The Sun.
London, England, 1840-11-07 00:00:00

old watch. The watch having :been handed to him
•
from the window, in walked another man, and asked to
see some wedding rings. Mr. Gibson, however, as he
bad no assistant in the shop, said that he could not
servo the latter, who, thereupon, walked out of the
shop, leaving the door wide open. The prisoner then
bolted, with the watch in his hand.
The LORD MAYOR—What do you say to this? The
prisoner—What do I say ? Why, that it's a lie. I
bought that second watch of a boatswain. I suppose
my word is as good as any other gentleman's. lam a
respectable man, and I come from Boston, and I paid
for these articles with my hard cash.
The prisoner had walked into Mr. Jones's shop on
Cornhill at a little after five o'clock, and asked whether
there were any watches, value about 4/. a-piece, for sale,
as he wanted to speculate a little in watches at the
Havannah. Immediately afterwards another men
walked in and asked for some wedding-rings. As both,
however, were suspected, neither were served, and they
went sway without havinghadan opportunity to plunder.
The LORD MAYOR—WeII, prisoner, you deny this
too, I suppose. The prisoner (laughing)—Pooh ! I
never was in the shop at all. It's all a lie.
The policeman said that a more desperate ruffian than
the prisoner he had never seen. No doubt, whatever,
if the prisoner had had a knife, for which he very much
wished, to cut open witness, he would have used it.
The prisoner—l consider that 1 was used d—d
badly, but what could a gentleman expect from the
rascally police. They are all thieves.
The LORD MAYOR—Let every inquiry be made
about the prisoner. I have no doubt that many shop-
keepers have been robbed in this sudden way by him.
Inspector Brake said he believed the prisoner to be a
returned transport.
The prisoner, who is a clean looking fellow, and re-
sembles in appearance the steward of a steam-vessel, was
then remanded till Wednesday next, when a crowd of
plundered shopkeepers may be expected to attend.
The LoRD MAYOR expressed a hope that the ;united
exertions of the persons robbed by the prisoner would
have the effect of transporting him for life.
A young man of genteel appearance, named Robert
Pakenham, was charged with having stolen a Taglioni
cloak in the Langburne Coffee-house in Lombard-street.
The niece of Mr. Bache, the proprietor of the coffee-
house, stated, that on Monday week the prisoner entered
the coffee-room and had a cup of coffee and a muffin,
and, on going out, took away with him a Taglioni cloak
which belonged to another person, and which lay upon
the umbrella-stand.
Mr. Cuffiing, the owner of the cloak, stated, that he
had left it on the stand on going into the coffee-house,
and that it was quite new, and had cost him 31. los.
The prisoner said that he took away no cloak except
his own Mackintosh, which he had left on the stand. It
should, he added, be recollected that there were three
other gentlemen in the box in which he sat.
Mr. Bache's sister said that she had taken the prison-
er's order and money upon his entrance into the coffee-
house, and that he had neither Mackintosh nor other
c10...k with him. She remarked that he had upon him
a suit of black, and she had observed that he remained
in the house one evening till ten o'clock, apparently on
the look-out for something.
The LORD MAYOR—Prisoner, this is a serious charge.
The prisoner—lt is, my Lord, a very serious charge.
But I assure you it is a mistake as regards me. It is
not likely that if I took a coat that did not belong to
me, I should think of returning to this coffee-house,
which I did.
The females were convinced that they were not mis-
taken,
The LORD MAYOR—What are you? (to the pri-
soner.) The prisoner—l dent in tea, which I purchase
at Mr. Ridgeway's, in King William-street. I buy 3/.
or 4/. worth at a time, and I dispose of it to private
fatnilies.—The prisoner was remanded.
Henry Evans, a Welch milkman, was charged with
having pocketed a Times newspaper in the Cambridge
Coffee-house, in Bishopsgate-street.
Mr. Hall, the proprietor, said that his coffee-room
was frequently robbed of newspapers and publications
on Fridays. The prisoner was in the habit of going to
the house, and was suspected and accused that morning.
Without much hesitation he pulled the Time! grit of his
pocket. The inconvenience experienced by such rob-
bery was often very great, and witness was determined
to expose and punish every future case of the kind if any
should occur.
The prisoner said that he had never taken a paper
before, and that he did not mean to keep that. He
only meant to read a bit to his old woman.
The Loan MAYOR (to the complainant)—Perhaps
you will consider that the disgrace is punishment enough.
The complainant—l am satisfied upon this occasion, at
your Lordship's suggestion.
The LORD MAYOR then reprimanded the milkman,
and discharged him.
In a case connected with the dues of the Corporation
of London, one of the officers of the Corporation took
occasion to mention that on Saturday last, Robert
Erridge, master of the ship John Barker, laden with
coals, from Newcastle, was summoned before Mr. Bal-
lantine, the Thames Police Magistrate, for having
broken bulk, and discharged his cargo, without paying
the City dues ; that the Magistrate said he had hitherto
levied only a small portion of the penalty, in the hope that
that would be sufficient to check the system ; but find-
ing that the lenity had not the desired effect, he should
levy a larger fine of 10/. ; and, if the practice continued,
he would in all cases inflict the full penalty of 25i., for
the protection of the City and the fair trader.
The Loan MAYOR said that he had received several
communications within the last few days on the very
inportant subject of fires, to which he considered it
would be prudent to call the attention of his fellow-
citizens, especially those who were filling parochial
offices. The following was amongst them :
" My Lord,—Before your Lordship vacates the
chair, I would invite your notice to a matter connected
with fire, which I conceive to be not unworthy of con-
sideration. Amongst the numerous plans and sugges-
tions which have been brought before your Lordship re-
lating to fire, the importance of procuring at the first
outbreak an instantaneous supply of water, has been
especially dwelt upon, and it is to this point I would
now briefly advert.
" It has been my aim, ever since I have been called to
the performance of my parochial duties, to facilitate, as
far as I have been able, the supply of water in the
event of a conflagration in my neighbourhood, and I
have succeeded in establishing the principle of supply-
ing the elevated plugs in fire-posts from the main, and
having the screws thereof put into good trim ; but
having ascertained that the calibre of these does not
correspond with the screws of the Brigade, I have, in
order to render the paramount assistance of that body
available in my parish in case of emergency, caused a
double screw to be constructed, similar tothe one kept in
the Brigade establishments, so as to enable them to
bear on the plugs ad libitum, and thereby save them-
selves the time and labour of resorting to the surface
semi
" My motive for troubling your Lordship is, that
the several parishes in the metropolis and elsewhere,
may, through your instrumentality, bestir themselves
to possess, if it be necessary, the double screw I have
adverted to, as a simple but powerful means of defence
against fire, and as a demonstration that such success-
ful auxiliary can be promptly used in any invention
for escape, that may now or hereafter be introduced.
I have the honour to submit myself,
" Your Lordship's obedient servant,
" A CHURCHWARDEN."
The LORD MAYOR, in alluding to fires, said that the
improvements in modes of escape did not appear to him
to bear proportion to the improvements in other matters,
but he had great dependence upon the active labours of
the Police Committee, whom he know were indefatigable.