The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-14 00:00:00

Lard CAMPBELL—You may take a rule.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, Jan. 15.
(Before Mr. Commissioner LAW.)
IN RE JAMES HENRY HANCE.

This inso'.vent, the well-known bill agent in Nor-
thumberland-street, Strand, whose case was before
the Court on some former occasions, and reported,
was appointed to be further heard this day. He,
however, did not appear, and it was stated that he
was too ill to attend, and an adjournment was prayed.
Mr. Commissioner Lxw said that, as plrties were
in attendance to oppose, he should proceed with the
case, as ha had done on one occasion on circuit, where
he sat till one o'clock in the morning.
The case proceeded,
Mr. Nichols opposed for a Mr. Hastlee ; Mr. Sir-
good appeared for the R3V. Mr. Rusk, Mr. Sewell,
snd Mr. Bright ; Mr. Dowse also appeared for a Mr.
Bowen. The insolvent was undefended.

It appeared that the several parties had become ac-
quainted with the insolvent through his advertising to
lend money. They had entrusted bills with him.
His mode was to sell them pictures. The bills were
passed away, principally into the hands of Mr. Davis,
of Water-lane, Tower•street, On some of the bills
nothing had been obtained. Mr. Davis and other
parties were called as witnesses, but the insolvent be-
ing absent the evidence was incomplete.
His HONOUR sat till Eve o'clock hearing evidence
from the parties of the manner in which their bills had
been obtained. He expressed his determination to
hear all the evidence, notwithstanding the insolvent
did not appear. Some of the opposing creditors did
not attend on the present occasion.
When the case was concluded it was asked, on the
part of the insolvent, who is in prison, whether he
might apply to come up on another occasion.

iir. o'n'imiseioner LAW said he was at perfect
liberty to make any motion.
Mr. SARGOOD hoped that all parties would have
notice of the next hearing.
The COURT assented, and the case was adjourned.
The insolvent is in the Queen's Prison.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
BOW-STREET.
A young man, named John Revin:White, described as
a clerk out of employ, was placed at the bar before Mr.
Hall, charged with being concerned in breaking into
the Sun and Punchbowl public-house, in High Hot-
born, and stealing therefrom the sum of 601. in gold
and silver, the property of Mr. Foxhall, the landlord.
The daughter of the prosecutor stated that about
half-past twelve o'clock on Friday morning the family
was alarmed by the barmaid, who announced that she
had seen a man on the stairs, and having ran to the
front door, the waterman was called in from the cab-
stand, which was opposite, and while the members of
the family were at the street door the prisoner made
his appearance from the rear of the house, when he
exclaimed, " Halloo, bliss Foxhall, what's the matter ?"
To which she replied, " Don't bother me." And then
it occurred to her that he was the same person who
had been seen by the barmaid on the stairs, as he
could have got out of the first floor window and de-
scend by the leads on the roof of the back parlour, but
could not make his escape unless he went through the
house to get into the street. The potrnan, who was
also in the yard at the moment, and against whom
strong suspicions were entertained, had since ab-
sconded, although he seemed very anxious to have
certain persons apprehended, and said the prisoner
was with him in the yard at the time in question.
The barmaid said she was certain the pri-
soner was the man she bad seen on the stairs., and she
screamed out to the last witness, being very much
alarmed.

The prosecutor's wife proved having deposited the
sum of 571. in gold and 91. in silver in her desk, which
she locked, and she saw it safe during the day.
In answer to the charge the prisoner said he
lodged in a model lodging-houre, and being in want
of food on Friday he was compelled to get his coat
pledged ; besides, he could call several persons to
prove where he was when the robbery was com-
mitted.

John Trumble, a school assistant out of employ,
said that he lodged in the same house with the pri-
soner, and being both in bed at the time, neither of
then could have left the house without the knowledge
of the manager of the establishment, whose apartment
they must have passed.
Mr. HALL drew the attention of the witness to a
letter which he had written to a friend, in which he
mentioned that he had not yet made it all right with
the potman.
The witness admitted having written such a letter,
but the words alluded to had reference to a portion of
a score that had been left still unpaid, as he supposed,
on a former occasion.

Mr. HALL said he would not express what he felt
ahout the charge, his impression being that it should
be decided in a superior court, and that further in-
quiries were absolutely necessary. He should order
the prisoner to be brought up again in a week.
GUILDHALL.
William Daniels was brought up, charged with
obtaining 50/., the money of Mr. Thomas Fuller,
mining share broker, 48, Threadneedle-street, by
means of a forged transfer of one 512th share in the
Wheal Mary Anne Mine, Menbeniot, in Cornwall,
and also with forging the same. There were several
other charges of a similar nature against the prisoner,
but as he had not succeeded in obtaining the money,
those cases were abandoned by the prosecutor, and
the prisoner was fully committed for trial on the
above charge.

CL ERKEN WELL.
Thom: Johnson, an elderly man, a shoemaker,
residing at No. 24, Graham-street, Islington, was
placed at the bar before Mr. Tyrwhitt, charged with
the wilful murder of Sarah Johnson, his wife.
Edward Constable, 410 N, being sworn, said that
on Sunday morning last, about five o'clock, he was
on duty in Macclesfield-street, St. Luke's, when the
prisoner came up to him in a state of agitation, and
said his wife was dead. Witness asked him the cause
of her death, and he replied " I don't know. I was
up stairs, and heard a noise. I went down stairs and
found her lying on the floor. I'spoke to her, but she
made no reply, and I ascertained that she was dead."
Witness accompanied the prisoner to the house. As
he was going along he said he knew nothing about it.
On entering the back parlour, which was used as a
workshop, witness found the deceased lying on the
floor. The place and furniture were all in confusion.
The deceased was surrounded by a pool of blood. On
examining her person, witness discovered that she was
quite cold and dead. He called in Sergeant Barber,
9 N, and another constable, when they procured the
attendance of Dr. Hutchinson. There was no bed or
fire in the room. The deceased, was dressed, with
the exception of her shoes and one stocking. Dr.
Hutchinson examined deceased's head, and the pri-
soner said " I have not done it, I have not done it."
Witness took him to the station-house, where he was
locked up.
By Mr. TYRIVIIITT—Saw no person in the house.
Witness searched the prisoner at the station-house,
when he said, "I am not a thief—l am not a mur-
derer." Witness did not examine his clothes.
Prisoner—Did I not examine and assist my wife ?
IVitness—You did not.

Prisoner—l am sure I did not lay my hand upon
her to hurt her.

Mr. John Hutchinson, surgeon, of No. 8, River-
street North, Islington, sworn. Said that on Sunday
morning last he was called upon by the last witness
to attend tio, deceased at No. 24, Graham-street,
Islington. The prisoner was with the constable.
Witness proceeded there immediately, and in the
back pirlour he found the deceased, whom he had
previously attended for asthma, and had seen on
Saturday last. She was lying on the floor. Her
hair was disordered and matted with blood. She was
on the right side, with her legs drawn up. The lower
extremities were quite cold, also her hands. Her face
was very much bruised, and her eyes blackened and
swollen. Her lips were cut. Her face and hands
were covered with blood. There was a deep wound
on her face. Her knees were also injured. The deceased
was 63 years of age. She was quite dead. Witness asked

the prisoner how it happened. He said he did not,
know. The scalp of the head was very much injured
and swollen. A cloak in the apartment was saturated
with blood. He again asked the prisoner how it oc-
curred. He replied that she fell down in a fit, and
knocked herself about. He said, " I did not do it.
I did not murder her. I missed her out of bed. I
did not hear her breathe. I went down stairs, and
found her lying on the floor. I lifted her up, and
that caused the blood to be on my hands. I found
she was dead, and immediately went for a policeman.
She had had some dreadful falls. She was always
falling about. I could not do anything else." She
never complained to witness of being subject to fits,
or falling down, since he attended her. The priso-
ner's working tools were in the room. The bench
was ovetured. He went with the prisoner and the
policeman to the station-house, and on his return he
examined the body of the deceased more minutely.
There were three females and a man, lodgers in the
house there at the time.
Mr.TraWIIITT—You have described the injuries on
the face, what, in your opinion, might have been
the cause of them ? Witness—My opinion is that
blows from the fist caused the wounds on her person,
and kicks from the boots, or in a scuffle between two
persons.
Mr. TYRWnITT asked the prisoner if he wished to
put any questions to the witness ? Prisoner—l did
not strike her with my fists, nor kick her. I was in
bed two minutes before I went to the surgeon's house.
Sergeant Edward Barber, s N, deposed that he
went to the house, No. 24, Graham street, Idington,
and found the deceased as already described. He said
to the prisoner, " Can you account for all this ?" He
said he could not; he was in bed and heard the
things falling about. He dressed himself, and on
going down stairs he found her lying down. He
called her by her name. She did not answer, and on
lifting her up she was quite dead, when he went for
a policeman. Witness asked him how long it was
before he went for a policeman ? He replied, " Half
an hour." He went to bed the night before at eleven
o'clock. He then left the deceased in the parlour. He
undressed when he went to bed. She had been unwell
for some time past. He generally left the deceased in
the parlour when he went to bed, in order to see that
all was right. lie had been married to her 41 years,
and `•never had lifted his hand to hurt her." Wit-
ness told him that be must consider himself in cus-
tody on suspicion of causing the death of his wife.
He replied, " Very well." He cried, and said, " I
have a feeling for her. I did not kill her." Witness
saw blood in the parlour and on the stairs. The
bench and furniture, &c., were strewed all about the
room, as if there had been a desperate struggle. A
hat was bent and under a table. The prisoner had
no hat on his head when he was taken into custody.
Before he went to the station-house witness turned
the light of his lantern upon him, and his hands were
covered with blood, particularly his nails. There
was also blood on his temple and on the hearthstone ;
it appeared to have been wiped up with a cloak which
lay close by the deceased and was saturated with
blood. There was blood also on the walls and mantle-

