The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-08 00:00:00

IN RE PETER STEPHEN CROPPER.

This was a rule obtained by the insolvent, calling on
the detsiniug creditor, Mr. Wood, to show cause why he
should not pay the suui of 4s. per week for the in.
solvent's maintenance during the period of his detention
at Mr. Wood's suit.
Mr. Cooke showed cause, and Mr. Dowse supported
the rule. _ . .

•
The insolvent in his affidavit swore that he was
heard at Lancaster in November last, and was then re-
manded for eighteen calendar months " for emigra qtig
to Arcerica without payiug the opposing creditor a
debt," and he was now in great distress, having no
means of living beyond the county allowance.
The endorsement upon the schedule returned to this
court showed that the remind was for " having made
away with part of his property with intent to diminish
the sum to he divided among' his creditors."
An affidavit was read from Mr. Wood, stating that
the insolvent had been a hatter in Birmingham, and in
October, 1849, his premises were destroyed by fire, in
consequence of which he received shortly after the sum
of 4701. from an'insurance-office, with which he imme-
diately started off to America, where h© remained for
toldrreosoteo persondinEngiloanrdhiiinadAelupghtilast!
wlahsto.
had made an affidavit of the fact, that he brought mer•
chandise with him from England to the value of 1,000

dollars. Upon his examination the insolvent pro-
tested his utter dostitution, but upon his writing
de-slc b'ing brought into court these wero found therein
three sovereigns and right American dollars. The de-
ponent was &so ipfaraed that the insolvent's son, a
minor, was carrying on a flourishing business near Bal-
timore, and ono of his daughters had married a person
there well to do in the world.
Mr. COOKE submitted that the rule must be dis-
charged, both on the merits and on the proven falsity of
the insolvent's affidavit.
Mr. DOWSE was about to reply, when

The Learned COMMISSIONER Called the attention to
the inaolvent's affidavit as being incomplete in many par-
ticulars, and not complying with the requirements of the
Act cf Parliament. This was clearly u ease where the
insolvent merited little commiseration, and the rule
must therefore be discharged.—Rule discharged.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Jan. 7.

(Before Mr. WITHAM, Chairman, aad a Bench of Ma-

gistrates.)
William Sharman, aged 49, and Mary Sharman, aged
30, his wife, were indicted for stealing three drinking
glasses, the property of Henry 'raison; five drinking
glasses acid a sugar crusher, the property of Robert
Frost; and two nrinking glasses, the property of W.
Rinpen.
It appeared that the prisoners were drinking at the
bar of a public-house in Crovvn-court, Soho, about half-
past six o'cl, ek in the afternoon of the 3d inst., when
the attention of one c f Vie Grenadier Guards was at-
tracted to the motions of the male prisoner, whom he
saw, although apparently reading thenewspaper, attempt
to secrete the glass it om which he had just before been
drinking. Upon this the soldier told the landlord what
he had seen, when the latter challenged the man with
the theft, on which ho dropped the glass upon the floor,
and upon being questioned as to whether he had any
other glass about him, he denied that he had. The
landlord, however, was not satisfied with the prisoner's
manner, and sent for a policeman, into whose custody he
at once gave both the parties. The male prisoner was
then searched, when there were found in his pockets no
fewer than seven other glasses, each having the name of
the owner upon it, a sugar crusher, and three table knives.
One of these seven glasses belonged to the prosecutor
Talson.

The whole of the glasses were now identified by their
respective owners.
The police-officer, C 61, stated that the ftmale pri-
soner having given their address at No. 2, Little Rus-
sell-Areet, he went to that place, where he found four-
teen more glasses, several of which had subsequently
been claimed by the landlords of different public-houses.
The male prisoner, in his defence, said that he had
purchased some of the glasses from a person of the name
of Evans for 2i, and that tho others he had bought at
what was termed a " night sale."
The Learned JUDGE having left the case to the jury,
they found the man Guilty, and Acquitted the woman.
The Learned JUDGE then sentenced the man to impri-
sonment for twelve months and hard labour.

