The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-29 00:00:00

CLERKEN WELL SESSIONS.

A Special Session was holden at the Sessions' House
on Saturday before Messrs. Wilson, Carpenter, Knight,
Wilkes, and other Magistrates, to decide upon the tollow-
ing cases of fraud, which were discovered by Mr. Childe,
an Inspector of Weights and Measures, and his as-
sistant, Mr. Turner. The proceeding caused much in-
terest in a very crowded Court.
Mr. IV. Davis, baker, residing in the Lower-road,
Islington, was charged on an information with using
false weights.

Mr. Turner, having been sworn, said that the present
was one of the grossest cases of fraud that had ever
come under his notice, inasmuch as the defendant could
by one weight only that he had seized derive a clear
weekly profit of upwards of 31, 10s., by reason of this
unjust weight. This weight was represented to be a
four pound one, and when witness found it, it was
in a scale wherein defendant pretended a 4'b loaf had a
just balance ; but instead of a customer getting a loaf
of that weight, he or she would have one short of that
2 ounces and . drachms! that being its exact defi-
ciency by the regular standard. To give the Magis-
trates a better idea of the extent of such deceptions,
he explained that a sack of flour would make 92 loaves,
and in that quantity the defendant, by such weight,
would be able to withhold from the public dealing with
him 131bs. and a quarter weight of flour, and that after
getting a fair and reasonable profit upon his goods.
The defendant WAS doing a good business, and had got
the character of a fair dealer.

Mr. WILSON said it certainly was a very bad case
and cared for a punishment far beyond what they had
the power to inflict, and he would take care that he
should be well looked after in future. He asked him
what he had to say ?

Defendant denied that he used the weight in his bu-
siness.—Mr. Knight : Don't tell us that, for we cannot
believe it. Why, the weight was in the scale !—Mr.
Childe : And there was no other weight in the shop.
Mr. WILSON : It grieves me to think that I am
living in a parish where there is such a dishonest trades-
man. (To defendant) : Ilow long have you been in
in your present shop ?—Defendant : Five or six years.
-Mr. WiLsoN : And very likely you have all that
time used this bad weight.—After the other Magis-
trates had severely censured the defendant, they fined
him 60s. and costs.

Joseph Bottom, a butcher, No, 39, Chapel-street,
Pentonville, was charged with having an illegal balance.
Turner said that he found underneath the scale in
which meat is placed, a piece of fat weighing half-an-
ounce.—Defendant : Said that the fat got there by
accident.

Mr. WILSON : It is useless to say so, for we cannot,
credit it. You often sell a single chop to a poor per-
son, I suppose ?—Defendant : Yes, sir.
Mr. WiLsoN—And in that chop you cheat them of
an ounce. L's very disgraceful, and we floe you 10s.
Anderton, cheesemonger, 21, Lower-street,
Islington, was charged with a similar offence.
In this case there was a deficiency against the pur-
chaser cf every article, however small in quantity, of
half an ounce, ,uid a penalty of 10s. was ordered to be

Henry Hyde, the keeper of a chandler's sliop, 2.0,
Baltic-street, Sr. Luke's, was also complained of fur
using Use weights.

Turner s ►id that he scized_in_ defendant's premises
one 21h. weight short of 2 drachms, another 21b. weight
short of 3 drachms, a half-pound weight deficient
•? drachms, and a one-ounce weight half a drachm short.
He also discovered that defendant's coal-rnaf?hine was
one pound and a quarter heavier on one side. than on
the other.
Defendant was fined 10s. and costs.

James Bailey, coal-dealer, in Great Sutton-street,
Clerltenw{.ll, was fined 20s. and costs, fora like fraud.

William Grevillc, another coal dealer, at 30, St.
John's-row, St. Luke's, was ordered to -"pay 20s. for
using a false balance.
Edward Taglor, a potato-dealer, was charged with
having three false n eights, and fined 10s.
William Smith, of 30, Wellington-street, Sr. Luke's,
was fined its a similar sum for having a false weighing-
machine.
POLICE INTELLIGENCE.