The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-10 00:00:00

MARLBORO UGH-STREET.

FALSE CIIARACTERS.—John Armstrong, better
known to the police by the title of Captain Arm-
strong, was brought before Mr. CONANT yesterday,
charged with having given a false character to a
young man named Sandiland (who was placed
at the bar with him), for the purpose of enabling the
latter to obtain the situation of footman in the fa-
mily of John Hopton Chichester, Esq., of Wim-
pole-street.
Mrs. Chichester stated that on Thursday week
the prisoner Sandiland applied for the situation of
footman which was vacant in her establishment,
stating that he had lived in Scotland, with a gen-
tleman named Brown, who was about to quit Eng-
land, but he would have no objection to come to
town from Windsor, and give him a character. A
day was accordingly fixed when Mr. Brown was
to wait on her, and when he did call he was referred
to her mother, Lady Knatchbull, to whom the pri-
soner Armstrong, under the name of Brown, gave
so satisfactory a character as to induce Mrs. Chi-
chester to engage the prisoner Sandiland at once.
Lady Knatchbull saw the prisoner Armstrong, at
the request of her daughter, and he then represented
himself to be the Mr. Brown with whom the
prisoner Sandiland said he had lived, at the same
time declaring that he had no fault to find with the
prisoner; and his only reason for parting with him,
was on account of being about to quit England.
Ballard, one of the officers of this establishment,
in consequence of information he received from Mr.
Henry Dyer, went to the residence of Mr. Chi-
chester, and when the prisoner Sandiland came to
take possession of the situation, he called him into
the dining-room, and without informing him who he
was, he questioned him as to the parties with whom
he had stated he last lived. The prisoner repeated
that his last situation was with the Mr. Brown who
had given him a character, and the situation before
that in which he had been engaged was with Sir T.
Troubridge. Witness then discovered himself, and
taxed him with having received a false character
from Armstrong. At first the prisoner denied it
was so, but afterwards admitted it was the fact, and
begged witness to let him go, as he had been driven
by distress to commit the imposition. Witness
then took him into custody, and kept a watch for
the other prisoner, whose person was well known,
and whom lie succeeded in apprehending last
Saturday.
Mr. CONANT, addressing himself to Sandiland,
asked how he came to apply to Armstrong for a
character ? He wished him to answer this question,
provided he thought fit, as Armstrong was aware
that he was known at this office, and it was im-
portant to know whether he offered his services to
servants out of place, or whether they applied to
him
Sandiland had applied to Armstrong, from having
heard that he was a person who would furnish him
with a character.
Armstrong,
h
tea
onr beingcharge, but u t
calledmerely
saidn f rh
his
ehp
defence,oed
did
not deny fot
lenity, on account of his age, and also on account of
his humane motives, in attempting to benefit poor
servants, who could not get situations for want of
characters.

Ballard here intimated that the prisoner Arm-
strong had been committed from this office and
from High-street-office for the same offence as the
present. If necessary, cases could be brought
against him where he had given characters to im-
proper persons. One man, to whom he had given
character, had robbed the family in Connaught-ter-
race, where he had been engaged as footman ; and a
woman who had obtained a situation through his

SINGULAR APPLICATION.—A gentleman, whose
name was said to be Freeman, applied to Mr. BAL.
LANTINE for a warrant to apprehend the Captain
of a merchant vessel, for committing a robbery on
the high seas.
The applicant came home as cabin-passenger in
the ship in question from Van Diemen's Land, and
during the voyage the vessel became very short of
shreduced.iship, provisions,
the and h
commander
mo
Fortunately
utannae allowances
eerly o
tfh%evyh ifcehi oai fng all
rweiet
doh ntaon board Ase mil
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hi
American
sufficient provisions for the remainder of the
voyage; but a fresh dilemma arose : the Captain
had no money to pay for them, and, under these
circumstances, requested him (the applicant) to lend
him sufficient cash for the purpose. He acceded
to the request, and paid the commander of the
American vessel upwards of seventy pounds ;
and the provisions were immediately sent on
board. A bill of parcels was made out in due
form, and the owners of the ship were made his
debtors, the Captain certifying that the account
was correct, and guaranteeing the payment of the
money when the ship reached England. He locked
up the bill in a drawer in his cabin, and a few days
afterwards the Captain made a formal demand of the
bill. He, of course, refused to give it up, and the
Captain, assisted by the mate and two or three of
the seamen, made a forcible entry into his cabin,
broke open his boxes, threw his clothes about, and
stole the bill, which he had since presented to the
owners, and obtained the money.
Mr. BALLANTINE said it was a very strange pro-
ceeding, and inquired when the ship arrived in the
port of London.
The applicant said she arrived in the river last
October, but was still in dock, and the Captain
lived close by. The reason he had not applied be-
fore was, that he had not been able to meet widi
the mate or any of the crew until within the last
two or three days. The Captain had not only taken
away the bill, but had destroyed several papers of
very great importance to him.
Mr. BALLANTINE said that might be made the
grounds of a civil action, but not of criminal pro-
ceedings. The claim of the applicant on the owners
was still as good as ever. The bill was only the
evidence of that claim, and was still in existence.
The gentleman said the bill was as good as
money to him, and he had applied to the owners,
who said they had once paid the amount and would
not pay it again. If he had not found the money,
the ship, which was then in fourteen or fifteen de-
grees of south latitude, would have been compelled
to put into Valparaiso, or some other port, and the
voyage would have been consequently delayed.
Mr. BALLANTINE said the treatment of the appli-
cant, after the services he had rendered, was cer-
tainly harsh; but the offence with which he charged
the Captain was not a robbery, and he should not
be justified, particularly after the length of time
that had elapsed, in issuing a warrant to apprehend
him. He was, however, liable to an indictment
for obtaining fraudulent possession of the hilt,
which the owners could be compelled to produce in
Court. This was the only step he could advise the
applicant to adopt.
The gentleman thanked the worthy Magistrate
for his advice, and said he should certainly act
upon it.