The wife shortly afterwards applied to tho Court for
tFe purpose of obtaining an order for the restoration of
certain of the glasses which had been seized at their
lodgings by the officer, and which glasses she now stated
she had purchased for their own use at the time of her
marriage to the male prisoner.

The Learned JUDGE said that he could make no order
upon the subject.
Joseph Darley, aged 35, a driver of one of Hansom's
cabs, as was understood, was indicted for picking the
pocket of Mr. Charles Thomas Hill, a mechanical
draughtsman, in Leadenhall-street, of a silver watch,
under the following circumstances:—

Mr. Hardinge Giffard appeared for the prosecution.
It appeared that the prosecutor had supped at the Sun
Tavern, in St. Clement's Dane; upon the evening of the
31st ult., with the landlord of which house he was ac-
quainted, and that at the conclusion of the feast and the
subsequent revel, a quarrel having arisen between the
landlord and his guest, the latter challenged him to put
him out of the house. The landlord, notwithstanding
his efforts, carried that object into effect, when the pro-
secutor fell down in the mud. As he was getting up the
prisoner ran towards him, and said that he should not
strike Mr. Whiting (the landlord). At the same mo-
ment the prosecutor felt his watch pulled out of his
waistcoat pocket, and the guard-chain break. This act
was seen by the potman of the landlord, who seized the
prisoner, in whose hand he saw the watch, and before
he could give him into the custody of a police-officEr.
He also saw the prisoner in the act of dropping the watch,
when his mistress (the landlady) caught it.
The prisoner cross-examined the prosecutor as to
whether he had not been turned out of the house by the
landlord.

The prosecutor said, Yes, and that having quarrelled
with that person, he had challenged him to turn him out.
The Prisoner—You did, did you? Well, that
was not very civil conduct, was it, to a man with whom
you had been supping ? Do you call that being very
civil to a man who bad invited you to supper ? Is that
the way you treat a gentleman who treats you ?
The Prosecutor—Yes, we had a quarrel, and I chal-
lenged him to put me out.
The Prisoner—Well, my —, that's civility to a
gentleman who treats you ! Well.
In his cross-examination of the potman, the prisoner
asked whether he was not very drunk at the time, and
whether, in fact, they were not all of them drunk ?
The Potmsn—No, the gentleman had had some drink,
no doubt, but not so much as to prevent his knowing
when you pulled his watch from his pocket.
The Prisoner—Oh, oh ! my --. Well, then, wasn't
I very drunk at the time ? The Potman—No, only a
little ; you knew what you were doing well enough.
The Prisoner—Only a little, why I had a pailful.
What do you talk about?—(Laughter.)
The else on the part of the prosecution having been
concluded.

The prisoner, when called on for his defence, said,
" We were all drunk, that's all I have to advance."
The Learned CHAIRMAN sumny:d up the evidence.
The Jury returned verdict of Guilty.

The L;l:trned CHAIRMAN sentenced him to six
months' imprisonment and hard labour.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL.

Thomas Rose, a clerk to Mr. Darrington, meat-sales-
man, of Newgare•mnrket, was brought up before Sir P.
Laurie, charged with embezzling various sums, the
moneys of his employer.
It appeared that the prisoner received and entered all
money as it was paid into the counting-house. On va-
rious occasions it was ascertained that he had received
small amounts from his master's customers, and, entering
them in the book as smaller sums, received and appro-
priated the b slance to his ow❑ purposes. Some bills that
had been paid it was discovered hal never been entered
in the book at all. About *six or seven charges were
brought against the prisoner, but only three were suffi-
ciently established to warrant the Alderman in sending
the case to the Old Bailey.

