The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-08 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT
OLD CURT.
Before Mr. Justice PoLLocx, and Mr. Justice EARLE )
CHARGE OF ARSON.—George John Ford, 35, printer,
was indicted for feloniously setting fire to certain pre-
mises in his occupation, with intent to defraud the Impe-
rial Insurance Company.
In another count the intent was laid to be to defraud
Charlotte Owen, the landlady, of the property.
Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Bodkin conducted the prosecu-
tion; Mr. Ballantine appeared for the prisoner.
The Learned Counsel for the prosecution having
detailed at some length the circumstances under which
the charge was made against the prisoner, the following
evidence was adduced:—
Mr. John Green deposed that he was agent to the
Imperial Insurance Company, and also acted as agent for
Mrs. Owen, the landlady of the premises in question,
which were situated in Breem's-buildings: Beech-street,
Cript legate. The prisoner, upon becoming the tenant,
was bound to insure the building in 150/., and he did so
in the first instance, and eventually, in November last,
ha increased the amount of his insurance to 410/. for
stock in trade, household goods, watches, and trinkets,
books, &c., and he also insured for a twelvemonth's rent in
that amount. The prisoner at different periods paid the
sum of 3/. Os. 6d. for the premium, but the policy was
not formally made out. The fire took place on the 7th
December, and on the 9th the prisoner came to him and
said it was a very bad job, and he wished to know how
he was to proceed in making his claim on the office.
The prisoner said he had not brought in all the property
for which he had insured, and witness then told him to
Teske out as correct an inventory as he could, and he
said he would lay it before the directors. At this inter-
view the prisoner told him he had been on the premises
late on the night of the fire, and the reason was, that he
had forgotton the keys of his drawers where his razors
wore kept, arid he wanted to shave, as he was going out
early in the morning.
Cross-examined—The directors do not give any me-
morandums, and sometimes five or six weeks elapse be-
f ire they send the policy to the party. He made inqei-
ries about the prisoner, and found that he bore an excel-
lent character. The premises had formerly been merely
a carpenter's shop, and was in a very dilapidated con-
dition ; and he knew that the prisoner had been in the
habit of using tar on the roof to keep out the rain.
There were remains of furniture in the ruins after the fire.
By Mr. Justice ERLE—The prisoner did not give me
any estimate as to the amount of his claim upon the office.
Mary Tyrrell deposed that she lived with her hus-
band close to the house that was destroyed. About
twenty minutes before twelve at night, on the 7th De-
cember, they were alarmed by the cry of fire, and on
their rushing out she saw flames coming from the pre-
mises, and apparently from the windows over the gate-
way. Part of the premises were occupied by a person
named Allen as a school. (The witness then pointed
out, in a model that was shown to her, the situation of
the prisorer's house and the other premises.) During
the previous nine months the prisoner did not appear to
be carryine' on any business, and she believed, from
messages that were sent, that he wished to let part of
the premises. About three weeks before the fire the
prisoner told her that she need not send any more
zne:esages to him, as he was Being on a " travelling
system," and after this he would come more frequently
to the premises. On the night before the fire took place
she had observed a very great light in the prisoner's
room, which was completely illuminated, and there was
also a strong smell of pitch and tar.
Cross-examined—She did not see anything of the
prisoner after she had observed the light. She had ob-
served the same smell about twelve months before, and
on her mentioning the circumstance to the prisoner, he
told her not to be afraid, for he used tar in his business
Mrs. John Allen deposed that she was a schoolmistress,
and resided in Beech-street, near the prisoner. She
remembered the fire breaking out at the time referred
to by the last witness. On the 17th November she saw
the prisoner in her nephew's school-room, and they had
some conversation on the subject of an insurance, and
the prisoner remarked that if a fire were to take place
on the buildings it would be confined to these walls.
Witness remarked that wherever fire once began it was
difficult to say where it would stop, and as the buildings
were very narrow she feared they would all come down.
The prisoner repeated that it would be confined to these
walls ; and witness then asked him whether he intended
to set the place on fire, and he replied, " I hope not,"
and witness said that if he did it would be a dangerous
experiment. She believed the conversation was began
by the prisoner asking her if her nephew was insured,
and sho replied that he was not, but that he was on ti e
eve of effecting an insurance, to which the prisoner an •
swered that he wished he had, or that it was a pity he
had not.
Cross. examined—There had been some talk of a rail-
road coming through this property, but she was
not aware that effecting an insurance was de-
scribed as being likely to increase the value of the pro-
perty.