shelf; it was quite dry, but fresh. There was a jug
upon the hob of the fire-grate containing beer; the
jug was splashed with blood. There was also blood
on the table. Mr. Hutchinson having said that
the wounds on the head and face, &c., might
have been caused by kicks from a boot, witness re-
turned to the station-house and examined the priso-
ner's boots (now produced), and he found marks of
blood upon them, quite dry. Witness asked the pri-
soner how the blood came on his boots ? He said it
must have been caused by feeling after the deceased
in the dark. There were four other parties lodging
in the same house. He had ordered them all to at-
tend that day to give evidence, but they were not
present. They could give information as to the pri-
soner's ill-treatment of the deceased.
Mr. Hicks, overseer of Islington, recognised the
prisoner as being i❑ the habit of ill-using the
deceased, and she prosecuted him in this court for
cruelly beating her, when he was sent to prison for
one month.
Mr. TYRWIIITT said he should remand the prisoner
for the result of the coroner's inquest, and he in-
structed Inspector Thatcher and Sergeant Barker to
use every effort to produce the best possible evidence
on the day of the next examination, which they pro-
mised to do.
The prisoner was accordingly remanded.
LAMBETH.

Charles Wood, a well-dressed young fellow, who
described himself as an omnibus driver, badge 9,503,
and residing at No. 28, Bull an I Gate-yard, High
Holborn, was placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott,
charged with committing a murderous assault on the
person of Mr. Thomas Carter Wiggs, a gentleman
residing at No. 2, Lorimore-terrace, Wal worth,
with a life-preserver, and also with intent to commit
a highway robbery.
Mr. Gaines attended for the prisoner.
Police-constable James lily, 57 P, deposed that
about half-past one o'clock on Sunday morning he
was on duty in Manor-terrace, and on approaching
within about 100 yards of Lorimore-terrace, he dis-
tinctly heard the sound of a blow, and instantly
heard loud cries of " Murder " and " Police." lie
ran toward the place from whence the cries pro-
ceeded, and found there a gentleman bleeding pro.
fusely from the head. At the instant he saw, by the
shade of the lamp, a man running in the direction of
West-street, and, in consequence, went after him as
fast as he could, but had not proceeded for when he
met a brother officer coming towards him with the
prisoner in his custody. The prisoner was taken to
Mr. Wiggs, and the latter at once said he was the
person who struck him the blows on the head.
Mr. ELLIOTT—Did he state what he had struck
him with? Witness—Yes, Sir; he said a short stick
with a knob at the end, but in my opinion it was a life-
preserver.
The witness was cross-examined by the prisoner's
solicitor, but he failed to elicit anything favourable to
his client ; the winess repeated that he distinctly heard
the blow which was given on the hat, and which, in
the stillness of that hour, could have been heard one
hundred yards off.
Samuel Coppin, 97 P, deposed that about the time
before mentioned he heard the cries of " Murder—
Police," and on going to the spot from whence the
cries proceeded he met the prisoner, who was blowing
at the time and appeared to have been running. He
asked him where he came from, and he said from Pen-

