The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-04 00:00:00

on Sundays at 11 and 3; a trifling gratuity in silver
for the benefit of the charity.
ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, WALBROOK.—(Free)—Mons
days, Wednfia6ays, and Fridays, from 11 till 3.
CROSBY HALL, BISHOPSGATE-STREET.—(Free)—Every
day.
THE CHAPEL ROYAL, WHITEHALL.—Sundays, at 10
and 2.
ST. SAVIOUR'S, BOROUGH.--(Froo)—Sundays, at 10
and 2.

MIDDLESEX SESSION'4

Before Mr. WITHAM, Chairman, and a Bench of

‘---
Magistrates, at the Guildhall, Westminster.)
John Keate aged '2B, and Patrick Reardon, aged
30, were indicted fur having stolen 154. pounds

weight of lead, the property of John Kelp, their

master.

Mr. Parry defended the prisoners.
It appeared from the evidence of the policeman,
that about half-past twelve o'clock on the day of the
23d ult., as he was on duty near Grosvenor-square,
he saw the two prisoners, each carrying a large piece
of old lead. He watched and followed them until

they had entered the shop of a marine-store dealer,
at No. 36, Thomas-street. He went into the shop,
and found that one of the portions of lead yas already
_ _

undergoing the process of weighing. He inquired
of the prisoners whence they had brought it, and for
whom they worked. Eventually they stated, when
at the station-house, that they had brought the lead
from No. 18, Grosvernor-street, which house was
_ _

undergoing repair; that a cart had been loaded that
morning with old lead, but that, as there had not
been sufficient room, they had put these particular
pieces aside, and that during the dinner hour they

had taken them away.
Mr. PARRY, in his address to the jury, said that
this admission of their guilt by the prisoners had come
upon him by surprise, for not one word of the fact
had been set forth in the depositions which had been
taken before. the magistrate at the police-court. The
Learned Judge, however, had held, that as the con-
fession bad been made at the station as well as at the

police-court, the statement of the fact was now ad-
missible as evidence. The Learned Judge had at the
same time been kind enough to reserve the point upon
the objiection he had taken upon the subject. If the
evidence were admissible, that evidence having gone
to the extent of a clear admission of their guilt, it

was manifest that it would be vain for him Co weary
the jury by any lengthened observations. He would
therefore leave the matter in their hands, after having
called some witnesses who would testify to the excel-
lent character both of the men had hitherto borne.

Several respectable witnesses then spoke in high
terms of the prisoners in reference to the character
they had borne.
Mr. WITISAM summed up the evidence.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty, but recom-
mended them to mercy, on the ground of their former

good character.
Mr. WITHAM said that that recommendation of the
jury would lessen the punishment of the prisoners by
two months. The sentence upon them each was,
therefore, four months' imprisonment, with hard
labour.
Henry Williams, aged 17, William Jones, aged 19,
and George Brown, aged 19, three short and young-
looking boys, were indicted for having unlawfully
placed their hands in the pockets of divers women,
whose names were unknown, with intent of stealing
therefrom the goods and chattels therein contained.
The policeman who was in attendance at the Poly-
technic Institution, in
.Regent-street, stated that on
the evening of the 24th ult. his attention was attracted
by the bustling conduct of the prisoners, all of whom
he knew to be young pickpockets. They tried to
maintain a crowd around them in this way :—Upon
their arrival at that part of the exhibition were the
electric machine is situated, one of the boys placed
his hands upon the brass balls several times, and by
his behaviour soon gathered a crowd around the spot.
The other two boys then mixed in the crowd, and
he distinctly saw them put their hands into the pockets
of several ladies, but from the rapidity of their move-
ments he was unable to see whether they had suc-
ceeded in their attempts. After this the boys moved
off to the diving bell, which was about to be put in
motion, and here again he saw them repeat their at-
tempts. Indeed, during the half hour which he was
watching them that part of the evening he saw them
try at least half a dozen pockets. The boys were
entering one of the theatres or lecture-rooms attached
to the institution, whither he was about to follow
them, when he was called away by the manager to
see a lady whose pocket bad been picked of a sove-
reign and a half-crown. But for that circumstance
he should have kept his eye upon the boys either un-
til he bad caught them in the act of actually picking
a pocket, or taken them into custody at the termina-
tion of the amusements. Upon apprehending them
he asked each boy what money he had. Jones said
6s. 5d., Brown is. Bd., and Williams 3d. He, how-
ever, searched them, and found in Jones's coat-tail
pocked upwards of 11.
The prisoners, in their defence, expressed great in-
dignation at the policeman not having taken them
into custody, if he was so certain that they were
thieves, the first time he had, as he stated, seen them
try the ladies' pockets. Why had he not done that,
they should like to know; why didn't he take them
then ? But the truth was, the man knew nothing
about them; he was wrong, and they were innocent.
Then, as to their having pushed about, why they had
paid their money, and, like all other people, they had
a right to have their full money's worth, and, having
paid their money, why, they were determined to
get a peep, and as good a peep as they could,
at all the amusements in the place ; and " where
was the harm of that ere ?" said Williams. "He
had as much right to see everything as any one else."
Mr. WITHAM then left the case to
The jury, who at once returned a verdict of Guilty
against all the prisoners.
Mr. WITHAM said that, by the account he bad be-
fore him, the prisoners, although so little and so
young, were old and well-known thieves. As to
Williams, the youngest of them, he found that he had
been summarily convicted and imprisoned no fewer
than six times, and he had also been once convicted
by the verdict of a jury.
A policeman here stepped forward, and said, that he
had long known the boys as expert pickpockets, but
that they appeared upon the present occasion under
different names. Their real names were Probert,
Hunter, and Sleete. Probert had been convicted at
the Old Bailey, and Hunter had been summarily con-
victed, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment.
As to Steele (Williams), the Court had already read
that boy's history.
Mr. WITHAM said the Court would sentence the
prisoners each to imprisonment and hard labour for
twelve months.
Jones—What, all of us the same ?
Mr. WITHAM--Yes, twelve months to hard labour.
Jones—Well, that is fine. Well, my money;
to have that, I suppose ?
Mr. WITHAM—No, that belongs to the Queen.
Jones—Well, I like that ; that money's mine, and
what right—
Mr. WITHAM—Remove that prisoner.
The prisoner was thereupon removed, greatly to his
manifest annoyance and dissatisfaction, not only at
not having the money handed to him, but because he
was not allowed to argue the point as to his right to
have it.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

