The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-14 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

ADVERTISING ATTORNIES.—An elderly man, of
somewhat careworn aspect, applied to Mr. Flowers
for a warrant against a solicitor for obtaining
money by false pretences. It appeared that it was
in consequence of an advertisement in a newspaper
that the applicant had consulted the attorney in
question, who had undertaken to conduct certain
professional business, for which applicant had paid
him, but which he had not performed. It WaF
pretty clear, the applicant contended, that there
had never been any intention of doing the work,
from several circumstances which he mentioned, one
of which was that the solicitor had since " ab-
sconded" from his place of business.

Mr. Flowers asked what would be the use of his
issuing a warrant if no one knew where the defen-
dant was to be found ?

The Applicant—We might serve him if we could
drop on him.
Mr. Flowers was afraid, however, that no charge
of false pretence could be sustained. It appeared
to him that this was simply a case of breach of
contract for which no criminal charge could be
maintained, He could not but wonder that people
would employ attornies who advertised in the news-
papers. That was a practice to which respeCtable
solicitors did not resort, and those who did so ought
to be regarded with suspicion from that very fact,
like the advertising ivack doctors. Of course there
were dishonest persons amongst attornies as well as
in other professions, and surely it was not likely
that if a solicitor was a swindler, he, having the
skill and knowledge to comply with or evade the
law, would allow himself to be entangled in its
meshes by committing an offence for which he could
be criminally prosecuted. He (Mr. Flowers) would
not say that there might not be some means of
obtaining redress, and perhaps the applicant would
do well to consult a respectable solicitor, but cer-
tainly he had no remedy in this court.
The applicant could not understand how such
conduct could be otherwise than criminal. It
seemed to him to be as bad as robbing a man of his
purse upon the high road.
Mr. Flowers—Then I must say one thing which
I fear may not be agreeable to you. A man cannot
help going upon the high road to any place where
his business calls him ; and if he is robbed on the
high road, that may not be his own fault.
But no necessity compels a man to employ an ad-
vertising attorney, and if he does so and gets robbed
he has himself to blame.

The Applicant—l thiuk the highroad is much the
safer place.
Mr. Flowers—A robbery there is an offence which
the criminal laws can reach, and this is not.

The applicant left the court, determined to con-
sult a solicitor who did not advertise.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET

A ,4 BETTING MAN" CHARGED WITH " RINGING
THE CIIANGES."—John Hurley alias Henley, de-
scribing himself as a betting man, was charged
with stealing at the York Minster public-house,
Wardour-street, 18s. Bd., the moneys of Mr. Wm.
Rowlands, the landlord.
Mrs. Mary Rowlands, wife of the prosecutor,
said that on Friday evening, the prisoner and
another man came into her house and called for
some liquor. The prisoner's companion threw down
a sovereign to pay for it, upon which the prisoner
told her not to take for it out of the sovereign, and
threw down some halfpence, but not enough. The
prisoner's companion, who had taken up the sove-
reign, again threw it down, and the prisoner told
her not to change it. The prisoner and his com-
panion baffled her a good deal, and at last it was
agreed the sovereign should be changed, and the
prisoner's companion dropped into her hand what she
thought was a sovereign, and the gave him 18s. Bd.
change, and they left, and directly after they had
gone she found that the coin dropped into her hand
was a shilling. She sent her young man out to see
whether he could see anything of them, but he did
not succeed in doing so, and she then spoke to
Sergeant Cole.
In answer to Mr. Edward Lewis, of Great Marl-
borough-street, who appeared for the prisoner, Mrs.
Rowlands said she saw no more of the prisoner till
he was taken into custody. She was certain as to
the prisoner's identity, although he wore at the time
' - a different hat and coat.

Sergeant Cole said that at half-past 9 on Friday
evening last he saw the prisoner and two other men
he knew in Wardour-street. The prisoner was
then wearing a light coat and a deerstalker. He
followed them about for some time, wanting them
for another matter, but lost them, and he was after-
wards informed what had occurred at Mr Rowland's.
Last night he saw the prisoner in the Australian
Stores, Little Windmill-street, and said, " Jack, I
want you for stealing 19s. from the York Minster,
Wardour-street." He replied, " 19s. ; I never
stole 19s. in my life." lle told the prisoner that
he would have to go to the station, and he repeated
several times that he never stole 19s. i❑ his
life ; and on getting to the station he (Sergeant
Cole) found that it was 18s. Bd. the prisoner was
charged with stealing. He afterwards got three
persons and placed them with the prisoner, and im-
mediately Mrs. Rowlands saw him she picked him
out, saying that she would know him from 100
others, and she had also described him accurately
to him. He wished for a remand, as there would
be numerous cases against the prisoner.
Mr. Lewis addressed the magistrate on the pri-
soner's behalf, contending that the evidence against
him was very weak, the only share in the transac-
tion taken by the prisoner being his preventing his
companion changing the sovereign and then throw-
ing down some halfpence.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said he thought it a case for a £lO
bail, but upon Sergeant Cole stating that the pri-
soner, who was well known to the police, would not
appear to that bail, it was increased to two bail of
£2O each, Mr. Tyrwhitt stating that he would also
require 24 hours' notice of bail.