The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-24 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—Tuesday, July 22.

(Before Mr. Creasy.)
James Taylor, 42, was found guilty of having stolen
a coat, value 205., the property of George Morris.
It was proved that he had been previously convicted,
and that he had been frequently in prison, where he was
regarded as a highly skilled workman at his trade, that
of a carpenter. In 1842 he was sentenced to 12 months,
and his last term was nine months in 1855.
Mr. Creasy said he appeared to be a regular thief, and
sentenced him to four years' penal servitude.
Edward Evans, 31, labourer, was indicted for having
stolen a clarionet, the property of John M`Carthy, from
his person.
The prosecutor was an itinerant musician, and his
evidence was that on the 25th of June he was on his way
back to London from a fair he had been to, when he
called at a public-house at Ealing to get some beer, and
to earn a few pence by playing his clarionet. There were
a number of persons assembled there, among them the
'prisoner, and some disturbance took place about a pot of
beer. Prosecutor and a companion, a man named Bod-
gers, went out, followed by the prisoner and two others,
who asked him to play them a tune. He did so, and
they told him that by going up a certain lane they would
save a mile and a half in the journey to London. When
they got up the lane they found there was no thorough-
fare, and on turning round they saw the prisoner follow-
ing them. The prisoner went up to M'Carthy and said
as he had had so much to say about the pot of beer
he might take that, at the same tune giving him a blow
on the right eye. He was knocked down, and the
prisoner then snatched the clarionet from his hand and
ran away. After searching for a policeman for some
time he at length found one, and they then began to
search for the prisoner, who, with his companions, was
ultimately discovered on the top of a hayrick, pretend.
ing to be asleep. Every effort was made to find the
clarionet, but without success.
The prisoner said it was only a fair fight, and he knew
pothing of the clarionet.
Bodgers, in reply to the jury, said that M'Carthy was
' quite sober at the time, and that he saw the clarionet in
his left hand at the moment the prisoner struck him.

The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and a document
was produced showing that the prisoner had been sen•
tenced to three months' imprisonment at Reading for
stealing lead from the Great Western Railway.
Mr. Creasy sentenced him to four months' hard labour,
and hoped this would be a caution to him, as no such
leniency could be shown him again.
Joseph. Simpson, who was convicted last week of as-
saulting Henry Lomack Edmonds, with intent to rob
him by the "garotte" method, was brought up for
judgment.
Mr. Creasy said it was a most fortunate circumstance
for the prisoner that the robbery, which clearly was the
object of the assault, was not effected, because if it had
been he would have been sentenced to a long term of
transportation or penal servitude. The offence he was
found guilty of was an assault only, but it was one of a
most serious character—a case of garotting, and all such
cases must be visited by severity of punishment. He
then sentenced him to 18 months' hard labour.
William Thompson, 27, was found Guilty of stealing a
pint pewter pot and a knife, the property of Martin
Gahekiss, a publican, and for assaulting Henry Clark
and Joseph Norton, two constables, who took him in
charge.
Mr. Creasy sentenced him to eight months' hard
labour.—Adjourned.