for his appearance—himself in 501.,
and two sureties in 251. each.
William Humphreys, the young man lately in the
employ of Mr. Ackermann, printseller, of the Strand,
who stood charged with stealing a number of valu-
able prints, books, &c., was finally committed for
trial.

As we stated in our former report, the prisoner had
accused a fellow• assistant in the same employ of par-
ticipating in the felony, and he was likewise placed
at the bar; but there was no evidence to implicate
him, and he was at once discharged from custody.
MARYLEBONE.
Yesterday having been the day appointed for the
re-examination of Anne Simmons, shopwoman to
Messrs. Marshall and Stinton, Vere-street, Oxford-
street, the court was much crowded in consequence of
the fact having been ascertained that the prisoner
had 'plundered her employers to no less an amount
than from 2,0001. to 3,000/.
The evidence given on the first occasion went to
show that the prisoner bad been nearly three years
in the service of the prosecutors, who at length had
some suspicion with regard to her honesty, and gave
her into the custody of Allison, an active officer of
the D division, No. 88, who after she was locked up,
searched her box, and found therein an immense
quantity of silks, satins, muslins, gloves, stockings,
and other costly articles, together with numerous
letters and papers. An identification of the said pro-
perty as belonging to Messrs. Marshall and Co., was
fully established, and the prisoner was therefore re-
manded. She was brought up again yesterday, and
from what transpired it would seem that a most sys-
tematic system of robbery had been carried on by the
prisoner to an almost unparalleled extent, considering
the situation in which she had been placed, and the
limited opportunities which, as might be imagined,
could be afforded her for carrying on her depreda-
tions.

The officer Allison, who has exerted himself to the
utmost with regard to the getting up of the case, now
brought forward four large boxes containing valuable
goods, worth nearly 1,0001., which he found at the
chambers of Mr. P. D. Hickman, 18, Lincoln's Inn-
fields, his attention having been attracted thereto by
a letter found in the possession of the prisoner, and
which bore the address in question. Mr. Hickman
admitted to the officer that he had been acquainted
with the prisoner Simmons for two years, and that
she had been in the habit of coming to him occa-
sionally at his chambers, and had slept with him there
on the Saturday before she was taken into custody.
Mr. Hickman, who it was understood at the outset
of the proceedings was in the neighbourhood of the
court, was sent for and brought in by Allison, by di-
rection of Mr. Broughton.
The prisoner was remanded till Tuesday next, and
Mr. Hickman was ordered to enter into his own
recognizance in 2001., and to find two sureties in
150/. each, for his being forthcoming on the day
named; steps have also been taken to insure' the'
appearance of the sister of the prisoner, alleged to
be a receiver of a great deal of the stolen property.
It
presents
Hickman
iek ra t os
nMs ra
d litihcaktm hea n
should was also stated that the prisoner had made numer-
ous anoudldothhe quite pr
others.
A i
to prove his entire innocence with regard to any
guilty knowledge respecting the property found
at
his chambers, as described by the
police. constable.
WESTMINSTER.
Yesterday James Chitty and William Anderson were
charged with having, in connexion with Thom
Ensor, at present under remand, stolen a large quan-
tity of plate, jewellery, linen, apparel,
from toe residence of Mr. Samuel Arehbutt,
King's-road, Chelsea. Two other men, named
fftLaren and Connor, who had been apprehended