The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-26 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

A CuRIOUS CHARGE AGAINST MILKMEN.—Thomas
Messer, late a milk seller, in the employ of Mr. Dan-
cocks, purveyor of milk to his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales, Fulham-road, and Thomas Goddard, his brother-
in-law, were examined at the Westminster Police-court,
charged with conspiring to defraud Mr. Dancocks of
his customers by other than lawful means. Mr. W. D.
Smyth, solicitor, of Rochester-row, prosecuted ; Mr.
Collins, barrister, defended. Messer was bound to Mr.
Dancocks under a £2O penalty not to sell milk on his own
account within a certain radius, or assist another to do
it ; but he appears, however, to have gone about with
Goddard, to whom he handed some of the money paid by
Mr. Dancocks's customers, the latter imagining that it
wag Mr. Dancocks's milk. To one customer Goddard
said he had bought part of Mr. Daucocks's walk ; and
to another when she complained of the milk being thin,
he said, "You had bettergo to the office," thereby inferring
that he was in Mr. Dancocks's service. The theory of the
prosecution, therefore, was that the two defendants were
either selling their own milk, and attempting to deprive
Mr: Dancocks of his customers, or that the milk was
" watered," and the money handed to Goddard was that
arising from the extra quantity produced by the water.
➢ir. Arnold gave judgment at some length, but was under
the impression that the evidence of " watering " was only
evidence of opinion, and, although the two defendants had
been guilty of dirty and underhand proceedings, there was
no conspiracy in law, and Mr. Dancocks had not been
damnified, for there was no evidence that he had lost any
of his customers, so, therefore, they had not acted crimi-
nally, and Mr. Dancocks would have a civil remedy
against Messer if the evidence were correct. He should
discharge them.
MISCREANTS.--Ridding the Public of Dangerous
Characters.—George Arthur Woodhouse and Samuel
Clements, alias Clement W ix, were charged before Mr.
Knox, at the Marlborough-street Police-court, with fre-
quenting urinals as suspected persons. Detectives
Butcher and Shrives, of the C Division, about 12 o'clock
on Friday night saw the prisoners following gentlemen into
several urinals, and then took them into custody, having
previously seen Clements talking to a fellow named
Cassell, better known as " Lady Jane Grey." In reply
to Mr. Knox the officer (Butcher) stated that Woodhouse
was charged at that court in September, 1869, with a
similar offence along with Cassell, and committed for
three months hard labour, Cassell being sent to the Ses-
sions and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment and
a flogging, On searching Woodhouse, he found on
him a powder puff, used for powdering his face.
The prisoners entered into long and rambling statements,
Woodhouse in a very effeminate tone of voice, and Wood-
house called a young man on his behalf, who as well as
Woodhouse said tht. police persecuted them. Mr. Knox
said of all the miscreants brought to that court, the pri-
soners were specimens of the worst, as they were in the
practice of frequenting places for the purpose of extort-
ing money from persons by accusing them of crimes
which would drive them from their fellows. The pri-
soners would be committed for three months' each with
hard labour, and if they ever came before him again he
would send them to the sessions.
ADJUDICATING A MAN A BANKRUPT WRONGFULLY.—
In she Court of Exchequer a Mr. Johnson, a draper of
North Waisham, brought an action against a firm of
Norwich solicitors for having adjudicated him a bankrupt
without reasonable ground. The defendants pleaded that
they had acted upon the instructions of the late Sir
Robert Harvey, a creditor of the plaintiff, that every-
thing had been done in the ordinary course of businees,
and that they were actuated by no vindictive feelings.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages
£1,560.
THE 'ASSAULT UPON AN OFFICER.—With respect to the
recent assault upon an officer in Enniskillen,the public are
likely ere long to learn all particulars, The Enniskillen
correspondent of the Irish Times writes :—" The public
will ere long be gratified with a full denouement of
all the matters connected with this case, for I am in-
formed that, acting under the advice of counsel, Mr.
Porter's F olicitor will immediately institute a suit in the
Divorce Court, where the alleged provocation that Mr.
Porter is said to have received for administering the
flogging, to the captain will be disclosed. Mr.
Alexander, the solicitor, says. in a letter just published
—" That an opportunity will be thus afforded of cor-
recting various mis-statements and impressions un-
favourable to my client in this most painful case, as well
p as establishing in evidence the terrible provocation received
by hint in his absence from his home, though denied
on oath by Captain Poynter at the recent magisterial
investigation here, which was necessarily an ex parte
proceeding.' "