The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-06 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.

NE W COURT
(Before the COMMON SERGEANT, and Aldermen Sir
CHAPMAN MARSHALL and Fisms.)
John William Thompson, 36, a master mariner, was
charged in three indictments with stealing gold dust to
the value of between 6,0001. and 7,0001, the property of
Geor7e Samuel Ruck, his master, which he had been
entrusted to convey from the gold coast of Africa to
England.
The prisoner, on being placed at the bar, pleaded
" Guilty."

Mr. BODKIN said, as the prisoner had p'eaded guilty,
he only had to draw the attention of the Court to the
principal facts of the case. The prisoner was master of
the Medora, and in his capacity as such was entrusted
with nearly 1,600 ounces of gold dust, which he was to
convey home from the coast of Africa. It seemed that
during the voyage home the prisoner, in an assumed fit
of delirium, threw something overboard, which he en-
deavoured to make believe was the gold dust, saying
that in his fit he supposed some one was going to steal it
away from the ship. However, he brought the gold
dust to England, where ho bartered it fur sale on his
own account. lie thought it right to inform the Court,
that when before the magistrate, the prisoner made a
statement which led to the recovery of a great portion
of the property.
The COMMON SERGEANT was about to pronounce sen-
tence on the prisoner, when

Mr. CLARLON, addressing his Lordship, said, the
prisoner was a man whose connexions and friends were
of the first respectability, and the prisoner himself had
always up to the present affair borne a most respectable
and exemplary character. Under all the circumstances,
and considering that the prisoner had pointed out the
means for the recovery of the property, he trusted that
the promoters of the prosecution would be inclined to
recommend the prisoner to the mercy of the Court.
The Commox SERGEANT said a more serious case had
never come before the Court, and the ccurse the Court
was bound to take was clear and imperative; for an
example must be shown to those who, like the prisoner,
filled important and lucrative positions. The Court had
no wish to punish the prisoner, indeed it was sorry for
him, and for his respectable friends, too; but the Court
would be failing in the duty it owed to the public, if it
did not pronounce a severe sentence, and that sentence
was, that on the first indictment the prisoner be trans-
ported for seven years, and for the like period upon the
second, making fourteen in all.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.
Henry .Tames was brought before the Lord Mayor. A
waiter at the Lord Wellington Tavern, in Great Tower-
street, was the accuser of the prisoner, who, on the day
before, walked into the house and ordered some dinner.
When the meat and vegetables were placed before him
ho tried an experiment upon the waiter which had pre-
viously succeeded. He suddenly rose and expressed
regret that he found he happened to have no money
about him. The waiter was not so polite as to tell him
not to baulk himself, so that out he went without taking
an atom of the edge off his appetite. The waiter having
been struck with the recollection of a similar occurrence
some time ago, quietly followed his visitor, who, on
moving along, sounded as if he had transferred some of
the glass from the sideboard to his pocket. The cus-
tomer took a turn into two or three other taverns, and
at last walked into a coffee-shop, sat down in a
box, and called for some refreshment. The waiter
followed, sat opposite to him, and, after inquiry
about his health, expressed surprise that a gen-
tleman, who had just left a tavern because he had
no money in his pocket, should be so quickly supplied
with the necessary funds. He denied the impeachment,
and declared that he had not been in any other house;
but a policeman soon produced evidence of the fact, by
pulling out of the prisoner's pockets two tumblers, a
pepper castor, and some other articles which had very
lately ornamented the sideboard of the Lord Wel-
lington.

The LORD MAYOR—You had a visit from him before?
Witness—About six months ago he called in, ordered
dinner, and when I brought it in said " Bless me! I
forgot my money," and rose to go away. I, however,
told him I would rely upon his honour, and he had
what he wanted, and went away, but I never saw him
since, till he came to commit the double robbery.
The LORD MAYOR—Why, prisoner, you have been
carrying on a very atrocious game. What have you to
say for yourself ? The prisoner (with a deep sigh)—
Nothing at all. _

The LORD MAYOR—I shall punish you as severely as
I can, and that is by sentencing you to imprisonment
and hard labour for three months.

The LORD MAYOR requested it might be noticed is
the public press, that he had received from the work-
men employed upon the Observateur Francais the sum
of 671. 55., for the service of the English workmen who
had been obliged to leave France. It gave him, he said,
the greatest satisfaction to witness such noble. sympathy,
particularly at a time when general trade was so dull,
and whe.n such an unparalleled distraction seemed to
prevail all around. His Lordship likewise acknowledged
with gratitude the following note, with an inelosure to
the amount therein stated:—

" My Lord,— We beg to hand herewith to your Lord-
ship the sum of 661. ss. 6d., being the amount of the
second list of subscriptions made amongst the French
residents, for the benefit of the English workmen, re-
fugees from France.

