The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-21 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

A young la.l, named John Williams, aged 14, was
charged with stealing a silver fork, of the value of 18s.,
from the coffee-room of Anderton's Hotel, Fleet-street.
Richard Cooke, 340 of the City police-force, said, that,
from some information he received from the landlord of
Anderton's Hotel, he went into the coffee-room on
Saturday, and took a seat at some distance from the
prisoner, at the same time ordering a dinner. 'While
engaged at his meal he observed Williams several
times put his hand over a low partition through the
curtain, and try to take something from the side-
beard where the silver knives and forks were kept,
but on each occasion he withdrew his hand when
he heard the waiter approaching. However, in his
last attempt, he suceceded iu getting hold of something,
and held his hand in such a way that very few persons
would have thought he had taken anything at all. Sus-
pecting, however, that he bad, and the waiter making a
motion to that effect, he rose from the table and left the
room. A few minutes after the prisoner also came out,
and vt•as about leaving the premises when he stopped and
took him into a private room, and demanded the fork
from his right-hand pocket. The prisoner immediately
produced it, at the same time begging they would let him
off, and he would never ca!l there again. He was then
taken to the station-house.

Elizabeth Hindley, the chambermaid at Anderton's
Hotel, said that from the staircase above she watched
the prisoner for nearly two hours, and during that time
he made above 20 attempts before he succeeded in getting
the fork produced by the officer.
Mr. Frank Clemow, the landlord, said the prisoner,
who was respectably dressed, had dined several times at
his house; but in consequence of his missing, on Monday
last, four forks, and some more on the following Thurs-
day, his suspicions were aroused as to the honesty of his
young customer; and accordingly a watch was set on
his motions, which watch resulted in his being detected
in stealing the fork produced, which was his property,
and of the value of 18s.

Alderman Glans asked the prisoner if he wished to
say anything?—He declined doing so.
Aldermnn GIBBS said ho should like to be informed if
the prisoner was known to the police.
Cooke r( plied that he was the companion of a dan-
gerous gang of thieves, who generally were loitering
about in the neighbourhood to receive what he had suc-
ceeded in purloining, and it was immediately conveyed
to the other side of the water, to the prisoner's brother.

Alderman GIBBS fully committed him for trial.
_ • WORSHIP- STREET.

PERSONATING A POLICEMAN.—Thomas King, a tall,
impudent-looking fellow, was charged before Mr. Ham-
mill with having falsely represented himself to be a Po-
lice constable, and exorted money in that character from
several licensed victuallers.

Mr. Henry Quantrill, landlord of a public-house called
the Three Inkhorns, in Nichol-street, Bethnal-green,
stated that he was conversing with a friend at the door
of his house between twelve and one o'clock on the after-
noon of Sunday se'nnight, when the prisoner came up,
and, stating himself to be a traveller, requested to be
supplied with refreshinent. He was accordingly ad-
mitted, and called for a glass of gin, which was served
to him; but he had no sooner drank it than he turned
round to the witness and coolly observed, " You are, no
doubt, aware that you are doing wrong, and it will be
my duty to report you." On asking him what he meant,
the prisoner said that he was a policeman, and unless
he gave him 10s. he should obtain a summons against
him for serving before the lawful hour. After some
further conversation witness was induced to comply with
the demand, and having hisnded him a ss. piece and two
half-crowns, the prisoner left the house, and he saw no
more of him until the preceding day, when he accident-
ally came upon him as he was endeavouring to practise a
similar imposition upon another publican, and gave him
into custody.
A second charge was preferred against the prisoner
by Mr. John Chamberlain, landlord of the Feathers, in
Castle-street, Bethnal-green, whom he also visited im-
mediately after leaving the house of the last witness, in
the assumed character of a policeman, and so obtained
half-a-crown by means of a similar threat.
Mr. James Burn, a licensed victualler in Boundary-
street, St. Luke's, stated that the prisoner came to his
house shortly before one o'clock on the previous day,
and having obtained admittance by the same stratagem
that he had adopted in the former cases, was endeavour-
ing to extort money by working upon his fears, when
Mr. Quantrill fortunately came up, and the prisoner in-
stantly started off, but after-a short chase he was over-
taken and given into custody.
In his defence the prisoner admitted having received
the money, but positively denied having represented him-
self as a policeman. _ _

Mr. HAMXILI: said that the charges had been clearly
established, and he should order the prisoner to pay the
highest penalty he was crape wered to impose under the
Police Act—namely, 101. for each offence, or be com-
mitted in default for two months to the House of Cor-
rection.