The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-29 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—March 27.

MANSION-HO 4 SE.—John Hall, who has been so
TT
frequently under examinall upon suspicion of having
been concerned in the gold-dust robbery committed in
the transit of the property from London to the Conti
cent was brought before the Lord Mayor for final exa-
mination upon that charge, and also upon the charge of
having absconded from his bail in the year 1841, when
accused of having received stolen goods.
Mr. Bodkin appeared as counsel for the Seuth-East-
ern Railway Company, by which the prosecution was
instituted, instructed by Messrs. Rees and Co. ; Mr.
Ballantine, instructed by Messrs. Lewis, appeared for
the prisoner. Mr, Humphreys appeared to sustain the
second charge.
Mr. Bodkin stated to the Lord Mayor that since the
last examination every effort had been made upon the
part of the prosecution to obtain the necessary testimony
to perfect the evidence in the case, but without eff,ct,
although the rigid inquiry made had elicited a consider-
able amount of facts tending to show that the accuza•
tion was far from ground:eis. He considered himself
bound, therefore, to leave the matter as it now stood in
the hands of his lordship, feeling, as he certainly did
feel, that it assumed the appearance of a case of very
serious suspicion.
Mr. Ballantine said, the prisoner bad been from time
to time remanded in order that the prosecutors might
avail themselves of every opportunity to collect the evi-
dence which Mr. Bodkin promised to bring foi ward in
proof of the charge of participation. Hie client felt that
it was a great hardship to be incarcerated for so long a
period, especially as a session had intervened since he
had been apprehended.
The Lord Mayor said, he had considered the whole of
the evidence with the greatest care, and he felt the ut-
most willingness to grant all the time that might be ne-
cessary in the investigation of a case of such uncloubte‘i
importance to the public ; but after the statement just
made by Mr. Bodkin he could not see that he should be
justified in detaining the prisoner longer on the charge
brought forward by the South-Eastern Railway Com-
pany. He had, he plainly saw, but one course to pur-
sue, which was that, as the prosecutors had failed to
connect the prisoner immediately with the commission
of the offence imputed to him, the prisoner must be dis-
charged as to that case.
Mr. Bodkin said, he the more readily consented to
the discharge of the prisoner in the case alluded to, as
he was aware that Mr. Humphreys was about to estab-
lish a charge against the prisoner which would, in all
probability, have the effect of a further detention in
prison, and in the meantime such evidence might arise
as would complete the case about which such pains had
been already taken.
The Lord Mayor then discharged the prisoner on the
first case.

Mr. Humphreys then proceeded against the prisoner
under the following circumstances, and submitted to
lordship the propriety of committing Hall without bail,
as he had already broken faith with his previous sure-
ties whose recognisances, as well as the prisoner's own
recognisances, had been estreated.
Jas. Brett, the detective officer, produced a certificate
which he had received from Mr. John Clark, the clerk
of the Central Criminal Court, a week ago. It stated
substance as follows:

" These are to certify that at the general sessions of
Oyer and Terminer, hoiden on Monday, the Ist day of
March, 1841, John Hall, of the parish of Greenwich, in
the county of Kent, lal.ourer, was and stands indicted for
feloniously receiving of an evil-disposed person a watch,
of the value of 181., of the goods and chattels of George
Atkinson, well knowing the same to have been feloni-,
en3ly stolen. And these are further to certify, that a'
the same session a certain recognisance was returned,
whereby the said John Hall and sureties were bound
for his personal appearance at the said sessions to an-
swer and plead to a certain bill of indictment to be pre-
ferred against him for febny ; but ha did not appear
according to the recognisance, whereby the same became
forfeited, and was ordered to be estreated into the Court
of Exchequer. And these are further to certify that a.
the same session it was ordered that process should is,ue
against Hall, and that, when apprehended, notice thereof
should be given to Mr. W. C. Humphreys, of 119, New-
gate-street, solicitor for the prosecution. And these arc
further to certify that the said John Hall bath not been
arraigned or tried on the said indictment."
Thomas M`Gill said—l was formerly in the metroie,
litan police force, and am now retired, and residing at 1,
Belmont place, Greenwich. I was in the police force in
1841. I have looked at the certificate produced, a,el
was the officer having charge of the case therein men-
tioned. The prisoner is the person who ie ruentiooed in
the certificate ?

The Lord Mayor then asked the prisoner, according
to the usual form, whether he wished to say anything.
The prisoner—No ; I leave it to my solicitor.
John Hall was then commiteed for trial on the second
charge.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—Jeremiah. Rees was
brought before Mr. Hard wick for re-examination, claargei
with embezzlement.

Mr. Solo►nons appeared for the prisoner, and Mr
Lewis for the prosecution.

