The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-05 00:00:00

Thirteen years ago he had two horses killed ; he then
received a subscription of 41. 16s. He did not kill those
horses himself, but he never found out who did. He
had had a rick burnt down, and received 20/. from the
insurance office ; he did not set fire to that rick himself.
He was robbed on the road from Bath fifteen years ago.
He had been accused of committing an assault, but was
honourably acquitted. The horse in question he valued
at 30/. There was no nail against which the horse could
have knocked his head. Ile had not seen such nails on

his premises. lie had ordered some such to be procured.
He did not put that nail in the horse himself. The
farrier who had killed the horse stated that he took out
the entrails of the horse, and Mr. White told him to cut
up the melt and the maw of the horse, and in doing so
he found a large spike nail, seven inches long; it was in
the stomach. There was no hole in the skin.

James Cave gave the following extraordinary evi-
dence—l am nephew to White, and was at Bath that
e►ening. I left at seven o'clock to return to Coomehay.
I arrived there soon after one o'clock in the morning.
When I got near the stable I saw the two prisoners. I
then got under a straw rick about ten yards from the
stable. The prisoners came along up to the gate near
which I was. They leaned ever the gate. Remained
three or four minutes, and then went into the stable.
Healing took a small pick from under his jacket, and
said to Compton, " Mind, we'll have Colonel." Bealing
opened th© stable door, and they went in. They stayed
there about a quarter of an hour. heard the footsteps
of the horses during the time they were there. They
then came out of the stable. Bealing said to Compton,
" Colonel won't be much more good to him." In about
ten minutes after they were gone I went to the stable,
and saw Colonel down plunging and kicking on the
floor. I went home to my father's. I told him what
had happened. I did not mention it to my uncle till the
21st or 22d of December. I left Coomehay two days
after it happened.
Cross-examined—l did not see my uncle between the
21st of November and the 21st of December ; and I did
not tell him because he had discharged me from work,
and because one of the prisoners was related to him. I
was perfectly sure the prisoners were the men. (In the
deposition taken before the magistrates the witness said
he was positive as to Bealing, but not so positive as to
Compton.) I did not speak to the prisoners because I
was afraid. It was a starlight night. When I told my
uncle I was not aware
.that any reward was offered. I
told my father that morning that I had seen Compton
and Beating do something that night that would go very
hard against them if I was amind to tell of them, and I
asked him what day of the month it was. I did not tt 11
my father what it was I had seen them do. I saw
Francis on the Ist December. I did not pull out a hand-
bill and show him. He did not mention anything about
it to me. I did not say I wished I knew something about
it, I should have a good handful of money then. I know
Mr. Allen. He did not ask me whether I knew any-
thing about the horse being killed. I did not tell him I
wished to God I did.

The father of the last witness corroborated him as to
the story he told him on his going home that morning,
The attorney for the prosecution swore that a letter
was in the handwriting of the prosecutor, but which
letter the prosecutor had most dis:inetly sworn was not
in his handwriting.
For the prisoners it was urged that the horse had died
from a disease called " the frets," and that having before
had subscriptions raised for him the prosecutor had put
the nail into the horse's tomach, after death, with a view
of making it be believed that thQ horse had been killed,
is order that he might get up a subscription in his favour.
Malice or revenge could not be imputed to the prose-
cutor, but the sordid desire of gain.
Witnesses were then called who swore that the letter
which the prosecutor bad sworn was not in his hand-
writing had been written by him. (This was an anony-
mins letter, purporting to have been addressed to the
prosecutor himself, recommending a larger n ward to he
ofrer,d.) Other witnesses then clearly proved that the
two prisoners were in bed the whole of that night, and
they also disproved many of the statements made by
James Cave.

The jury Acquitted the prisoners.
Mr. Jittice CRESSWELL then directed that the prose-
cutor and Cave, the witness, should be conarnitted, in
order that they might be indicted for perjury,

April 3.

