The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-24 00:00:00

MIDDLPSEX SESSIONS. April 23.

(Before M. S.rgeant ADAMS, Assistant Judge )
John Thomas Cox, 46, was indicted for unlawfully
publishing and having for sale a number of obscene
and indecent prints and publications.

Mr. Clarkson appeared for the prosecution (which
was instituted by the Society for tne Suppression of
Vice) ; and Mr. Payne for the prisoner.
The evidence in support of the prosecution was
shortly this :—lnspector Lewis, of the Thames Police,
who was also an officer under the Board of Customs,
and Police• sergeant Chadwick, went to a shop kept
by the prisoner, N 0.4, Holywell-street, and there, in
the prisoner's presence, and wi'hout any opposition
on his part, took possession of a large quantity of
window-tickets and an immense number of prints
(chiefly French) and books, which were now pro-
duced, and which were of a most disgusting cha-
racter.

Mr. PAYNE, on behalf of the prisoner, said be bad
no defence whatever to offer with reference to the
morality or immorality of the prisoner's conduct, but
he contended thatin point of law the evidence did not
render the prisoner liable to conviction, inasmuch as
it was not shown that he had the prints and books
in his possession openly and expressly for the pur-
pose of selling them, as the indictment charged, to
her Majesty's subjects, or that be bad exposed them in
a manner that infringed the law. The prisoner was
charged simply with having them in his possession,
with intent to sell and publish, and that, he submitted,
was not sufficient.

The L..arned JUDGE, in summing up, told the jury
that in his opinion, if they were satisfied that the pri-
soner bad the horrible prints and books produced in
his possession with the intention of publishing and
selling them, they would be perfectly justified in
finding him guilty, intimating at the same time, that
if the prisoner's counsel thought proper to take the
point be had raised to the Court of Criminal Appeal,
there would be no objection to his doing so.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. CLARksoN said that in 1847 a similar seizure
had been made upon the prisoner's premises, when an
immense number of prints, &c., were destroyed, but
the society did not prosecute him on account of his
family, and he sent a letter, which be (Mr. Clark-
son) would now hand to the Court, to the solicitors of
the society. ( l'he letter was handed to the bench.)
The Learned JUDGE read the letter. It was as
follows :

" 10, Holywell-street, Nov. 19, 1847.
" Gentlemen,—l am desirous through your medium to
express to the committee of the Society fur the Suppres-
sion of Vice the very grateful feelings they have ex-
cited, by sparing myself and family from the disgrace
and ruin which must inevitably have fallen upon
them and myself, had the prosecution which im-
pended over me been permitted to proceed. Much
of the time that has elapsed since the committee had
the goodness to pardon my fault has been spent in
serious reflection on the nature and consequences
of the offence I committed, which I view with so much
detestation and abhorrence as to make it impossible that
any temptation of profit, or any degree of security that
could be offered against detection or punishment, amount-
ing even to a certainty of escape, could shake for one
moment my fixed determination to abandon for ever a:1
traffic in these infamous and dangerous productions. It
is, indeed, greatly to be deplored that any such publica-
tions ever should have existence, or that writers can be
f tund so thoughtless of the consequences to society, and
so lost to shame as to prostitute their talents to the com-
pilation of works so eminently calculatel to undermine
the virtue of youth, and to spread contagion and immo-
rality in every rank, arid I entreat the committee to be-
lieve that not only shall I never again suffer any such
pollution to reach my possession, but that to the utmost
of my power I shall discountenance and denounce every
attempt to give them circulation by others when any such
shall come within my observation or knowledge. Such,
gentlemen, are the sincvre and contrite sentiments of
my heart, in the expression 'of which I find great relief
and pleasure, and which I have to beg you will do me
the favour of laying before the committee at the first
convenient oppertimity, and taking leave to repeat my
very greatful thanks for the lenity they have shown me,
of which I am firmly resolved to prove myself worthy,
" I remain, Gentlemen, with great respect,
Your most obedient servant,
"JOHN THOMAS COX.

" Mems. Pritchard and Co., Lincoln's Inn-fields."
The Learned JUDGE then proceeded to say that the
Court required no other grounds for pas-ing a severe
sentence than those stated by the prisoner himself in
his letter. The sentence of the Court was (and he
was sincerely sorry he had not the power to award
hard labour) that he be imprisoned in the House of
Correction for two years, that he afterwards should
enter into his own recognizance of 501., wi h two sure-
ties of 251. each, to be of good behaviour for one year,
and be imprisoned until such recognizance and sure-
ties be entered into.