THAMES.

William Green, a tall, north country, weather-
beaten seaman, aged forty-four, was brought up on
remand, before Mr. Yardley, harged with commit-
ting a brutal assault on a girl, and with assaulting
several other persons and two police-constables.
Mr. YARDLEY said, the fact was the prisoner was
mad drunk, but he could not permit that excuse to be
set up as a palliation for such gross and brutal con-
duct. He should fine him 51., and commiOim to the
House of Correction for two months in default of
payment. He would be further imprisoned seven
days for the assault on the policeman.

LAMBETH.
Mr. NORTON, addressing our reporter, said that in
reference to the distressing case of the Misses Eicke,
which had appeared in the public journals, and which
had excited the sympathy of many benevolent indi-
viduals, he had received several communications, some
of them reflecting on the family generally, and from
this circumstance, as well as a desire to comply with
the requests made by many of the benevolent persons
who had forwarded subscriptions, he had caused inqui-
ries to be instituted respecting the conduct and charac-
ter of the family, which were not finally concluded. He
was, however, glad to say that as far as the inquiry had
yet proceeded, the impropriety of character ap-
plied only to the father and sons, but that as respected
the Misses Eicke, the very highest character had
been received of them from all quarters, and it was
highly gratifying to find that, notwithstanding the
extreme depths of destitution to which they had been
subjected, sometimes wanting the commonest neces-
saries of life, and the strong temptations that might
have been thrown in their way, they preserved their
character so pure that not even the slightest imputa-
tion had been uttered against them. Until the fullest
inquiries should be made he (Mr. Norton) should
retain the whole of the money forwarded to him ;
but, as its subscribers might feel naturally anxious to
know their various contributions had reached him, he
(Mr. Norton) should feel obliged to the press to pub-
lish the following contributions, viz. :—" Mr. Uzielli,"
31.; " J. D. It ." 10s.; " B. Y.," 2s. fid. ; "Widow's
Mite," 5y., in postage stamps; "A. Pantees," 11. ;
" W. M.," 1/, ; " J. A. H." (Streatham), 1/. ; " C.
W. T.," 11.; " E. C.," 108.; " W. Chambers," Post-
office order for 2/. 28. ; " Ignotus," postage starnrs,
1l.: L. L. F. 11.," J 04. ;"G. W. A,," 5/. "R. A. G.,"
5/. ; A GreOLienlati," n dhequa on Alessrt. Saptt,
and Co. for 101. for the Misses Eicke or the poor-box,
at Mr. Norton's discretion ; "C. D. G.," postage
stamps for 108.; " J. Peare," Bath, a; " F. J. D.,"