John Charles Tapp was indicted for forging a cheque
for the payment of 901. 16s , with intent to defraud
Messrs. Stuckey's Banking Company, in January last.
Mr. Phinn and Mr. Esdaile were counsel for the pro-
secution, and*Mr. Stone and Mr. Saunders defended the
prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner was a miller, and on the
23,1 of January a person by the name of Rutter drew a
cheque on Messrs. Stuckey's Banking Company, at
Wells, for 91. 165., and that cheque he gave to the pri-
soner. On Monday, the 25th of January, the prisoner
went to the bank at Wells, and presented a cheque fur
901. 165., which purported to have been drawn by Messrs.
Rutter. He had a shawl tied round the lower part of
his face, and a handkerchief tied over his left eye. After
being asked several questions, the prisoner was paid the
amount of the cheque. The prisoner put the notes in a
pocket-book. A gentleman went into the bank just be-
fore the prisoner left, and a communication having taken
place between that gentleman and Captain Giles, one of
the partners in the bank, suspicion was created; and the
next night, about twelve o'clock, Captain Giles and Hall,
the Bath officer, went to the prisoner's house at Hol-
combe. They saw the prisoner, and asked him what be
had done with the cheque—whether he had paid it
away, and to whom? The prisoner replied that he had
not paid it away, but had lost it the day before. Hall
told him he had a suspicion of the person who had
presented it at the bank, and it was necessary for the
ends of justice that the prisoner should return with them
to Wells. The prisoner said it was impossible he could
go to Wells that day, as he trust go to Frome to pay his
taxes. Hall said he would arrange that, but the prisoner
still said he c-uld not go. Hall then said he was an
officer, and the prisoner must go with him. The pri-
soner then consented to go. Messrs. Stuckey had thirty
banks of issue, and had upwards of 300,000 notes in cir-
culation. Tile Rev. Mr. Barnard, one of the canons at
Wells, was in the bank when the prisoner was there, and
beard him say he lived at Horrington; and Mr. Barnard
being the incumbent of that parish his attention was at-
tracted to the prisoner, and lie did not know him, and
that led to a communication between Mr. Barnard and
Captain Giles. On the day in question the prisoner was
at the Royal Oak public-house, in Wells. He asked his
way to Stuckey's bank, and for a pen and ink. lie took
something out of his pocket and wrote upon it.
Mr. STONE, on behalf of the prisoner, contended that
there was not sufficient evidence of identity.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sen-
tenced to fourteen years' transportation.
The prisoner ,said, " Though I am found guilty, my
Lord, I am innocent."

In the Nisi Prius Court, Mr. Justice Williams was
occupied on Thursday. and Friday in trying an action for
an attorney's bill; and to-day ho has been engaged in
trying a cause relative to the manor of Tamerton Dean.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
THAMES.

ROBBERY ON THE HIGH SEAS.—Three seamen,
named James Mab!er, John Sinclair-, and John Dunmore,
of the barque Polly, of Glasgow, were charged before
Mr. Ballantine, with stealing a boat from that vessel.
Mr. Pelham appeared for the prosecution.
It appeared from the evidence gone into, that on the
14th of September last, the vessel was lying off the west
coast of Peru, at which time a boat (a pinnace) was
safely moored alongside. The next morning the boat
and five of the crew were missing ; search was made for
them on shore, but they could not be found, and the
master forwarded letters to the authorities along the
coast, giving a description of the men, and stating their
desert on ; he also got the matter of another vessel which
was sailing to give information to the consul at_Callao,
through which the three prisoners were captured and
put in irons, and the boat was found and sent to Callao ;
but the master had to pay 50 dollars for its redemption.
The prisoners were taken before the consul, who sent
them on board the Polly as prisoners, to be conveyed to
England. The other two men were never discovered.
The depositions taken before the consul were laid before
Mr. Ballantine, who thought that there was not a tittle
of evidence against the prisoners, and he therefore dis-
charged them. The men complained much of the harsh
treatment they had received.
THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS