The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-17 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

NE IV COURT.'
SENTENCE ON THE SELF-CONFESSED ROBBER AND MURDERER.—
SINGULAR CASE.— William Henry Norman, aged 26, described in the
calendar as a labourer, was indicted for stealing gold and silver
moneys to the value of ROL, the property of Wm. Hoof, his master.
Mr. Clarkson appeared for the prosecution.
The prisoner on being arraigned pleaded guilty, and handed In a
paper to the bench, which was read by the Common Sergeant to the
Court. It ran as follows :—" That your humble petitioner, in plead-
ing guilty to the offence with which he stands indicted, wishes the
Court to take into consideration, that he was not a responsible agent
at the time of committing the act, and that in committing that
and (Alter crimes, he does but follow the path of destiny marked
out for him. As, however, such crimes should not go un-
punished, he begged to make three propositions to the bench.
The first was, that he (the prisoner) should play the Learned
Judge a game at billiards, a hundred up the board. Secondly,
that he should play him a game of draughts, best two out of
three. Thirdly, he should play him either at chess or cricket; that
if prisoner was the winner lie was to be set free, and if on the con-
trary, he was content to be hanged by the neck on the following
morning till he was dead." Whilst this extraordinary petition was
being read, the prisoner kept grinning and staring about the court in
an apparently demented state. The Common Sergeant inquired of
several of the officers, and also of Mr. Cope ,the governor of Newgate,
under whose surveillance the prisoner has been, whether there was
any ground for thinking him insane? They all said decidedly not.
Mr. Clarkson then went on to state to the Court thefacts connected
with the case, which, as they have been so fully and recently before
the public, we give in as brief a form as possible. The prosecutor was
a builder at Kensington, and the prisoner a clerk in his employ. In
the early part of the present year he was sent with the sum named

in the Indictment to make a payment on behalf of his master,
with which he absconded. lie then addressed him a letter,
stating that he was an illegitimate outcast in society, going
inio a detail of robberies he had committed, and that he had taken
part in several murders ; and that on one occasion he had robbed the
Custom-house in Calcutta, where he had a situation as clerk. Seve-
ral of the robberies he confessed to as having been committed in Eng-
land were found to be true. Some time subsequent to the robbery
on ➢ir. Hoof, he was met In Liverpool by a gentleman who knew
him in the Custom-house in Calcutta, and he gave him in custody
for the robbery committed there, and he was taken before the police
authorities at Liverpool, who, having heard of the robbery committed
on Mr. Hoof, at once sent him up to London, and the charge of rob-
bing the Custom-house at Calcutta was abandoned, in consequence
of the difficulties of gaining a conviction.
The CommoN SERGEANT sentenced him to seven years' transporta-
tion, observing that if there was any ground for supposing him in-
sane, there would be ample time to discover it before he left New-
gate; and then the sentence could be reversed.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
WORSHIP-STREET.

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—James Young, a young man of stylish
appearance, was placed at the bar before Mr. Bingham, charged on
suspicion of having picked the pocket of a lady at the Cambridge
station of the Eastern Counties Railway.
Samuel Davey, one of the railway officers, stated that while on
duty at the above station, shortly after the arrival of the two o'clock
train from London on the preceding afternoon, he received in-
formation that one of the lady passengers, who had just gone
on with the train to Norwich, had been robbed of her purse
in the refreshment-room, and the prisoner, whe had come up in
the same carriage, was pointed out as the person suspected.
Witness accordingly kept a strict watch upon his movements, and
observed that he never once left the premises uLtil the return train
to town was about to start, when, upon being asked if he intended
to travel by it, the prisoner replied in the affirmative, and produced
a second-class ticket. Directly afterwards, however, he got into a
first-class carriage, and on being cautioned by the witness that he
had entered the wrong vehicle, the prisoner denied that such was
the case, and exhibited another ticket for the first-class. The train
then started, and the witness, who had previously observed the
prisoner leave one of the private recesses, proceeded to search it,
and having discovered there an empty purse, he instantly communi-
cated the fact, and a description of the prisoner's person at the office
of the electric telegraph, with directions for their transmission to
London, that the prisoner might be secured on his arrival,
William Henry Frenc:i, a clerk at the Shoreditch terminus, de-
posed to having received the telegraph announcement In little more
than half a minute after it had been made at Cambridge, so that on
the train reaching London about three hours subsequently, lie gave
orders tor the prisoner's apprehension.
Poliee-constable Lee, G 177, stated that he received charge of the
prisoner, who exhibited the utmost confusion on hearing the nature
of the charge, and upon searching him at the station-house, a lady's
gold watch, together with two sovereigns, some silver, and a penknife
were found in his possession. He was subsequently confronted with
Hereington, an officer of the detective force, who Instantly recognised
him as an accomplished member of the " swell mob," and stated
that he was well known on the other side of the water.
Mr. Games, who attendeded for the prisoner, submitted that there
was no evidence whatever to establish the accusation, but
Mr. BiNowans considered the whole of the prisoner's conduct was
so rife with suspicion that he felt it his duty to remand him for the
production of further evidence, but he had no objection to accept bail
far his appearance, himself in 1001. and two sureties in 501. each.

