The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-20 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. WITHAM, Deputy-Judge, and a Bench
of Magistrates, at Clerkenwell.)
Yesterday James Norman was indicted, charged
with having unlawfully sold certain indecent and ob-
scene prints and publications.
Mr. Clarkson appeared for the prosecution.
The defendant pleaded Guilty, and urged in miti-
gation of punishment that he had a wife and family,
and an aged mother, who was blind, dependent upon
him for their support.
Mr. CLARKSON was sorry to have to press upon the
attention of the Court that the defendant did not stand
simply in the position of a circulator of these filthy
publications among individuals, but was a wholesale
dealer, furnishing these things to parties who were con-
nected with the shipping interest at and about Wap-
ping and Ratcliffe. That fact alone was sufficient
ground for the Society for the Suppression of Tice,
for whom he appeared, not joining in the appeal for
mercy which bad been made by the defendant.
The COURT sentenced the defendant to imprison-
ment and hard labour for twelve months.
Alborough Richardson Davis, described as a wine
merchant, carrying on business in Row-lane, Cheap-
aide, and having a private residence at Harrow, sur-
rendered to take his trial on an indictment, charging
him with having stolen a pony and chaise, of the value
of 401., the property of James Henry Edwards.
Mr. Clarkson conducted the case for the prosecu-
tion, and Mr. Parry defended the prisoner.
The prosecutor deposed that he is a licensed vic-
tualler, and keeps the Royal Yacht public-house in
Stanhope-street, Clare-market. He said—On the
18th of October the prisoner, with whom I was ac-
quainted, called upon me in the early part of the day,
accompanied by a person named Boyes. I did not
know Boyes until that time. They came in a pony
chaise—the hour was between nine and ten in the
morning. I was upstairs when they called, and on
being informed by the bar boy that they were below,
I came down stairs. I found Davis standing in front
of the bar, and Boyes was in the parlour. Davis
asked me to lend him some money on some dock
transfers for wine. I asked him to let me see them,
and he called Boyes from the parlour, and told him to
show me the transfers which he had in his pocket. I
looked at them and returned them to him, and said I
could Dot advance money upon them, as he might go
outside the house and make a transfer to somebody
else. He said he must have money ; the transfers
were worth 1951., and he must get some money to re•
lease them from Mr. Boyes, wbo held them as secu-
rity for an overdue acceptance of 281. 103. He said
he was in a very bad state for want of money, and
showed me some duplicates of watches. He then
asked me to lend him some money on a pony and
chaise, which were outside. I refused to do so,
and he then asked me to buy the pony and chaise.
I said I would. He went into a room and agreed

that I was to buy them for 401. I was about to write
a cheque for the amount when he said that would not
do, as he wanted to pay Boyes and get the transfers.
I had not sufficient cash in the house, but I saw Mr.
Wheeler, a friend of mine, in the parlour, and I asked
him to lend me the money. He lent me two 101.
notes and 12 sovereigns, and I put eight sovereigns
to them and paid the 401. to Davis. I requested Mr.
Wheeler to be a witness to the transaction, which he
was. Wheeler went with me into the parlour and
saw me pay the money. I said, " Now, Davis, the
pony and chaise belong to me," to which he replied,
into
the Certainly they do." I then went out and got
the chaise, and Davis followed me out of the house
and got in too. As I was driving towards Elliott's
livery stables in Drury-lane, through Newcastle-
street, the prisoner asked me to purchase some of the
wine the transfers related to. I said I would if it
suited me. He said, Let us drive down to the docks
and see the wine. I said I would not do that, but
that I would go with him after I had put the pony
and phaeton up at the stable. I went to the stable,
gave the pony and phaeton into the charge of the
ostler, told him it was my property, and to take care
of it. We then took a cab and went to the
docks, where the clerk said they had no such
wine as that referred to in the transfers. I
left the prisoner, got into a cab, and returned. I
called at the stable ; the pony and chaise were safe.
I then went home. Afterwards the foreman to Mr.
Elliott, the stable-keeper, called at my house, and
from what he told me I went to the stable. When I
got there I found the prisoner with two other persons,
one was an attorney's clerk. I asked them what they
wanted. Davis said, he wanted his pony and chaise
to drive his friends down into the country. I said to
him, " You know they do not belong to you ; you
know I have bought them of you." He said, " You
have got no receipt." I said I had a witness. I did
not have a receipt, but I had offered to pay him by a
cheque. I said, "If any of you dare to take the pony
and chaise away, I shall give you into custody."
Upon that they went away, and I went home. I got
home about half-past six, and in half an hour after-
wards Davis and Webb came to my house. The
former asked for a glass of ale, which I refused to
serve him with. He then said he wanted to have a
little private talk with me, but I refused. I after-
wards said I would have as much private talk with
him as he pleased, as Mr. Gay, my attorney, was then
present. There were present, Davis, Gay, Webb,
myself, and two others. In the course of what was
said Davis told me be had come to ask for the pony and
chaise. I said I would not give them to him. Webb then
said, " They do not belong to you." Davis said, " You
took an lOU for the money," and I said I had had too
many of his I 0 U's. I did not think it worth while to
make any other answer to what Davis said. I had
not taken an I 0 U for the 401. I walked out of the
room and went down stairs. On the 26th of October
I drove in the phaeton to my father's in Elizabeth-
street, Hackney-road. When I got there I threw the
cloth over the pony and went into the house. As I
was talking with my father at the front parlour win-
dow I saw Davis run up to the phaeton, jump in, and
drive off as fast he could. I ran out and called " Stop
thief," but the prisoner's men stopped me and held
me by the arms. Several others, about a dozen, ran
up, and said "Knock the -- down." Two cabs came
up, and they got into them and drove off after the
phaeton. It would have been useless for me to follow, I