The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-08 00:00:00

EVENING,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MANSION-HOUSE.

STEALING NEWSPAPERS.—A boy named Henry Agar
was brought before Alderman Hunter charged with
having had a number of newspapers, which had been
stolen, in his possession.
Mr. Peacock, the solicitor to the Post-offie, attended
to watch the case on behalf of that establishment, He
stated that the authorities of the Post office were
anxious to show to the public that the numers us com-
plaints as to the miscarriage of newspapers did not arise
from the negligence or misconduct of the servants. In
all probability they were, he said, caused by the want
of proper care upon the part of the newsvenders, who
entrusted boys with vast quantities of journals, which
became thus, in consequence of the carelessness of some
and the dishonesty of others, subjected to considerable
diminution in the neighbourhood of the Post-office, in
which they ought all to have been deposited. In the
present case about fifty newspapers had been sent by a
aewsvender to the Post-office, in the care of a boy who
by some means, lost them near the establishment; and
the person in the country to whom they had been di-
rt supposing that the fault of the non-delivery lay
with the Post-office authorities, came to town to com-
plain of the injury. It was at the moment discovered
that the papers, instead of having been posted, had been
partly sold in the newspaper m +rket opposite to the
building, by the prisoner, who was no doubt in confederacy
with persons of more experince in such matters, by which
false imputations were east upon the system observed
in that important department. It was thought necessary
to look to all cases of the kind with great attention; and
it would be sevn from the evidence to be adduced that
the newsvenders were bound to exercise more caution
,han was at all usu d with the mass of them in deposi -
ing or causing to be deposited the newspapers they
wi,hed to put in the box. A letter had appeared in the
Times of the day before from a gentleman of Shaftes-
bury, complaining of the non-arrival of newspapers di-
rected to him, and casting blame upon the Post-office;
but some notion might be formed of the losses expe•
rienced in newspapers in other ways when he mentioned,
and it could be proved by the officers in a'tendauce, that
in a grew variety of instances b ,ys were to be seen in
the vicinity of the building tearing off the directions and
selling the newspapers. That the evil would be greatly
abated by obqsrving the caution he suggested there could
be no doubt, from the fact that an extensive newsvender
who looked himself to the business of depositing the pa-
pers be transmitted to the letter-box did nut lose one out
of 5,000,

Jake Collins, a poor woman, who sells fruit in Little
Bell alley, said the prisoner called upon her and offered
to sell her some newspapers at a very cheap rate. As
she could not read she showed them to her son, who
told her what they were, and that they were papers of
a recent date, and she immediately gave the boy into
custody, and found that he had been getting them in a
bad way.
Mr. Beale, publisher, of Shoe-lane, Fleet-street, said,
I have seen the prisoner in the newspaper market, near
the Post-office, but do not know him. On Friday last I
sent three boys with packages of newspapers to the
Post-office. The papers produced by the officer answer
the description of those contained in one of the pack-
ages, which was addressed to Mr. Blanch, of Bath. I
saw the parcel packed. It contained several numbers of
the Illustrated London News, Weekly Times, Lloyd's
Paper, News of the World, and Reynolds's Newspaper.
That parcel never reached the Post-office. On Friday,
in consequence of a stoppage which took place near the
Post-office, the window was kept up five minutes longer
than usual, and there was, I understand, a great rush in
consequence of the impediment. The package in which
the newspapers I have alluded to were deposited was
dragged in the crowd from the boy's shoulder, and .no
doubt got amongst thieves. There is always at such a
time a vast crowd, and it is easy for persons who pretend
to be assisting extensive ►enders to run right through
the Post-office.

Mr. Joseph Jennings, newsvender, said—On Friday
afternoon I was in the marker, opposite the Post-office,
and I saw the prisoner. He was calling out London
News, and I purchased six copies of him and paid him
for them.

The prisoner said that a boy had sent him to the mar-
ket to sell the papers, and had given him ls. 6d for per-
forming the business.
The father of the prisoner said that no doubt the child
had been put up to the robbery.
Alderman HUNTER—I wioi that some of the fellows
who urged this boy to dispose of the stolen papers had
been brought before me. Upon them I would inflict the
heaviest punishment. I can only sentence this prisoner
to 14 days' imprisonment. I think that a great deal de-
pends upon the caution used by the venders as to de-
positing their packages, and I would advise a more
strict attention to that sort of regulation. I also think
that the inspector of that district should exercise great
vigilance when the packages of newspapers arrive at the
Post-office in the evening.
The prisoner was then committed to prison for 14
days.