Sir P. LAURIE said he had noticed an unwillingness
on the part of Mr. Darrington to prosecute o❑ the last
examination of the case, and he was now resolved to
know whether the prosecutor intended to prosecute in
this Case or not, as he would not send any case to the
Old Bailey when there was the probability of the prose-
cutor recommending the prisoner to mercy and with-
drawing the charge. Such cases only reflected discredit
upon the magistrates who sent them for trial, and he
would prevent that as much as possible.
The prosecutor said he intended to carry the case as
far as he could.—The prisoner was committed for trial.
James Thomas Newland and Rally Hart were brought
up, and the depositions read over to them. They de-
clined to say anything after being cautioned, and they
were accordingly fully committed for trial on the first
charge. Newland was also committed on another charge
of uttering forged receipts.
William Piper and Justin Gunn were brought up for
further examination, charged with having a quantity of
scented soap in their possession, the property of Messrs.
Price and Co., perfumers, of Lombard-street.
Packman said if the case were remanded for a few
days he had information which would lead to a thorough
exposure of one of the most extensive systems of swind-
ling ever practised, and which the prisoners had carried
on for some time past.
Sir P. LAURIE said, he was always anxious to bring
offenders to justice, and more particularly when a regular
organized system of swindling was carried on. He would
therefore 'emend the case for a few days, to allow the
officer to make all the necessary inquiries.
Edward Watson, a diminutive urchin, whose head did
not reach above the dock, was charged with stealing a
silver watch, value 51., the property of Mr. Francis
Bright, of Addle-street, Wood-street, Cheapside.
Sir P. LAURIE said he would take him in hand for a
short time, and see whether seven days in the Giltspur-
street Compter would be of any benefit to him. He, in
addition to the term of imprisonment, would order him
to be twice well whipped during the time, and he hoped
that would correct the boy's inclination to crime.
The mother said she was afraid that that kind of
punishment would only harden him.
Sir P. LAURIE said that if he did not appear to benefit
by it, and pursued the same course when he came out,
he would give him a little more of the same thing, until
he could appreciate its efficacy.
Tho prisoner, who did nut appear more than five years
old, was then removed.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

Two Italians, who gnvethenamee of Antonio Rossia
and Anthony Sollivan, wore charged with playing an
organ in Maddox-street at half-past eleven o'clock on
Monday night, and with having assaulted the police.
Mr. Hunter, of No. 16, Maddox-street, said, on his
return home about half-past eleven o'clock the previous
night he found two Italian organ-players (the de-
fendants) with en immense organ on a truck drawn by
a horse stationed before his house, creating, by the din
it caused, a serious nuisance to the inmates and the
neighbours. As he had an invalid relative in the house,
he requested S)llivan, who was holding the horse, to re-
move into the next street. The only reply was, " Ahi
what, you may go to h—," at the same time placing him-
self in a sort of Italian fighting attitude. Complainant
called for the police, upon which the defendant Rossia,
in order to overpower the summons for the police, put on
additional stops, and made the previous noise, if possible,
more intolerable. A police-constable came up, and he
gave both the defendants into custody.
Police-constable C 91 said, at half-past eleven o'clock
at night he heard a call for the police. He went into
Maddox-street and saw the complainant, who requested
him to oblige the defendants to remove from the street,
as he had a brother lying ill at his house. He told the
c:efendants to go away, but they refused, and kept on
playing with augmented vigour. The complainant
then gave them into custody, and witness took them
down Regent-etreet, toward:; the station-house. Mice
about halt way ;there the defendants started the horse
into a trot, and attempted to get away. Witness stopped
the horse, and was then assailed by Rossia, who struck
him repeatectly, and twice knocked him down. Rossia
twisted the rein about his baud, and refused to lot go

until considerable force was used. The defendants con-
tioucd t play the organ for several minutes alter wit-
ness first m..l,je his appearance end nquested them to

cie•,is;.

Police•constahle M'Evau said there were some gen-
tlemen present who encouraged the defendants t) play.
The defendant Russia made a very considerable re-
sistance.

In dotence Rossia said a gentleman gave hire 4d to
play, and he was only giving his customer the value
for his money.
Mr. BINGHAM said, for this offence Sollivan must pay
40s. or one month, and Rossia must be imprisoned for
twenty-one days.