Emma Thomas, a respectably-dressed young
woman, was indicted for stealing from the person of
Wilhelcnina Wagner a puree, and the sum of 51. 53.6 d.
Mr. Addison appeared for the prisoner. -
Mr. Kinloch, a tradesman in Jermyn-street, stated
that, on the 7th inst., he was in an omnibus going
from the Haymarket to the City, and the prosecutrix
was also a passenger in the same vehicle. In the Hay-
market the prisoner and two other females entered the
omnibus. The prisoner sat next to him, and the other
women took seats on the opposite side, next to the
prosecutrix. One of them had a basket, and he saw
her hand fumbling about the prosecutrix's dress.
Directly afterwards she gave a significant nod
to the prisoner, who thereupon desired a pas-
senger who sat nearest the door to request the
conductor to stop, which be did, and the prisoner and
the two women, with whom she entered the omnibus,
got out. Witness noticed in the hand of the woman
who had the basket, the end of a scarlet purse, where-
upon he spoke to the prosecutrix, and having ascer-
tained that she had been robbed, he got out of the om-
nibus and, accompanied by the prosecutrix, followed
the women. The one that had the basket got away.
When the women got out the omnibus was at the
Golden-cross, Cnaring-cross, and he followed the
prisoner and one of her companions round into Tra-
falgar-square. They crossed over towards Spring-
gardens, when, perceiving that they were followed,
they ran towards a court. They parted at the end of
spring-garden- mews. He followed the prisoner,
captured her, and had her taken to Scotland-yard in
custody. The other got away.
The prosecutrix, a German lady, proved that when
she entered the omnibus, her purse, which was a
scarlet one, and which contained a 5i note and ss. 6f.
in silver, was safe in her pocket, and that when Mr.
Kinloch spoke to her it was gone.
Police-constable Budd, 59 A, produced a purse,
which be found torn in two in Spring garden. mews,
near the spot pissed by the woman who got away.
The prosecutrix identified the purse as hers.
Mr. ADDISON, in his address to the jury, said the
prisoner was a respectable woman, the wife of a car-
ver and gilder, and the mother of a family. Her
answer to the charge was, that on the day in question
she was proceediug from her home to the Westmins-
ter Hospital, in reference to the case of one of her
children, who was deformed, and that it was purely
by accident that she got into the omnibus with the
two other women spoken of. The reason she got
when they did was, that when the omnibus stopped
to let them out she found that she was going in the
wrong direction, and therefore took that opportunity
to leave the vehicle. It was entirely by accident
that she was mixed up in this transaction, the woman
she walked towards Spring gardens with having, at
her request, undertaken to show her the nearest way
to Westminster Hospital, which, she said, was
through Spring-gardens and thence through Storey's-
gate. _ _

Mrs. Gordon, a woman of re.pectable appearance,
said, the prisoner was a married woman and the
mother of a family. She was a person of unques.
rionable character. One of her children was de-
formed. She lived in the Old Kent-road.

The Learned Junoa summed up the case with
great minuteness, and remarked that it was unex-
plained how it was that whilst the prisoner lived in
the Old Kent-road,she touk an omnibus in the Hay-
market to go to Westminster Hospital.
Tne jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
The prisoner, who had cried bitterly throughout
the trial of the case, on hearing the verdict, exclaimed,
" Oh, thank God I" and she left the court with a
number of persons who appeared to be anxiously
awaiting the result.

POLICE IN TELLIGENCE.
BOW-STREET.

An elderly man, named Thomas Gordon, was
charged with obtaining money by representing that
he had claims on the Government.

It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner
took apartments at No. 2, Bedford-row, Streatham,
representing that he was a half-pay lieutenant in the
navy, and would on the 23d inst. be entitled to 1001
as pension, in confirmation of which he requested of
Mrs. Pearce, the landlady, to accompany him to the
Admiralty to get the money, and to assist him with
five shillings to defray the expenses of his journey
there and back, to which she agreed ; but on arriving
with her at Whitehall he contrived to slip aside, and
after a short absence came back to say that the money
would not be paid until the next day, in consequence
of which they remained in town, and at the hour ap-
pointed next day, having made the same excuse, he
made inquiries of the messenger, who informed her
that no such person was entitled to a pension of the
Admiralty, and that several frauds had been practised
by such means. He was then given in charge.
The prosecutrix's sister, who corroborated her
statement, stated that the prisoner had said in her
hearing that he was entitled to prime money, having
fought at the battle of Angiers ; that his toes had been
earned away by a shot on board the Ocean in the
engagement.

Sergeant Thornton, a detective officer, said that
several cases of a similar description could be brought
against the prisoner if he was remanded.
The prisoner being closely questioned by the ma-
gistrate, said he had been a mate on board a collier,