The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-05 00:00:00

EMBEZZLEMENT.

Theodore Richards, a respectably-dressed man, pleaded
guilty to an indictment charging him with embezzling cer-
tain small sums of money, the property of his employer,
Mr. Rebow, a jeweller. A former conviction was proved
against him.
The prosecutor, in answer to questions from the learned
judge, said he had no idea that the prisoner had been in
prison previous to entering his employment.
Mr. Creasy—Did you take him into your service without
making proper inquiries about him?
Prosecutor—No, my lord ; I had two recommendations
from the country, and a verbal character from two respect-
able people. One was a person residing in King's-road,
Bedford-row, and the other was, I think, the prisoner's
brother.

Mr. Creasy—Neither of them told you the prisoner had
been formerly transported for seven years ?
Prosecutor—No, my lord ; one of them told me he had
been guilty of certain indiscretions some time ago, but said
nothing about his ever having been to prison.
Mr. Creasyl think it is your duty, Mr. Rebow, to pro-
ceed against the parties who gave you the false character.
What is the total amount of property you believe the pri-
soner to have stolen ?

Prosecutor—ln goods and money about £3O or MA. I
shall use all means in my power to punish the parties who
deceived me with respect to the prisoner's chafacter. If I
had known his " indiscretion" had been seven years'
transportation, I never should have taken him into my
service. I thought it was some trifling circumstance, and
after taking the advice of my friends, I determined to em-
ploy him, because I thought it would be the means of
affording him a good opportunity of re-establishing his
character.

Mr. Creasy—Theodore Richards, you have been found
guilty of robbing your employer, under aggravated circum-
stances. First you obtain the situation by means of a false
character,' and afterwards you plunder :him of goods to
the amount of £3O. As I find you have been previously
convicted, the sentence of this Court is that you be kept in
penal servitude for ten years.
(Before Mr. Payne.)
ROBBERY ON TILE NORTII-WESTERN RAILWAY.

Jessie Oliver, an engineer, was indicted for stealing a
quantity of brass fittings belonging to certain locomotives,
the property of the company.
James Henderson, a foreman in the locomotive depart-
ment, said—On the 30th of September he discovered the
prisoner in the shed, near the Camden station, and sus-
pecting he was there for an illegal purpose, gave orders for
the doors to be closed, in order to prevent his getting away.
While he was dodging about, witness swore he heard
Oliver throw certain heavy articles away, which, being
picked up, proved to be a part of the brass fittings belonging
to some engines in the shed. On being taken into custody,
he said he might as well be in prison as walking about
starving. He had a wife and children at home in want of
bread.

Several other witnesses were examined, who spoke to the
finding of certain tools in the shed, by which the fittings
could be taken off. _ _ _

--
Me prisoner received a good character for honesty.
After a short consultation the jury found him guilty, but
strongly recommended him to mercy.
Mr. Payne said, giving full effect to the recommendation
of the jury, he should only sentence the prisoner to three
months' imprisonment with hard lahour.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—!This Day).

BOW-STREET.
DESERTING A WIFE AND FAMlLY.—Francis Healey,
a man about 40 years :of age, was . this morning placed
before Mr. Jardine, charged with deserting his wife and

family six years ago.
Ruthven, the relieving officer of the Strand Union, said
the wife and family of the prisoner had beeen supported by

the union for the last six weeks, in consequence of prisoner

deserting them, and the way in which he had been discovered
was'somewhat curious. It appeared that relative of the

prisoner's was one day reading the newspaper, and there ho
saw a case in which he Healey was concerned, but on that
occasion he used a fictitious name. From the information
_ _ .

this person gave, the parish authorities thought it their
duty to institute a most rigid inquiry, into the
whole facts of the case. The prisoner was iden-
tified as being the man -by the wife's relative at
the House of Correction, where it was ascertained he had a
term of three months imprisonment to undergo. This sen-
tence expired this morning, and accordingly the officers
awaited his discharge to take him into custody to answer
the charge of desertion. They had been looking for the

prisoner for the last three years.
The wife, a poor, miserable looking woman, with two
children, said she worked at the "slop work" for some time
after the prisoner left her, and did all that was possible to
support her children, but she had been compelled to
apply to the parish for relief, in consequence of the work,
which was badly paid for, falling off. After the pri-
soner had been away for some time, she discovered
he was living with a prostitute at the other side of the
water, and that he had been mainly supported in idleness
by this woman. He was a tailor by trade, and if he chose
to work he could earn a good living.
Prisoner--I was compelled to leave my wife because she
drank gin.
The Wife—Such a statement is totally untrue. You
left me to go to live with another woman in the Blackfriar' s-
road. After I found out where you were living I applied
to you for assistance, but, in order to avoid doing anything
towards my support, you left the place, and I have not set
eyes on you until to-day. It is six years ago since you left
me and your children.
Mr. Jardine—What have you to say to the charge ?
Prisoner—l left my wife and went to Dublin, because she
was in the habit of getting drunk. It is true lam a tailor
by trade, but in consequence of my eyesight failing I have
not been able to earn any great sum of money, but I am
willing to give my wife half of the money I get for the
future.
Mr. Jardine—l can pay no attention to the promises of
a man who runs away from his wife for six years, and
leaves her all that time to the mercy and care of others. It
is not -so much a case of husband and wife as it is a
parochial one. Many, very many, poor people were com-
pelled to contribute to the poor rate, and it was too bad
that money so raised should be expended in keeping the
wives and families of every lazy fellow who choose to desert
them. The act of Parliament leaves me no discretion, and
in accordance with its provisions I shall commit you to
prison for three months with hard labour.
The prisoner then left the dock, and was conveyed back
to the same prison he only left this morning.
A FLAT BETWEEN Two SHARPS.—Jane Wilson, a
nymph of the pave, was charged with being concerned in
robbing a verdant-looking young gentleman, who said he
lived a short distance from town, of his watch.
The complainant stated that last evening he was accosted
by the prisoner and her friend in the Strand, and asked if
he was " good natured "—(laughter)—because if he was he
would " stand some gin." He told the women he did not
drink gin; but after some persuasion he said he would
" stand a quartem." They then went into a public-house
and had the gin, after which they invited him
home to pass the night with them ; but as he
had but little money he refused. They kept him in conver-
sation until they arrived at a narrow court near Temple-bar,
when one made a snatch at his gold breast-pin, and the
other made off with his watch. He succeeded in detaining
the prisoner till the police arrived, but nothing but a few
pence were found on her.
The prisoner, in answer to the charge, said the com-
plainant met them last evening, and after " standing some
gin," strolled along the Strand with herself and friend,
when he began to make some very indecent proposals. She
certainly asked him to accompany her and her friend home,
and as he had no money he promised to make her a present
of his breast-pin and all the money he had, which amounted
to tenpence. (Laughter.) He stood talking for some
time at the end of Shire-lane, and then said one
of them had taken his watch and gold pin. Her friend
ran away, but the gentleman held her until a constable
arrived, when she was taken to the station-house and
charged with the robbery. All the property she had that
ever belonged to the prisoner was the tenpence he gave her.
Mr. Jardine said, if respectable r elple will talk to such
persons as the prisoner in the streets, they must put up
with the consequences. There was no evidence that the
prisoner was the party who had robbed the complainant,
and under those circumstances he should order her to be
discharged.