The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-17 00:00:00

BOW STREET.

A young man named John Dowker, a medical student
at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, was charged with steal-
ing a silver fork from an oyster-house in Vinegar-yard,
kept by a Mr. Perks.
The niece of the prosecutor deposed to having served
the prisoner and a gentleman who accompanied him with
oysters, &c., in a room up stairs, from which the fork
was missed directly after their departure. Witness
noticed the hurried manner in which they left the place,
and was for that reason induced to send her brother to
the room to see if the property was safe It was found
that one of the parties had left an umbrella behind, and
in about half an hour afterwards the prisoner returned
for it. He was then charged with the theft and given
into custody. He denied all knowledge of the robbery,
but offered to pay the value of the fork until he could
produce his friend, whom, he said, he had only known
a few hours, having met him at Moncrieff's, a tavern
close by. Subsequently he stated that he met him acci-
dentally in the street, and that their acquaintance arose
from the one having inquired of the other the way into
Catherine-street. He paid for both at the oyster-shop.
Chadwick, a police-sergeant, took the prisoner into
custody. He said, on his way to Bow-street, " I did not
take the fork; but I will give you half-a-sovereign to let
me go." He said he was a medical student, and lived at
King's College. Witness went and inquired there re-
specting him, but he was wholly unknown. This he com-
municated to the prisoner, who replied, "Not know me!
the devil they don't. Did I say King's College? Ohl I
meant Bartholomew's, at Smithfield. I'm drunk, and
shall be sick directly. " Witness thought he appeared
confused, but did not think him too drunk to know what
he was about. The fork had net been found.

The prisoner appeared equally incomprehensible in
the dock. He gave several different accounts of the
transaction, first saying that his friend was a stranger.
and then that he was a fellow student. We could not
understand what he either said;or meant.
Mr. Clark, landlord of the Artichoke, in Hare-street,
having been sent for by the prisoner, stated that he
knew him very well, that he was a highly respectable
gentleman, a student at Bartholomew's, and quite in-
capable of a felonious act or intention. The prisoner
dined at his house with some friends the previous even-
ing, and witness heard him say he should go and have
some oysters. He went out, apparently for that pur-
pose, with one of his friends and fellow-students. He
presently returned, and, discovering that he had left his
umbrella at the oyster-house, went out again to fetch it.
Witness saw no more of him.

Mr. HALL thought that it was a case for further in-
quiry. The statement of the young woman who served
the oysters was a very strong one, and it was neces-
sary that the person who accompanied the prisoner
should be discovered. The fact of his returning for his
umbrella, after the alleged theft, was a circumstance in
his favour. Still there was suspicion enough in the
case to justify him in remanding him to Monday next,
but he would not object to take bail for his appearance.
Mr. Clark tendered the requisite bail, and the prisoner
was accordingly remanded.