Jarnes Kenneth, 121, Bond-street, said he was assist
ant to his mother, who carried on the business of a fi-h-
-monger. Tue prisoner was clerk, and it was part of hp,
duty to take the money to the bankers. In the cast.-
bock there appeared an entry on the 31st December t,f
191. Gs. 3d. as having beer paid to the bankers. On the
15th January an entry of 641. 19e. 6J. was in the ca-h
book as having been paid into the bank by the prisoner.
The prisoner actually paid only 541. Oa the 19th
January 241. 4s. 3d. should have been paid in. Oa the
9th February the sum of 251. 164. appeared as if pain
in ; on the 13th February 39/, 19s. 2d. ; and on the 29 t;,
February, 291. 18s. 2d. This last sum was made up in
packets. All the entries in the book were in the pri-
sonar's handwriting. When the prisoner went to tie
bankers', as witness supposed, on the last occasiln,
aske I him for the bankers' passbook ; the prisoner re-
plied that the passbook was lost, and the bankers were
making a new one.
Cross-examined—The prisoner used to post the books
conjointly with witness, and when he (witness) wanted any
money he used to take the amount he required and placr
a ticket in the monepbowl. Had seen the prison( r
the House of Detention, out of sympathy, but did n-,t
say, "If prisoner could raise the sum of 401. he would
do all he could to settle the matter." Had not been to
prisoner's friends to make an offer to settle the business
f.r 201.

Re examined—All the money he took from the bowl
for businesr; purposes he afterwards replaced, and r. -
ceived the tickets from the prisoner. Sometimes
borrowed money from the bowl for his own use, but he
always returned it.

Mrs. Kenneth saki, she employed her son at a salary
of 1001. a-year to manage the bu•ines3.
Henry neatly, in the service of Mrs. Kenneth, recol-
lected that the prisoner had lots of sovereigns in hip
Porte-rxionnaie on the last day he was at the shop.'
Jones Champion, cashier, at the London a❑d We'd-
minster Bank, knew prisoner as coming to the bank t •
pay in money. The witness proved that on the sevPral
dates referred to by the first witness the sums paid
were short of the sums named, in one instance to the
extent of 15/. ; and that the last amount, about 301.,
hail not been paid in at all.

The prisoner was fully committed, and, under the a I.
vice of his solicitor, reserved his defence.

RETIREMENT OF MR. HARDWICK.

Mr. Hardwick, one of the oldest metropolitan magis
Irate, having been 35 year.; on the bench, yesterday re
linquished his public duties, his resignation, it is under-
sto.d, having been reluctantly accepted by the Hoeft -
office. Mr. Hardwick, in addition to hi 3 sound ju iicia:
qualifications, was an excellentllinguist, an advantage
particularly serviceable iu this court, where a consider-
ahle portion of the business ha; reference to foreivers.
Mr. Hark wick, as a magistrate, was honourably di,
inguished by the inflexib e uprightness of his judgments,
in no instance allowing himself to be swayed in his d -
eisions by the rank or influence of the parties before.
him ; his decisiobs being also remarkable for a clear per-
ception of the real merits of the case. The casual poor,
whose claims more particularly came out in police courts,
will lose a discriminating friend, the funds of the poor-
box having been always freely resorted to in meritorious
cases.

SOUTHWARK.— IVill:am, Chapman, a pswerfu'
looking young fellow, 20 years of age, was charged with
committing a violent assault on his mother, an elderly

woman.

Directly the complainant entered the witness-box the
prisoner in a threatening tone, with his right hand ex-
tended towards her, exclaimed, "Remember Till are
my rcother. You must not swear my life away, or ven-
geance he upon your head !"
Mr. Combe asked the complainant what he son war,
and whether he was in his proper sense !
She replied that he was a sailor, and had not long
been in London from the Crimea. He was quite right
in his head, but he behaved badly towards her. Oo the
previous evening he went into bad company, and, hear;
ing where he was, she went after him to get him away,
As soon as he saw her he knocked her down and swore
he would murder her, and she believed that he would
have done so had not a constable came up and taken
him into custody.
Mr. Combo asked her whether he had Mused her
before ?

She reluctantly replied that he had. Every time he
came fro:n Pea he squandered his money away, and then
found his way to her for more, which she always gave
him as far as she could, and as soon as that was gone he
Mused her.

The prisoner, in a dogged manner, said ho had no re-
collection of beating his mother. Some one must have
drugged his ale, which took away his senses.
Mr. Combo told him be was a cowardly ruffian, and
he should not be doing his duty unless he committed
hiM to the House of Correction for three months with
hard labour.
The Prisoner here turned round to the aged woman
and exclaimed, "Remember, mother, I'll ha►e vengeance
for this. I'll make you remember this."
Mr. Combo told him he would have three months t,)
cool his temper, and most likely the punishment would
make him remember assaulting his mother.
Ho was then removed from the dock, when the old
lady actually tried to beg him off, but Mr. Combo was
resolute in sending him for three months.

LAMBETIT.—Mr. Jonathan &trade and Mr. John
Ilciisby, vestiymen, belonging to the parish of St.
George the Martyr, Southwark, attended before the
Hon. G. C. Norton, to prosecute a man named Black.
well, in a case of gross outrage, for Which a summ,,ns
bad been granted on the day before.
From the statements of the complAnahts it appeared
that on Thursday, about mid-day, they, in discharge of
their duty as members of the vestry of the garish, and