The Sun.
London, England, 1834-02-01 00:00:00

KING'S BENCH.-(THIS DAY.)

(Sittings at Nisi Prius, before the LORD CHIEF...JUSTICE
and a Common Jury.)
THE KING V. BYERS AND ANOTHER.
This was an indic•ment charging the defendants, Byers,
the notorious informer, and Stapleton, who has often
officiated as his witness, with a conspiracy to extort money
from Mr. Wilson, a stage-coach proprietor, by laying
information against him for allowing a greater number of
passengers to be carried by his coaches than the law
allowed.
Sir JAMES SCARLETT, with whom was Mr. RICHARDS,
stated the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Mallet, the chief-clerk at Hatton-garden Police-office,
aced on the 17th April last Byers laid an information at
hat office against the prosecutor, charging him with ha-f
141, on the 12th of that month, had a greater number o
i ,Paalrogers by his Holloway
he 24th,
stage-coach, No. 3,404, than
ds license allowed. The case was beard on t
and dismissed by the magistrate.
The prosecutor stated that be was owner of the coach
4". 3,404, which passed the White Lion at Islington at
five minutes past five on the evening of the 12th of
April. He attended the hearing of the information laid
by Byers, and it was dismissed.
Cross-examined by Mr. Anotrnus—Was a member
of the Coach Proprietors' Society. Did not understand it
was established for the express purpose of suppressing
common informers.
C. Stock, who drove the coach on that day, proved he had
only the nunakeer of passengers that the license permitted,
and he mentioned the names of nearly all of them. He
heard the evidence given by the de'enclant Stapleton,
before the M, gistrate, in which Stapleton swore that
there was a greater number, and Byers also said he could
have proved the case himself, as he had seen the coach at
the corner of White Lion-street, with an extra number of
Passengers.
3W3
01, Painted very much like that numbeted 3,404. He Cross-examined--The prosecutor had a coach No.
01,
3tness) had been before a Magistrate on a former
!ecaaion, and fined N. for furious driving. The defendant
-Byers had also laid another information against him, but
It was dismissed.
Simuel Taylor was clerk to Mr. Tomlins, an attorney.
lie attended the examination before the magistrate for the
Prosecutor, and heard Byers say that he could have con-
tradicted the prosecutor's defence, as he bad seen the
extra number of passengers at the corner of White Lion-
street.

Charles Thorogood, a time-keeper at the Royal Ex.
change, proved the time that the prosecutor's coach started
from thence to go to Holloway.
Mr, R. Harland, a passenger by the coach at the
Period
inassen question, proved there was only the legal num-
r pg!rs..

Cross-examined—Had been a coach.P tol"l •
Lid been summoned several times, and twice coe nt:vori'veet e da—n d
once at Byers' suit. He had also paid Byers a
to compromise a case although he was quite innocent:eign
Other witnesses were called, whose evidence corrobo.
rated the preceding testimony.
Mr. ADOLPHUS, in his address to the Jury, contended
that no case of fraud and conspiracy had been estal,lisbed,
And that if any mistake had occurred, it was with regard
to the numbers of the two coaches, that of 3,404 being
taken for 3,401.
The LORD
CHIEF JUSTICE summed up the evidence,
an
d the Jury found both defendants Guilty.