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

MIDDLESEX S thSI ()NS.

(Before the Assistant Judge at Westminster.)
John Durrant, 20, pleaded guilty to a charge of
having unlawfully attempted to obtain 'whey with
intent to defraud. The prisoner went to Mr.
Alderman Copeland's, No. 160, Nev Bond-street,
and present a parcel, which he said contained a
pair of new boots for the alderman, and banded in
an invoice. The clerk opened the parcel, and
found it contained a pair of old boots, quite worth-
le,s, and the prisoner atte opted 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 larceny, and sentenced
him to six months' hard 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 employer-, 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 year.' penal servitude.

Eliza Graham, 25, was:tried upon two chargea of
picking pockets, at a cwifirmation held on the sth
May, at St. Paul's Knightsbridge. She was
acquitted on one, and convicted on the other.
Former convictions were put in evidence against
her, and she admitted them all.
Sentence was deferred.
Mr. Le Breton prosecuted ; Mr. Ribton was for
the prisoner.

George Smerer, 20, a German baker, was in-
dicted for unlawfully assaulting and wounding
Camles Magslar.

The prisoner and the prosecutor were acquaint-
ances, both coming from the same' part of Ger-
many, and it appeared that on the night of the
15th of March the former had been engaged in a
disturbance at the King's Arms, Whitechapel-road,
and as he was standing outside the house the pro-
secutor passed, and hearing what had 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 pccket ho struck
at the prosecutor wiih it, wounding him near the
left elbow. The wound was about au inch long
and an inch deep, and was of so serious a nature
that ha was under treatment in the hospital for a
•
conAiderable time.

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

George Hart, 18, was indicted for stea'ing two
silver trays and other articles, the property of Col.
Charles Grantham. Scott, in his dwelling-house.
The prisoner got in at the library window of Col.
Scott's house, 79, E iton-square, ,nd was steppe 1
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 knr,ck
at the door, but the prisoner said he thought it
better to get through the window. He was de-
tained and given into custody. The articles men-
tioned in the charge were missed from the library,
and had evidently been passed to an accomplice ;
one of them was found upon the step of the next
house. He could easily bare got through the win-
dow from the parapet of the next doorway, but
escape by the same way was so difficult that the
prisoner took his chance of getting out by the
street door.

The priaoner said he was guilty, and the officers
proved that he had be.n befire convicted.
He was swntenced to four years' penal servitude.
Charles Bannister, a coste r monger, was indicted
for assaulting two police-constables, 456, and 428
N. He surrendered.

Mr. Abram appeared for the proF.ecution ; Mr.
Orridge for the defendant.

Fro—tu the evidence of the, constable it appeared
that one night 456 was on duty in High-street,
Horton, and had to interfere wi:h the defendant,
wh., with another man and some females, _were
making a di,tarbance, when the defendant attacked
hitu with violence, and kicked him. The constanle
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 constable came to his as-
sistance, and he also was assaulted by the de-
fendant. •

There was a large patch of plaster over the de-
fendant's forehead, covering the cut produce] by
the blow from the truncheon. The pieces of the
latter were produced. The first cAsstable said he
received such injury that he was attended by the
surgeon and was absent from duty five days ; the
other had two black eyes.
Mr. Orridge, for the defence, suagested, 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 ttuncheon
on the defendant's head, with such biutal ty indeed
that it wad a mercy he was not killed on the spot.
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
tremendous blow which broke the truncheon ; but
his mouth was stopped by this prosecution, which
rested upon evidence given by the police to screen
themseves possibly from the fate of a fellow-con-
stable, who some time was tried in this court and
sentenced to two years, for using his truncheon
with unnecessary viuleuce. 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. Oiridge said one of the females who were
with the defendant received so severe a blow from
one of the constables on the breast that a tumour
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 reports.
I)e•
of " Meetings of a Conference of Italian 1 e
gates," which never took place. 'They ignored a
George
bill against a re-pectable P"8" named having
Pauley, who was charged by a woman w
robbed her of her watch.

(Before Mr. Creasy.)
Ellen Williams was indicted for unlawfully and
maliciously inflic ing upon William Taylor grievous
bodily harm.
On the 30th April the policeman on duty in the
Vinegar-ground Toned the defendant and the pro
scouter, who were the worse for drink, quarrelling
and crewing a distu:bance. At his desire they went
t., 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
lying in the doorway, struggling with the woman
the possession of a poker. The policeman
wrested it from them, and on both promising to be
quiet he returned it, and again went
before he had gone 20 yards he heard cries, away,a and on
going back he saw the defendant striking the man