" We remain, your Lordship's obedient servants,
" E. GAMBART.
" C. H. HERBERT."
A great number of merchants and tradesmen were
sworn in as constables. Amongst the workmen who
crowded into the justice room to receive the privilege of
what they considered to be adequate protection, in the
event of an outbreak, were those of Messrs. Collard, the
pianoforte manufacturers; of Cheapside. The principal
official gentlemen of the Corporation of London were
also sworn in.

BO IV- STREET.
A young man named Alex. Bruquet Gules, a member
of the French troupe of Equestrians at Drury-lane
Theatre, was charged before Mr. Hall with having com-
mitted a violent assault on Charles Broach, a hawker of
prints, in Trafalgar-square.
The complainant said that he was offering his prints
for sale to by-passers, on Tuesday afternoon, having them
placed in a row upon his left arm, when the defendant,
and some other foreigners who accompanied him, pushed
him aside. lie merely remonstrated with them whew.
the defendant rushed upon him, knocked the prints off
his arm, and kicked him in the lower part of his stomach
with such violence, that he had sustained severe injuries
therefrom. Witness declared that he did not give the
slightest provocation.

Mr. Hector Rose, of 50, Nottingham-place, and a Mr.
Jones, both of whom witnessed the assault, confirmed
the statement of complainant, that he offered no provoca-
tion, and said that the people cried " shame" at the
assault,
Teo evidence of the witnesses having to be conveyed
to the defendant through two separate mediums, occu-
pied considerable time. A member of the company who
knew English first related it to another in Spanish, by
whom it Was then detailed to the prisoner in French;
and so. with all the prisoner's answers to the charge, and
his defence, which, having passed through this circuitous
route, amounted in English to a simple denial of the
charge, as to his unprovoked violence. He described
the scene as it occurrel, declaring that he was walking
peaceably with an elderly gentleman, when the com-
plainant caught his friend by the arm, and tried to force
him to purchase his prints. lie pushed him away, and
then the complainant put himself' in a fighting attitude,
upon which he (the defendant) repelled him in the
national custom of his country, by putting his foot in
the fellow's stomach. (The defendant accompanied this
narrative by a degree of gesticulation and personal illus-
tration in the dock that caused considerable alarm to the
gaoler and some amusement to the Court.)
M. Lewar, another member of the troupe, alike igno-
rant of English, also sought to exonerate his friend
from the cowardice attributed to him, and even went so
far as to deny the assault, which the defendant himself
had admitted.
Mr. HALL said there could be no doubt that the charge
had been fully substantiated, and the defendant must be
taught that such a mode of attack was not to be tolerated
in England. His Worship fined him 54, or to be com-
mitted for a month.

As s as the amount became known the defendant's
friends clubbed together and paid it, and ho was then
discharged.

Mary Anderson was charged with riotous behaviour,
breaking glass, &c., in the Old Bell, Wellington-street.
Sophia Burford proved that the prisoner came in and
asked fur a glass of gin, early that morning, but witness,
seeing that she had already had enough, refused to
serve her, and requested her to leave quietly. The girl
then threw herselt into a violent rage, smashed the win-
dows and cutlery, and caused damage to the extent of
-I/. 7s. Witness never saw the girl before iu her life.
The prisoner had no defence to offer.
Mr. HENRY warmly commended Mrs. Burford for re-
fusing to serve the gin, and committed the prisoner for
two months.

On Monday Thomas Lane was charged with assaulting
Mr. E. J. Phillips, landlord of the MiHord Arms, Mill ord-
lane, Strand.
Mr. Phillips stated that the defendant called at his
house between one and two in the morning, and wanted
to be served with liquor. Witness, perci iving that he
was intoxicated, roused to serve him, but requested him
to have the house quietly. The defendant then struck
him, and he was given into custody.
Constable 148 F corroborated this evidence, having
witnessed the assault.
Mr. JARDINE observed that it was very creditable to
the landlord that he had refused to serve a drunken man
with liquor; and when a magistrate found a publican
doing his duty, as Mr. Phillips had done in this case, it
was his bounden duty to give him every protection. His
Worship fined the defendant 20s.
During the day a large number of housekeepers and
others were sworn in as special constables by Mr. llenry.
And, within the past few days, all the clerks and officers
of the Admiralty have been also enrolled.

BTHS.
On the 31st alt., at Milton,lß
Peterborough, the Viscountess
Milton, of a sea.
On the 25th ult., at Larnaca, Cyprus, the lady of Liven
Kerr, Esq., of a son.