The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-24 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

I:►MPUDENT ROBDERY..--JatheS Golden and James Ford,
the former a stableman, and the latter a porter, and both of
whom have been, it is believed, convicted before, were
charged with stealing a mat from the doorway of the Royal
Thames Yacht Club, St. James's-street, of the value of 20s.
The prisoners were seen at a very early hour on the
previous morning by a constable to cross from St. James's-
'street into Dover-street, with the mat in their possession,
when he stopped them, and asked where they got it from ;
but before receiving an answer, a person came up and said
it was taken from the club-house. He then took them
into custody.
The hall porter at the club identified the mat and said its
value was £l.

Golden said he saw the mat lying at the door, and, as he
did not see anyone belonging to it, he took it. Ford said he
was drunk and knew nothing about it.
_ _

Mr. Bingham said the account they had given of how
they became possessed of it was very unsatisfactory, and
committed them each for three months.

" BOBBY WON'T CATCH 30, 1"--.Tames Woodley, a
rough-looking young fellow, was charged with creating a
disturbance and committing a savage assault on a constable
named Bennett.

Mr. Owen, of tho Sun, Leicester-street, said the prisoner
came into his house on the previous night, with a soldier,
and called for some beer, soon after which his conduct be-
came very annoying, and he requested him to go, and as he
would not he told him he should fetch a constable, when he
began singing out in a most aggravating manner " Bobby
won't catch me, oh I BObby won't catch me, oh I" but a
constable coming up, he did catch him and took him into
custody. He wanted him to fight him.
_ _

Bennett said he went to the place, and requested the pri-
soner to go, but he refused to do so, and immediately made
a savage bite at his arm; biting through his sleeve and
shirt, and inflicting a slight wound on his arm. He was
very outrageous, and it took three constables to take him
into custody.

Mr. Bingham said, having acted like a wild beast in using
his teeth, he must be treated like a wild beast, and locked
up for 10 days.

THANES.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF POISONING, AND PERSECU-
TION OF A WITNESS.—Mary Ann Hennegan, a squalid,
miserable-looking woman, about 35 years of age, was
brought before Mr. Yardley, charged with swallowing a
large quantity of aquafortis, with intent to commit self-
destruction. The prisoner, who was in a state of great
suffering, was brought from Wapping Poor-house.
It appeared that the prisoner was living at No. 4, Burton-
court, White-horse-street, Stepney, and that she was bound
ever to give evidence against three persons formerly living
in Burton-court, and who were committed from this court
for committing a burglary and robbery of a serious character
in the house of Mr. Harman, outfitter, in Emmett-street,
Poplar, when property and foreign coins to the amount of
£2O was carried away. Since the committal of the prison-
ers, their friends, who aro ruffians and prostitutes of the
lowest description, have persecuted the unfortunate woman
in a scandalous manner, and repeatedly threatened to take
her life and wash their hands in her blood. She has also
been struck, and, through fear, was a prisoner in her oivn
house for three days. To escape this unjust persecution
she sent a girl, named Matilda Martin, to the shop of Mr.
Goosey, chemist and druggist, near the World's-end public-
house, Stepney, for a pennyworth of aquafortis, and told
the girl to state that it was required for the purpose of
testing gold. Mr. Goosey sold the stuff to the girl, and
the prisoner swallowed it, and would have perished
but for the immediate arrival of Mr. Robinson, a
surgeon, who was then attending a coroner's in quest a
the board-room of Ratcliffe workhouse, close by. Ile ad-
ministered antidotes, and sent the wretched woman to
Wapping workhouse, where she has been under medical
treatment since Friday last, and has experienced the most
horrible sufferings.

George Pullen, 161 K, a police-constable, who has charge
of the case of burglary, said the prisoner had complained to
him of the threats and persecutions of the friends of the
three persons committed for trial, and he had promised to
protect her. The trial was postponed in consequence of
the absence of the prisoner until the next session of the
Central Criminal Court.

Roche, the gaoler of the court, said the prisoner was
locked up on a charge, of riot and assault since the com-
mittal of the three persons for burglary* for the pur-
pose of keeping her out of the way. He explained the
affair to the magistrate, Mr. Selfe, and he discharged the
181 prisoner.

Mr. Yardley said the course of justice was not to be frus-
trated by threatening and persecuting a witness. The pri-
soner should, and must be protected, if 100 persons had
threatened her. He directed the prisoner to leave the
felon's dock and, come into the witness-box.

5G 5

The poor woman staggered, rather than walked, to the
witness-box, and mentioned the names of several persons
who had threatened to wash their hands in her blood if she
went to give evidence against the three prisoners in New-
gate-

Pullen—The poor woman came to me and said she was
afraid of being murdered.

Mr. Yardley asked the prisoner why she took so horrid
stuff as aquafortis _

The prisoner—Oh, my life was wretched, sir. I have
been in horrible pain ever since.

Mr. Yardley—Why, I wonder you are alive. I never
heard of anything so shocking before. I wonder this horrid
stuff, a sample of which I have in this phial, did not burn
your inside out.

Craven, a police-constable, 236 K, who took the prisoner
into custody, said she had suffered very much. He was
with her six hours on Saturday, constantly administering
antidotes.

Mr. Yardiey said the unfortunate woman must be pro-
tected from the threats of others, and protected from her-
self. He granted warrants against the persons who had
threatened the prisoner, and directed that she should be
taken back to Wapping poor-house And properly treated.
He was sorry the, poor creature had ever been removed
from the workhouse.

Inspector Griffin—We have had police-constable con-
stantly watching her since last Friday.
The prisoner was then removed from the court.

1114

Vice-Admiral Wm. Fanshawe Martin, Captain
the Hon. James Drummond, C. 8., and Sir Baldwin
W. Walker, K.C.8., Aide-de-Camp to the Queen,
and. Surveyor of the Navy, visited Woolwich Dock-
yard yesterday morning, and ,accompanied by Com-
modore Shepherd, and Mr. Johnstone, the acting
storekeeper of the dockyard, mustered and passed
in review the whole of the operatives of the esta-
blishment for the purpose of nominating a certain
number for the superannuation list.