The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-17 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—Nov. 16.

(Before Mr. Pashley, Q.C., Assistant-Judge, at
Westminster.)
Freak. Wright, 30, porter, was indicted for hav-
ing unlawfully incited one Joseph Parker to felo-
niously steal certain goods and chattels the pro-
perty of the Great Western Railway Company, his
employers. He surrendered.
Mr. Digby was for the prosecution, Mr. Sleigh
appeared for the prisoner.
Joseph Parker stated that he was a porter in the
service of the Great Western Railway Company,
and had been so for two years and a half. He had
known the prisoner as a fellow-servant for about
18 months, who was now in the service of one of
the carriers, and had to perform his duties at Pad-
dington. On the 4th Oct., between 7 and Bin the
evening, he was going to unload a van belonging to
the prisoner's employer, the prisoner being there to
check the goods as they were taken out. The prisoner
(the witness deposed) called me on one side, and
said, " Would you like to earn a sovereign ?" I said
" Yes, it would be very acceptable." He said, "If
you will bring me a chest of tea or a hamper of
wine, or anything of that sort, I will give you a
sovereign ; bring it to the tail of the van." I said I
would have nothing to do with it, and he then said
" Perhaps you will consider of it by the time you
come back." I had to come back to die van. When
I came back he said, " Is there any chance ?" I said
." No, and I'll have nothing to do with it." Tomp-
kins and another man had come with the van.
(Tompkins was tried at the last sessions for stealing
a chest of tea and acquitted.) On the Saturday
afterwards I saw the prisoner talking to another
porter named Morris, and I then reported to the
foreman what had occurred. I did not give infor-
mation sooner because I thought there was" a plant
on." The prisoner would have no right to go to the
trucks where the hampers were; that was my duty.
Edward Morris, another porter, deposed that on
Oct. 9 he was at the scales weighing some goods
when the prisoner came up and asked him why he
did not get something. He took no notice of it, and
reported it the same evening.
The foreman under whom the prisoner acted stated
that it was the prisoner's duty to load "up" goods
of a morning and "down" goods of an evening. He
had no business to be on the platform except with
hii own cart, and he had no authority whatever to
tempt the company's servants to test their honesty.
All instructions he was to obey were given by the
witness.
Mr. Sleigh, in his address for the defence, sug-
gested that the prisoner had acted, not with any
intention of inducing Parker really to commit a
felony, but merely for the purpose of testing whether
certain of the company's servants were honest. It
was, no doubt, a foolish and indiscreet thing to do,
but that was all ; he had never contemplated any-
thing of a criminal nature. He was a man of excel-
lent character, and, under the circumstances, the
learned counsel submitted there was a clear way to
an acquittal.
The Assistant-Judge summed up, and the jury,
after some consideration, found the prisoner not
guilty.
Mary Ann Davis, 23, was indicted for having
stolen a purse, a £lO Bank of England note, three
sovereigns, and other moneys, from the person of
Samuel Bennett.
Mr. Tindal Atkinson prosecuted ; Mr. Ribton
was counsel for the defence.
The prosecutor was a police-constable, No., 501
N division, living in Sheppard's-place, Hoinerton.
He stated that on the 29th October he and a com-
panion, one Edwin Wm. James, also a police-con-
stable, were out on pleasure. They went to the
Polytechnic Institution, and in the evening they
were at the Highlander publichouse, in Dean-street,
Soho. Of course they were in plain clothes. They
there met with the prisoner and another woman,
whom they treated. He had with him £l6 odd,
consisting of a £lO note, six sovereigns, and some
loose silver. From that publichouse they went to
the Nag's Head, in Oxford-street, the two women
and his friend. They went into the concert-room
and had more drink, for which he paid. He took
out his purse several times and once changed a
sovereign. They remained there till about nine
o'clock, when they took a cab. He told the driver
to taJe them to the Cheshire Cheese, Vinegar-yard,
Drury-lane, but he drove to Caldwell's publichoase,
not the dancing-rooms, in Dean-street, Soho. He
there called and paid for a pint of wine, and after
drinking that they again got into the cab and went
to the Red Lion and Still, in Drury-lane. By that
time he was " half seas over," the effects of the
drink and perhaps the shaking of the-cab. Before
he got into the cab his purse and money, he could
swear, were safe in his pocket. He did not miss
his money while he was in the cab ; but when he
got out and put his hand in his pocket to pay the
cabman he missed it, and he at once accused the
prisoner, who had sat next him, of having stolen it.
She said she had not got it, and had never seen it.
He borrowed 2s. of his companion to pay the cab,
and the landlord sent for a constable. The
prisoner and the other woman were charged,
but the latter was liberated by the magistrate when
the case was heard. The prisoner was very
violent on the way to the station. It was true he
was " half-slewed, ' but that was all. He knew
what he was about. His friend was drunk, so much
so that his evidence was not taken.
Mr. Ribton—What medal is that you have on
your breast ?
Prosecutor—The Crimean, sir, for my services in
that campaign in the Royal Artillery. (In answer
to the learned counsel.) On this occasion I went
out to enjoy myself. The number of the note was
99,723. I don't see why I should say where I got
the money from—l am not ashamed to say where I
got it from. It was a legaey, and I received it the
same day from a provident society. The reason I
treated them, so liberally was that it's soldier-like,
and I've done the same in foreign countries where
we've drunk wine by the quart. I did not kiss the
prisoner in the cab, and on my oath I did not make
any proposition to pass the night with her. I can
swear, and do swear, that I did not drop my purse,
nor did I give it to her ; she stole it.
Pigott, 114 F, deposed to receiving the prisoner
and the other woman in charge. In one hand of
the prisoner he found £1 16s. 6d., and another con-
stable detected her in the act of trying to get some-
, thing from her bosom to her mouth. He took hold
of her hand and grasped it tightly till they got to
the station. There, she refused to open her hand,
and it was forced open, when they found the £lO
note, No. 99,723, and a shilling.
Hannah Green, the female searcher at the Bow-
street, said she searched the prisoner when she
was bought in, and found upon her some silver
wire, a portemonnaie, nine sovereigns, and some
smaller money. The prisoner stated that the pro-
secutor gave her what she had.
Mr. Ribton contended that it was consistent with
the circumstances of the transaction that the pri-
soner had picked up the purse, or that the prose-
cutor, being so drunk that he did not know what
he was doing, had given it to her.
The jury found her guilty. Sentence was deferred,
as she has yet to be tried with a man named Shaylor
for shopbreaking, and stealing 110 oz. of silver wire.
That found on prisoner proved a portion of some
stolen from the premises of Mr. H. W. Johnson, of
Clerkenwell.
Eliza Barter, 40, a nurse, was indicted for steal-
ing the sum of £7 155., the money of Elizabeth
Harding.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted.
The prosecutrix was a poor elderly woman, liv-
ing at 15, Pitt-street, Fitzroy-square. She had
given the prisoner part of, her bed out of charity,
and to show her gratitude the prisoner took an
opportunityiatt,hemteoyransack a cupboard and steal a sum
of money which the prosecutrix had hoarded up to
Pay her rent. The prisoner impudently declared
whicl was found upon her was her