The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-19 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

111ANSION-HOUSE.
On Saturday a case which excited a great deal of interest
came on before the Lord Mayor. A Frenchman named
Homo was brought before his Lordship charged by the
French Consul under the following circumstances The French Consul stated that he had received a letter
from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, stating
that the prisoner, who had carried on business as a
shopkeeper at Rouen, had fled to England with goods in
his possession, to which he had no sort of claim, to the
amount of between 16,000 and 20,000 francs, and de-
siring Viet application should be immediately made to
the authorities of this country to stop the property and
to detain the prisoner if possible. The witnem stated
that he had accordingly proceeded',o the officers of her
Majesty's revenue, and stated the tircumstances, but
was informed that as there uppcared. to be no docu-
mentary evidence nothing could be done. After some
preliminary inquiry, the witness communicated with
Lord Palmerston, who very promptly directed that the
necessary measures should be taken to secure the goods
and the prisoner, a;,d from the rapidity with which the
motions of the prisoner were regulated, it was quite
apparent chat corresponding energy upon the part of
those s' ho claimed the goods as theirs was quite neces-
sary. Here the Consul introduced the official assignee
to the commission of bankrupt, which had been carried
into effect against the prisoner, to the Lord Mayor, and
stated that the gentleman carried about him all the ne-
cessary instruments constituting him assignee to the
estate, signed and sanctioned by the legitimate autho-
rities.
The LORD MAYOR asked whether the goods were de-
tained ? The French Consul said that they were at pre-
sent under the lock and key of ate revenue authorities of
London.

The LORD MAYOR—Then I suppose it is the wish of
the gentlemen whoa
pear here that he should be sent
back to Rouen, '„4 be tried by the laws of France, and
that the go-,ci-
s should be delivered up to the official as •
signce r The French Consul stated that it was a ques-
ton whether the prisoner had not performed acts in this
country which made him amenable to the authorities of
England criminally. It would be for his Lordship to
decide, upon hearing the statement of the person em-
powered to act upon this occasion. The practice of
swindlers and fraudulent characters of flying from one
country to the other with their plunder made it highly
necessary that some international arrangement should be
made to check a system by which numerous robberies
were frequently committed, with almost complete im-
punity.
M. Le Prevost stated that the prisoner, who had car-
ried on business at Rouen, became a bankrupt there, and
committed a felony, partly in that place and partly in
this country. If the Lord Mayor did not consider the
evidence which would be produced sufficient to justify
the man's committal in London, it would then be for the
French authorities to apply to'the English with regard
to the delivery of the prisoner into the hands of justice to
answer for the violation of the laws of France. The
prisoner became entitled, by the Code Napoleon, to the
privilege of making a legal compromise, upon condition
that he should pay a certain per centage within a given
time. The period at which the creditors were to receive
part of the money, however, elapsed, and the prisoner,,
after having in a great variety of ways attempted to
elude the activity and suspicion of his creditors, de-
camped with seventeen bales of goods of the value of
.16,000 to 20,000 francs, and upon arriving in London en-
deavoured to raise money upon them, and at last
,suc-
ceeded to a certain extent. The document found upon
the prisoner's person would explain the nature of the ar-
rangement by which he proposed to set sail for America
on Sunday, and the mode of the diposal of the goods.
In consequence of his conduct in making none of the
promised payments to his creditors, and of his elopement,
the commission of bankruptcy was re-opened, and an
official assignee was appointed to follow and prosecute
the prisoner, and seize the property for the benefit of the
creditors.

The attorney for the prisoner requested to be informed
whether the prisoner had not got his certificate.
M. Le Provost replied in the negative. In fact, the
prisoner acknowledged that he had defrauded his credi-
tors. If he said that he had his certificate, it was only
part of the system of delusion and roguery upon which
he had acted all through, and which his creditors were
determined to expose and punish to the utmost extent.
The LORD MAYOR--I can see pretty clearly the merits
of the case, and I hope the two countries will come to
some speedy arrangement, by which each will cease to
continue to be a refuge for the plunderers of the other.
The prevalence of the system is so great, that a decided
interposition is imperatively called for.
The French Consul said it was only the other day a
person, who had plundered to the extent of 10,0001.,
had been apprehended at Marseilles, and, by the acti-
vity of the authorities there, all but a couple of hundred
pounds were recovered. In another case property to
the amount of 6,0001. or 7,000/. was also recovered.
The LORD MAYOR—It is very well that such prompt
measures were adopted by the French Government in
communicating with the English Secretary of State.
You may depend upon it that the goods shall be securely
kept, whatever course it may be proper for me to take
with the prisoner.
The attorney for the prisoner submitted that there was
no evidence of the commission of any offence by the pri-
soner against the laws of England, and that his client
was entitled to his liberation.

The LORD MAYOR said the case was one of the great-
est importance, and he should take time to consider what
course he would take with the prisoner.
The French Consul declared that the prisoner had
consented to deliver up the goods he had run away with
if the official assignee would pay 601., which he had re-
ceived from certain parties with whom he had had deal-
ings about the property upon arriving in London, and
40!. for himself, to take him away to America with ;
and that afterwards he had declined to do so, from which
it was inferred that some influence had been used to pre-
vent him.

The LORD MAYOR thought it was well for the credi-
tors to the estate that the arrangement had not been en-
tered into, as probably the seventeen bales would be re-
stored without any deduction.
The attorney for the prisoner stated that he was in-
structed to say that his client had paid three. fourths of
his debts already.
The official assignee declared that there was not one
word of truth in the assertion. The prisoner had not
paid one farthing of his debts.
The prisoner—Oh, yes, I have, indeed.
The official assignee—Not a farthing, -I solemnly
assert. —The prisoner was then remanded.

• MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
John Jones and William Hertford, a couple of gentle-
men's servants, were charged with disorderly conduct at the
Opera on Friday night.
Policeman Walker, 78 A, said the Police Commission-
ers had issued orders against allowing the livery servants
of the visitors to the theatre to, congregate about the
Colonnade, and thus obstruct the entrance to the theatre.
The defendant Jones was under the Colonnade on Fri-
day night, drunk, and =sing a disturbance. Witness
told him of the orders he had received, and requested
him to remove. The cefendant Jones set him at defi-
ance, and on making resistance was taken into custody.
The prisoner Hertford had hold of witness's arm, and by
crying out "shame," and using other obstructive,
pro-
,ceedings, tried to excite the other servants to "attempt a
.rescue. It was necessary to obtain assists lice, and then
both defendantS were lodged in the station-house.
The above evidence was corroborated by the other
constables, and the printed instructions produced, from
which it appeared that servants were not to be allowed
under any pretence to wait 4.n the passage.
The defendant denied bc:ing drunk or having created a
disturbance:
Inspect ar Baker proved that both the defendants were
in liquor.
Several respectable inhabitants of Charles-street com-
plained o f the nuisance which regularly occurred on the
nights wben her Majoest,
Y's Theatre was open, by the lan-
' guar. and conduct of the servants in wasting... ARDWICK said there was no doubt agat nuisance
,
was cot omitted nod that the ears not only of persons
outside the theatre! put these inside were eentiqiiilly