The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-30 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

Yesterday, Thomas Ditchfield, a young man of
respectable appearance, late a clerk in the General
Post-office, was brought before Mr. Twyford, by Inspec-
tor Pearce, of the A division, charged with feloniously
abstracting the sum of 1971. 103. from a letter which
came into his possession by virtue of his employment.
Mr. Peacock, the Post-office Solicitor, assisted by his
brother, conducted the case on behalf of the prosecu-
tion ; and Mr. Robinson, of Hatton-garden, attended
for the prisoner.
Mr. Richard Marchant Hackett, a merchant., resid-
ing at N 0.137, Minories, deposed, that on Tuesday, the
14th inst., he addressed a letter to Messrs. Geo. and
Alfred Wood, brewers, at Lewes, in Sussex, and en-
closed in it a 401. Bank of England note, a 5/. note, the
half of a note for 1001., the half of a note for 50/.,
and two sovereigns and a halt sovereign. He then
sealed the letter, and posted it at the branch-office in
Lombard-street. The other halves of the two notes for
100/. and 50/. he had previously forwarded to Lewes, but
their safe arrival had not been acknowledged. On Fri-
day, the 17th inst., he received a communication from
Messrs. Wood, informing him that the remittance for-
warded on the 14th inst. had not reached them ; upon
which witness went to the General Post-office, and
stated the fact. The 40/. note produced was the same
he had so enclosed. •

Mr. Henry Hutchins proved that on the evening of
Tuesday, the 14th inst., he was on duty at the branch-
office, Lombard-street. A letter posted there for Lewes
in the afternoon of the day in question would, in the
ordinary course of business, be sent to the General Post-
office„ and be dispatched from thence to its destination
on the same nicht.

Mr. Henry Weston stated that on Thursday, the
16th inst., the Bank of England note for 401. now pro-
duced was received at the Borough Bank, in payment
of a promissory note for 551., of Mr. Eaden, 448,
Strand.

Mr. John Smith, a watchmaker and jeweller, carry-
ing on business under the firm of Hawley and Co., 75,
Strand, prol,ed that he paid the note in question into
the Borough Bank, and took up the promissory note of
Mr. Eaden, payable to witness.
Mr. George Sheppard deposed that he managed the
business of the last witness. On the morning of
Wednesday, the 15th instant, the prisoner came into
the shop and asked to look at some gold watches, Wit-
ness showed him two or three, and he selected one, the
price of which was 25 guineas. He then purchased a
gold guard chain for 7 guineas, and also a brequet gold
chain with a seal key attached to it for 21. 10s. He
then desired to look at a diamond ring in the window,
marked 9 guineas, but being too large for his finger
witness told hint he could have it altered in an hour.
The prisoner said, " Very well, I can call again ; but I
will pay you for the articles now." The amount of the
watch, chains, and rings was 451. 1 Is., in payment of
which the prisoner offered the half of a 501. Bank of
England note, but witness told him it would be useless
unless he had the other half. The prisoner then said,
" Uh, 1 beg your pardon, I left it at home ; but I have
a 401. note and a 51. note, which will do as well." He
thea handed witness two notes of the amount mentioned,
together with half a sovereign, and witness consented to
take off the odd shilling. When the prisoner tendered
the half of the 501. note, witness observed that he
hail also in his possession the halt of another
note, ►Which struck him at the time to be the halt
of a 1001. note. The prisoner then went away.
taking the watch and chains with him, and in some-
thing less than an hour he returned for the ring, which
being altered, he put it on his finger, and went away.
Witness placed both the bank notes in the cash-box,
where they remained until the foilowing morning, when
the 401. note was taken out by Mr. Smith for the pur-
pose of paying the bill already mentioned.
The watch, chains, and diamond ring, were here pro-
duced by Inspector Pearce, and the witness identified
them as the same article S he had sold to the prisoner.
Mr. Peacock—Did you not ask the prisoner for his
name and address when he tendered you the notes ?
Witness—No ; I did not.

Mr. William Blott, a clerk in the General Post.
office, proved, that the prisoner had been a clerk in
the Inland-office. He was on duty as clerk of the
Brighton division, where the Lewes bag was made up,
on the- evening of the 14th inst. A letter arriving at
the General Post-offiee eddresse.l to Lewes, would have
passed through his hands, and ought to have been for-
warded by him in the Lewes bag.
• Mr. Samuel James Wood proved that he was a
pawnbroker, and lived at the corner of Ashby-street,
St. John-street Road. The prisoner came to his shop
on the 23d inst., and wished to exchange a mow ning
for a diamond ring which was placed in the window, but
he did not do so. In the course of conversation
he told witness that he had bought a gold watch
at Mr. Hawley's in the Strand, for twenty-five
or twenty-seven guineas, and said there was
one marked 17 guineas in his (witness's) window,
which he liked much better. Witness showen him the
watch, and he agreed to call ag tin in a few days, and
bring the watch lie had bought with him, adding that
he had also bought a gold chain and a diamond ring,
for which he paid nine guineas, a: Mr. Hawley's. He
came again on Monday morning last, and witness, dur-
ing the intere,al, had received a printed
describing the articles produced. The prisoner
said, on entering the shop, that he had brought the
watch he had been speaking about ; and witness,
on seeing it, felt satisfied that the prisoner
the person mentioned in the bill ;kevePs
and,-
inz the prisoner in conversation, he sent for a police-
man, but his young man being unable to find
one, witness left the prisoner in the shop, end proceeded
himself to the station-horse, where he procured two
constables, and placed them in his private shop, to
wait until he called them in. He then returned to the

