The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-19 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SRSSI OS.

(Before the Assistant Judge at Westminster.)
John Durrant, 20, pleaded guilty to a charge of
havirik unlawfully attempted to obtain money with
intent to defraud. The prisoner went to Mr.
Alderman Copeiaimrs, No. 160, New Bond. stree f,
and present a parcel, which .he said- contained a
pair of new boots for the alderman, and handed in
an invoice. The clerk opened the parcel, and
found it contained a pair of oldboot s; quite 'worth- .
less, and the prisoner attempted to escape, but was
stopped and given into custody. The amount on
the invoice was 1/. 7s. 6d.

The Assistant-Judge said the prisoner was con-
victed in February last of larceuy, and sentenced
him to six months' bard labour.

Edward Simpson, 32, law stationer, was indicted
for stealing a fifty-pound note, the property of
Henry Gibbon and another, his masters. He was
also charged with a previous conviction, and he
pleaded guilty. On being brought up for judgment,
he endeavoured to mitigate the effect the former
conviction (which was for stealing 251. from his
then employers, and upon which he was sentenced
to six months) was likely to produce, in the pre-
sent case, by arguing ingeniously that, though
convicted, he was not actually guilty.
The Assistant-Judge said this was a serious case
in itself, and coupled with the other, it was one,
in which the court could not pass a less sentence
than four years' penal servitude.

•
Eliza Graham, 25, was tried upon two charges of
picking pockets, at a confirmation held on the sth
May, at St. Paul's Knightsbridge. She was
acquitted on one, and convicted on the other.
Former convictions were put iu evidence against
her, and she admitted them all.

Sentence was deferred.
Mr. Le Breton prosecuted ; Mr. R bton was for
the prisoner.

George Smerer, 20, a German baker, was in-
dicted for unlawfully assaulting and wounding
Gnatles Magslar.
The prisoner and the prosecutor were acquaint-
ances, both corning from the same part of Ger-
many, and it appeared that en the night of the
15th of March the former had been engaged in a,
disturbance at the King's Arms, Whitechapel-ro ,d,
and as he was standing outside the house the pro-
secutor passed, and hearing what hid occurred, he
advised him to go home. The prisoner sullenly
said he would kill any one who interfered with him,
and taking an open knife from his pocket ho struck
at the prosecutor wi,h it, wounding him near the
left elbow. The wound was about an inch long
and au inch deep, and was of so serious a nature
that ha was under treatment in the hospital for a
considerable time.

The jury found the prisoner guilty, and the court
sentenced him to nine months' hard labour.

George Hart, 18, was indicted for stealing two
silver trays and other articles, the property of Col.
Charles Granthatn. Scott, in his dwelling-hou4e.
The prisoner got in at the library window of Col.
Scott's house, 79, Eton-square, ,nd was stoppel
by the butler in the entrance hall. When asked
his business he said he bad seen two men get out of
the window, and thinking something was wrong he
had got in to give an alarm. The butler suggested
that the proper course would have been to knock
at the door, but the prisoner said he thought it
better to get through the window. He w.ls de-
tained and given into custody. The articles men-
tioned in the charge were missed from the library,
and bad evidently been passed to an accomplice ;
one of them was found upon the step of the next
house. He could easily have got through the win-
dow from the parapet of the Lext doorway, but
escape by the same way was so difficult that the
prisoner took his chance of getting out by the
street door.

The prisoner said he was guilty, and the officers
proved that he had been before convicted.
He was sentenced to four years' penal servitude.

Charles Bannister, a costermonger, was indicted
for assaulting two police-constables, 456, and 428
N. He surrendered.

Mr. Abram appeared for the prosecution ; Mr.
Orridge for the defendant.

Froin the evidence of the constable it appeared
that one night 456 was ou duty in High-street,
Hoxton, and had to interfere with the defendant,
why, with another man and some females, were
finking a disturbance, when the defendant attacked
him with violence, and kicked him. The constalde,
admitted that he pulled out his truncheon and
struck the defendant with it on the back of the
head, and (he said) "as that did not quiet him, I
hit across the forehead rather hard, and as I struck
him short, near the handle, the truncheon flew into
pieces up against the shutters, and the prisoner
fell down." The other cons able came to his as-
sistance, and he also was assaulted by the de-
fendant.

There was a large patch of plaster over the de-
fcndanL's forehead, covering the cut produced by
the blow from the truncheon. The pieces of the
latter were produced. The first constable said he
received such injury that he was attended by the
surgeon and was absent from duty live days ; the
other had two black eyes.
Mr. Orridge, for the defence, suggested that the
case had been greatly exaggerated by the police-
men to prevent a counter-charge being preferred
against them, or at least one of them, for excessive
and unnecessary violence in using the truncheon
on the defendant's head, with such brutal ty indeed
that it was a mercy he was not killed on the epot.
If the defendant could have given them his version
of the affair he would have shown that he did not
interfere until the policeman bad given him that
tremeudous blow which broke the truncheon ; but
his mouth was stopped by this prosecution, which
rested upon evidence given by the police to screen
theinseves possibly from the fate of a fellow-con-
stable, who some time was tri -d iu this court and
sentenced to two years, for using his truncheon
with unnecessary violence. If the jury thought a
case of assault was made, he hoped the verdict
would be on the minor count.

The jury found the defendant guilty generally.
Evidence was given of his being a peaceable and
well-conducted man generally.
Mr. Qrridge said one of the females who were
with the defendant received so severe a blow front
one of the constables on the breast that a turnout'
had resulted; that would be the subject of another
charge.
The Assistant Judge said he would consider the
sentence.

The grand jury returned four true bills against
Alexander Borromeo, alias Dr. Tucker, for obtain
ing money by false pretences upon fictitious repot is
of " Meet•ngs of a Conference of Italian Dale
gates," which never took place. hey ignored a
bill against a re-pectable person named George
Pauley, who was charged by a woman will having
robbed her of her wstcb.

(Before Mr. Creasy.)
Ellen "Williams was indicted for unl "wittily and
maliciously inflicting upon William Taylor grievous
bodily harm.
On the-30th April the policeman on duty in the
Vinegar-ground found the defendant and the pro
secutor, who were the worse for drink, quarrelling
and creasing a disturbance. At his desire they went
to a house in Henrietta-street, where they lived,
and the policeman went on his beat ; but his at-
tention was immediately afterwards called to the
house, and on going back he found the prosecutor
en tphoessedsosoiornwaoyf, satrupgogkleirn.g wTitilitothpeoireoe
to be
wflyorriensgttehid it from them, and on both
went
ttnising
eawPrderiaesw,aayn,dbouitl
quiet
before hhee returned
246
yaaurdd
sa again i
heard
going back he eaw the defendant striking the man