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

servitude. Since the expiration of the last sen-
tence he had been imprisoned five weeks.

Mr. Payne sentenced the prisoner to be kept in
penal servitude for six years.
Joseph Grimes, 31, stoker, was indicted for steal-
ing a brass plate, value 10s., the property of Henry
Grace, the same being fixed to a building.
Mr. Itibton and Mr. Palmer prosecuted ; the
prisoner was undefended.
It appeared from the evidence that on the morn-
ing of the 14th of August, between two and three
o'clock, a police-constable named Townsend, 337 D,
was on duty in Praed-street, Paddington, and while
he was there he saw the prisoner leave a coffee-
shop, cross over the street, and walk deliberately
up to the door of Mr. Grace, a tailor, and wrench
from the door a brass plate, with the name and
business profession of the occupant of the house.
The plate had been fastened by two screws and
nuts inside the door. As the constable made his
appearance, the prisoner put the plate down by the
scraper and walked quickly away. The policeman
then followed him and took him in custody. (The
plate was produced, engraved " Grace, Tailor;"
and although of considerable thickness, was much
bent by being wrenched from the door.)
The prisoner, in his defence, said he entered the
coffee-shop at 20 minutes past 12 at night, and was
there until he was taken away by the policeman,
with the exception of about two minutes, when he
went out with a gentleman to a neighbouring
coffee-house, to inquire if the gentleman could be
accommodated with a bed, and having ascertained
that he could not, the prisoner immediately returned.
Mr. J. H. Evans, the coffee-housekeeper, and
Sarah Stevens, the manager, stated that a gen-
tleman came into the shop about one o'clock,
and wished to have a bed there. They were
unable to accommodate the gentleman, but in-
formed him that they thought a neighbour on the
opposite side of the street would be able to do so.
Upon that the prisoner volunteered to show him
the place ; but in two minutes both the gentleman
and the prisoner returned to the house, were sup-
plied with coffee, and after that the prisoner never
left the house until he was taken away by the
police. Stevens afterwards asked the policeman
what he had taken the man away for ; and, on
being informed, she expressed her disbelief at it,
as she said the man had not been out of the house
for more than two Minutes, and asked him why he
had not taken the man while he was removing the
plate, instead of waiting so long. He replied that
he was smoking a pipe and was dozing at the time,
and that, if he had not taken the man, he should
have " lost his coat." She did not know what he
meant by that, unless it was that he would lose his
place.

Townsend here said that since this transaction he
had appeared against the witness for having used
abusive language towards a neighbour.
Sarah Stebbings, the waitress at the coffee-shop,
gave similar corroborative testimony.
Mr. S. E. Palmer, for the prosecution, addressed
the jury, contending that the evidence for the pro-
secution ought to be relied upon, as there was an
entire absence of motive on the part of the police-
man to fabricate such a chary against the prisoner;
while on the part of the witnesses for the defence
there was the strong motive of resentment, inas-
much as the policeman had been subpoenaed and
appeared against them as a witness for using abusive
language to a neighbour, and therefore that their
testimony was not to be relied upon.
Mr. Payne summed up the evidence with great
care.

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, on the
ground that it was possible that the policeman
might have lost sight of the person who committed
the robbery for a moment, and thus been mistaken
as to identity.

Ellen Brown, 50, widow, was indicted for steal-
ing three handkerchiefs, and other articles, the pro-
perty of a laundress by whom she was employed,
and also for stealing a brooch and ring, the pro-
perty of Thomas Fletcher, her master.
She was convicted, and sentenced to nine months'
hard labour.

Mr. J. P. Doyle prosecuted.
The prisoner's daughter, an in teresting-looking
girl, about sixteen years of age, was in court, and
seemed in the deepest distress, weeping bitterly
when her mother was removed from the dock. It
was stated that now her mother was taken away
from her, the consequence of a long course of mis-
conduct,,the girl was left without a friend or rela-
tion in the world, and no home to go to. The
matter was mentioned to Mr. Payne, who directed
the case to be brought under the notice of the
Society for the Rescue of Young Women and Chil-
dren, Poultry, and an address, where a letter would
find the girl, was taken.