prisoner, and asked him if be had not bought a gold
chain at ;Mr. Hawley's when he purchased the watch ?
He replied, " Yes, this is it," pointing to one round
his neck ; " and I also bought a diamond ring there,
which I left at home." Witness then said, " I hope
you will not be offended if I ask you for your name
and address." He replied, " Certainly not ;" and then
gave the name of " Mr. Francis, No. IS, Wellington-
street, Goswell street." Witness then told him that he
doubted he was telling him the truth, upon which he
answered, " Well, you hail better go and see." Wit-
ness replied, " No, but I think you had better go with
one of these gentlemen," pointing to the two policemen
who were standing behind him, but whom be had not
seen before. He seemed very much surpr'sed, and at
first refused to go with the policemen, but they ulti-
mately conveyed him to the station-house.
John Hall, a constable of the G division, No. 220,
proved that be took the prisoner into custody in the
shop of the last witness, and took charge of the watch
produced. He searched the prisoner at the station,
and took from his p..rson a gold guard chain, a mourn-
ing ring from his finger, a 101. coun'ry bank note, a
Bank of England note for 51., two sovereigns, and ten
shillings.

Inspector Pearce then deposed that he went to the
cell in which the prison-rwas confined at the station in
Itosamond-street on Monday last. He told him who
he was, and asked fern his ratite and address.
He replied, '"Thomas Francis, No. 5, Pitman's-build-
ings." Witness then asked him where he bought the
watch ? He said at Mr. H iwley's, in the Strand. Upon
asking him if he belonged to the Post-office, he
answered " No." Witness then procured a cab to take
him to the Post-office. kie complained of being ill on
the way, and procured some medicine at a doctor's
shop, As the cab drew up at the Post-office, witness
was in the ac. of paying the driver, when the prisoner,
taking advantage of the circum,tance, suddenly opened
the door 9f the vehicle, darted into the street, knocked
down two or these persons iu his flight, and attempted
to escape, but witness being close at his heels, succeeded
in laying hold of him again, and having taken him in
to the Post-alike, he subsequently conveyed him to this
Court. Witness afterwards proceeded, in company of
Hull and another constable, to the prisoner's lodgings,
in Pitman's-buildings, St. Luke's, and, in a bed-room
there, the landlady of the house pointed to a box,
which she said belonged to the prisoner. Witness,
upon opening the box with a key taken from the pri-
soner, found in it the small deal box produced, in which
he found the diamond ring bought at Mr. Hawley's,
also two 101. notes, two Si. notes, thirty-nine sovereigns,
and various other property.
The prisoner had nothing to say, and was fully com-
mitted for trial upon this charge.
He was again charged with stealingt, from another
Post-office letter three 101. Bank of England notes,
four sovereigns, and one shilling.
Mr. William Samuel Burton, an ironmonger, in
Well-street, Oxford-street, deposed that on the 2d of
March last he enclosed the notes and cash in question
in a letter which he addressed to Mr. T. C. Salt, of
Birmingham. He sealed the letter, and placed it in
the postman's bag, and in about a week after he disco-
vered that neither the letter nor its contents reached its
destination. Witness identified the two 101. notes
found in the prisoner's box, as two of the notes he had
so forwarded.

Mrs. Elizabeth Rose, a jeweller, living in Farringdon-
street, deposed that on Tuesday, the 3d of March last
the prisoner came to her shop and purchased a ring for
11. 163., which he paid for with the 101. note produced,
upon which " John Smith, 80, Aldersgate-street.' was
written. Witness put her own initials on the note, and
the prisoner the name and address already mentioned
as his.

Mr. Peacock—You are not in the habit, I sup-
pose, of taking Bank notes from strangers without
knowing their names and address, and marking the
notes yourself? Witness—l always do sa.
Mr. Peacock—You act very properly, and I only
wish that other persons in your trade would do so.
The 101. note produced wan identified as the third
note of similar umouat forwarded by Mr. Burton, as
above described.

The prisoner was committed for trial upon this
charge also, and, upon the application of Mr. Peacock,
lie was remanded for a week, when other charges will
be brought against him,