INQUEST ON THE HON. COL. BUTLER, M.P.—Yester-
day, Mr. Carttar held an inquest at the Ordnance Arms, York-road.
Lambeth, on the body of Colonel Butler, aged 72, M.P. for Kilkenny.
Richard Green, a police-constable, deposed that on Saturday night
last, whilst on duty at Astley's Theatre, he went, being requested,
to the house where the deceased resided, in York-street, and found
the door of the back room, on the first floor, locked from the inside.
Having forced the door, he discovered the deceased partially sitting
upon a chair, and his head reclining upon some linen. He was quite
dead, and had his clothes on. Witness noticed a bottle of medicine
standing on the mantel-piece, but nothing indicating that he had
taken any deleterious mixture. Mrs. Eliza Fernanday
said that the deceased had regularly resided in her house
for several years, during the period he had to be in
town, to attend to his Parliamentary duties. She saw him last
alive on Saturday at noon ; he then appeared more composed
than he had been during the previous day. An hour prior,
he was seized with a shivering sensation resembling the ague. Wit-
nessfirst refused,
asked hibmuttoaftleetrwhaerrdssehned
sfeonrt medicalmars.sFi sat arran ceer,, wa Ihi cehmihset, at
of
who gave him a mixture, of which he took
f d the door locked. Having knocked at
afterwards site oun
-roatC;en left him, and on her return to his bed-room
ilt is time, Colonel, to take your medicine." He
the door, she said, '
common expression of his. At five o'clock
~ Are,,, a very common ,
and at seven o'clock, on her husband re-
replied,
sts thehiiai
oetrelthYloyee sfarttdmh
uire whether he could be of any service
turning home, he went to inlq
one dose. Witnessnter
te
the
deceased,but he
cou
g forced, and the deceased was found
excited, the door was
Mr. William Culverwell, licen- becoming
described.
attend in the position previously
n said he was sent for to d
et no answer. Their apprehensions
On his arrival he found decease
the deceased
time, proba y
bl three or four hours.
dead, and he had been so some
natural causes. Verdict—
Ile had no doubt
DEATn deceased died from
" Natural death from general decay of nature."
Mr. William
eldAecpeoatshecacca(rile's' Company, y,
SUFFOCATION.--Yesterday da • 'r. William
Baker, Saturday night.
N._yes.,er )
Baker, Deputy Coroner, held an inquest at the Black
Brook-
street, Ratcliff, on 'William Martin, aged three months.
evening deceased was very fretful, and, in order to appease it, the
Bounll, Mondayßroo
k
mother tied up, in a small piece of muslin, some sugar and butter,
with a piece of tape, for it to suck, when it slipped down its threat,
by
MISS which tmlleAtßnrfainNt
EwAaus suoffNocaTtuedz. VAerrdpießt,o.A6 AcenciidNenGtalelyncolLioEkßedA.:
—Another fact of the time is, that the cholera is again approaching
us. It is spreading from Asia, and has already crossed the Russian
boundary. There is time to consider what we can do to make it as
little mischievous as possible; if it should visit us—probably in a few
months. It will be wiser to begin now to keep our persons and
houses clean, to preserve our general health by wholesome and tem-
perate food and exercise, and by encouraging in our homes a cheer-
ful tranquillity of mind, than by making a fuss when the time comes
with white-wash and flannel petticoats, and drugs and new diet, all
tried is hurry and panic,