Mr. Alfred Victor Allen proved, that for about six
week previous to the fire, he had occupied part of the
premises of the prisoner as a school-room. On the
Saturday before the fire he left his school-room about
two o'clock in the afternoon, and the fire was extin-
guished, and everything left perfectly safe. He had
been on the prisoner's premises about a fortnight before
the fire, and he then saw a number of articles used in
the printing business, and several cases for type placed
one upon the other, but he did not see whether they
contained any type. The prisoner did not appear to be
carrying on any business on the premises. The prisoner
generally left the key with witness, and he got it from
him on the Wednesday before the fire, saying at the
time that he wanted to bring in some furni-
ture from llighbury, where he resided. On
the morning after the fire he heard the prisoner
say that he went to his workshop to get the keys to ob-
tain his razors; and on its being remarked that he did not
appear to have been shaved that morning, he said that
he had used cold water, but, in witness's opinion, it was
evident that he had not been shaved at all. The prisoner
then appeared anxious to know whether he, witness, was
insured, and on his telling, him he was not insured fur a
farthing, the prisoner said he did not think his own in-
surance would cover his loss ; and he added that he had
furniture on the premises. Witness replied that he did
not know of any furniture being there, and the prisoner
said he had brought it there himself on the Saturday,
and that it came from a person in Tabernacle-walk.
The prisoner was then asked what the furniture consisted
of, and he said four mahogany chairs, without the
cushions. The prisoner next said that he had been at
the premises on the Saturday night before the fire with
a light, and that in coming out he had stumbled, but
that he did not let the candle fall. The prisoner had,
several times before the fire, talked to him upon the
subject of his own insurance, and had likewise advised
witness to insure his own property, and he told him that
he intended to do an. The witness then corroborated
the evidence of the former witness, Mrs. Allen, as to the
statements made by the prisoner regarding the fire being
confined to the walls of the buildings.
Cr.)ss-examined—After the fire he observed a con-
siderabla quantity of the remains of printing type, and
there were also portions of chairs and other furniture.
He did not tell the magistrate that the prisoner repro
sented to him that he did not think his insurance would
he suffident to cover his loss. The prisoner expressed a
doubt whether his policy was completed, and witness
then asked whether he had paid the demands of the
office respecting it, and he replied that he ha('; upon
which witness told him that if that was the case he was
perfectly safe. The prisoner did not mention any other
furniture than the four mahogany chairs, of which he
spoke as hating brought them in on the Saturday before
the fire.

Andrew Mallett, one of the fire-brigade, deposed that,
on the Wednesday after the fire, he examined the .pre-
mises, and found some remains of books saturated with
turpentine under the rubbish, which had apparently
sheltered them from the water, and they were completely
soaked with turpentine. (The witness produced the
b""ks, which were handed to the jury to inspect.)
Under the books there was a layer of shavings, which
appeared to be covered with coal-tar. There appeared
to to about a sack full in quantity of the shavings. In
his opinion, the turpentine could not hare come acci-
dentally upon the books, but they must have been com-
pletely steeped in it. On the following day witness
discovered another sack of
shavings, the sack being par-
tially burnt; and, according to his-belief it was near this
spot that the fire commenced.
Cross. examined—fie ha I heard that a good deal of
turpentine was used by printers for the purpose of
cleaning the types.
Mr. Matthews, a surveyor, deposed that he valued
the salvage from the fire, and he considered the type and
stock-in-trade was not worth more than 90/, and that
the furniture could not have been worth more than seven
or eight pounds.
In answer to a question by Mr. BALLANTINE,the witness
said he considered, that if the prisoner had wished to
replace his printing materials that were destroyed, they
would have cost him much more than the amount far
which he was insured.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. BALLANTINE then made a very powerful speech
to the
jury on behalf of the prisoner, commenting par
titularly upon the latter portion of' the evidence, and
that soarguing farany
from it appearing that the prisoner
could have had n
motive of gain in the destruction of
the property, thati:nthe contrary he could not have re-
placed the articles that were destroyed unless he had
expended a much larger
oammoint i than he would have
been entitled to receive the insurance office.
Several respectable witnesse were called, all of whom
gave the prisoner an excellent character.
Mr. Justice ERLE having summed UP, the jury, after
deli berating about half an hour, returned a verdict of Not
Guilty.
The prisoner was then arraigned upon another in-
dictment, charging him with setting fire to the premises
of Mr. Allen, the witness in the former case.
Mr. CLARKSON said that after the full inquiry that
had just been concluded, he should not, as the facts
would be ,precisely the same, occupy the time of the
Court by offeriag any evidence. The Company for
whom he and his Learned Friend had the honour to ap-
pear, felt it to bo their duty to institute the present in-
quiry, but after the deliberate decision come to by the
Jury, they considered they ought not to proceed any
further.
A verdict of Not Guilty was accordingly returned.

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