ton-place, and knowing this to be false he stopped
him, and told him he must take him to the place from
whence the cries proceeded. The prisoner then said,
"If there is a row between a man and his wife, I
have nothing to do with it." He, Coppin, however,
told him he must come with him, and at this time the
last witness (Key) came up, and said that there was a
gentleman very nearly murdered. He then took the
prisoner to the house of Mr.Wiggs, and thatgentleman,
on seeing him with his hat on, exclaimed, " That is,
the fellow who struck me ; take care of him." Mr-
Wiggs also said that there was another man with the
prisoner. The witness then produced a life-pre-
server" of a new and novel shwa. At one end was a
large lump of lead, while the body, which was of
India-rubber, was tapered off so as to resemble a
riding-whip, and when the latter, or tapered end,
was twisted round the wrist, the weapon, in the hand
of a person of ordinary strength, was sufficient to
knock down a bullock, and of the most formidable de-
scription.
James Prince, a lad residing in the neighbourhood,
deposed that about eight o'clock on Sunday morning
he found the instrument produced by the constable in
a small garden in front of the house of Mr. Frazer, a
gentleman residing iu Lennox-terrace, and gave it to
the officer.

Coppin informed the magistrate that the place where
the life-preserver was found was exactly 14 yards
from where he End stopped the prisoner, and the pri-
soner in crossing from the place where Mr. Wiggs
was struck to where he was apprehended must have
passed the garden of Mr. Frazer.
The prosecutor was so severely injured as to be un-
able to attend.

In reply to a question from the Magistrate, the
officer said that Mr. Wiggs had received three despe-
rate wounds on the head, but was now somewhat
better.

The prisoner was remanded, the Magistrate refusing
to take bail for him.

THAMES.
Charles George Watson, a cabman, residing at
39, Wheeler-street, Spitalfields, was finally examined,
charged with stealing eight copper ingots from one
'of the vaults in the St. Katharine's Docks.
It will ba remembered that on the 31st ult. the pri-
soner, who is a cabman, was seen loitering in the
neighbourhood of the D warehouse of the docks from
ten till half-past twelve o'clock, when the men went
to their luncheon, lie was observed treading down
something in his cart, and on examination it was
found that eight ingots of copper, corresponding with
a cargo of the same metal brought by a vessel called
the Bullfinch, and lying in a neighbouring vault,
were hidden under the straw. On searching the vault
it was found that sixty-six ingots were missing ;
and it was shown that the prisoner had, within
the previous two months, been seen in the same
vicinity several times with the same light cart, which
belongs to Mr. Benjamin Bacon, 1, Anchor-street,
York -street, Stepney, who, besides being a silk ma-
nufacturer, lets out carts for hire. The case was re-
manded at the instance of Mr. Humphreys, in the
expectation that some accomplice might be discovered,
as it was deemed impossible that such a system of
plunder could have been carried on without the con-
nivance of some of the Dock Cowpany's servants. No
such discovery, however, was made ; but,
This day, Mr. Bacon, the owner of the cart, proved
that the prisoner had hired his cart three or four
times within the last two months, and on one occasion
was accompanied by a man who was since convicted
of a robbery on a railway, committed under some-
what similar circumstances.

Mr, YARDLEY said that evidence was important,

and the depositions being taken at length, the pri-
soner wai fully committed for trial.

Amongst the applicants for relief yesterday was
the granddaughter of a woman named Catherine
Rugg, who was born 25th November, 1745, and has
at present attained the extraordinary age of 105 years
and upwards.

Tel-fent, the warrant officer, who introduced the ap-
plicant, said he knew the old woman, who lived at
No. 6, Prosperous-place, Salmon street, Salmon-lane,
Limehouse. It appeared that of her issue now living
there were one daughter, four granddaughters, three
grandsons, three great grandsons, and three great
granddaughters. Until within the last fortnight the
poor old woman had been able to walk about with
the support of a stick, and not longer ago than three
weeks could read her Bible without the aid of glasses.
She had formerly held a respectable position in life,
but had lately been reduced to great distress, and the
portion of the family now living together, nine in
number, were cooped up in a miserable two-roomed
house in the locality above given. The only daughter
she had now living had lost her husband about a
fortnight since, and was herself at present confined to
a sick• bed.

Mr. YARDLEY said it was a cis well deserving at-
tention, und regretted that the funds at his disposal
would not allow him to give more than 103., which
he immediately handed over to the applicant, who ap-
peared extremely grateful.