The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-09 00:00:00

130 W-STREET.

POST-OFFICE ROBBERY.—A young man named Dell,
lately a sorter in the General Post-office, was placed at the
bar, charged with stealing four letters, the property of the
Postmaster-General.
Mr. Clare, inspector of letter-carriers in the General
Post-office, said the prisoner was a sorter, and was on duty
on Saturday, the 2d of October. At two o'clock that after-
noon he went up to one of the sorting tables and took two
letters, which he folded up and put into his coat
pocket. I went up to him, and told him to step into
the comptroller's room. A police officer followed us. I
then told the constable the prisoner had two letters in his
possession, and Bingham tooli the two letters (produced)
from his pocket. One of them was addrressed "F. B.
Collins, 6th Bat. 7th Company, Artillery, Ballincolig,
Cork ;" the other, " Lydia Cadman, Royal Sea Bathing
Infirmary, Margate." Both letters bear the stamp of the
2d Oct., and would be on the table amongst the other letters
of that day. Bingham afterwards showed me two other
letters which bore the stamp of the previous day.
Bingham, the officer, proved finding the four letters
in the pockets of the prisoner, each of which had contained
money. He also said--I found on him a portemonnaie,
which caitained £1 10s. in gold, some silver, an American
bill of exchange for £l, payable to Smith, the party to
whom one of the letters was addressed. I also found on
him three I 0 U's, amounting to £9 25., dated since the
31st of July. The prisoner received 22e. a-week.
Mrs. Collins proved the posting of one of the letters. She
said hermotive for only enclosing a sixpence was to ascertain
whether larger amounts could be safely sent to Ballincolig
in a letter.

Mr. Jardine said it was much to be regretted that parties
transmitted coin haetters. The result of merely sending
a sixpence was to hold out _a temptation to hundreds of
persons.

The prisoner was fully committed for trial.
STEALING A DIAMOND BRACELET.—John Smythe, "the
officer and gentleman," was to-day again placed at the bar
charged with stealing a diamond bracelet, the property of
Mr. Widdowson, the eminent jeweller of the Strand.
It will be recollected from the accounts that have already
appeared in The Sun, that the prisoner was suspected of
having for some time been in the habit of sytematically
plundering jewellers by entering their shops and on being
shown a number of expensive trinkets, contriving to appro-
priate one of them and then finding fault with the rest, and
leaving without making a purchase. Mr. Widdowson, a
short time ago, was so robbed of a diamond bracelet, but in
consequence of Smythe leaving the empty case of the
article the loss was soon discovered, and the prisoner appre-
hended.

Since last Saturday, when he was last before the magis-
trate, he has written two letters to Mr. Widdowson—in one
of which he admits stealing the bracelet, and gives such
information as to lead to its recovery ; in the other he begs
for forgiveness, as he is respectably connected.
Police-constable, 319 A, said on the 25th of October, he
watched the prisoner, and in the course of an hour he saw
him enter seven or eight jewellers' shops, but he did not
know whether he had stolen anything. The address he
gave on being taken into custody was a false one.

Several jewellers, who have of late been robbed, were in
attendance to identify the prisoner, but Mr. Clapham, of
the Strand, was the only one who knew him. Previous to
his being taken into custody he entered his shop, and, in
looking at some lockets, a lady who happened to be present
saw him secrete one, but, owing to the agitation such a
circumstance produced, she did not mention it until it was
too late to detain the prisoner. _

Mr. Jardine fully committed the prisoner for trial.
ROBBERY BY AN ERRAND BOY.—Alfred Clothier, a lad
aged about 16, was placed at the bar, charged with robbing
his master, a jeweller, residing in New Oxford-street.
Police-constable A 336, said—About ten o'clock last
night, in passing through Bloomsbury-street, I saw the
prisoner talking to another boy with the rings (produced)
in his hand. Seeing the other boy run away I thought
there was something wrong, and I took him into custody,
and then asked him to whom the rings belonged, and he
said his master. I went to his master's shop, and asked
if he had any right to the property, and he said he had
not. I also found six duplicates, five of which related to
gold rings, and the other to a watch. I also found a knife,
a pair of spectacles, and other articles, the property of his
employer, in his lodgings, but he said they had all been
purchased by his father.
Mr. Peacock, of 515, New Oxford-street, said—l am a
jeweller. The prisoner was an errand boy in my service. The
box produced contains five brass rings. The prisoner told me
this morning that another boy told him they ought to have
been gold, as then he would have given him 6d. a piece for
as many as he could get.

Mr. Jardine—Do you think the property pawned be-
longs to you?
Witness—l cannot say—l have not seen it.
Constable—The property is pawned at Woolwich.
Jane Carroll, servant to the prosecutor—l know the
prisoner. He brought me a brooch the other day to pur-
chase, but I refused. A few nights ago he said his master
had discharged him, and that he did not care after that
what became of him.—Remanded

WATCH ROBBERY.—Richard ITrwen, a respectably
attired young man, was charged with stealing a watch, the
property of a gentleman named Irving.
Mr. J. Irving, of Bromley-street, Stepney, said—l was at
Drury-lane Theatre last night with my wife and three
young ladies, and while waiting for a cab the prisoner, with
four or five others, approached us, two of whom got in
front, and the other three began tom dodge about
behind us. After telling them to move on one way
or the other, I felt my ' watch leave my pocket. The
prisoner was one of those to whom I spike. My
wife told me she saw some person's hand leave my
pocket, and before I could secure either of the parties who
had been near us they ran away. I pursued and overtook
the prisoner, but on accusing him of stealing my watch, he
said he knew nothing about it. _ _

The prisoner—You did not accuse me of taking your
watch when you first spoke to me ; you seemed uncertain
whether to give me in custody or not. •
Prosecutor—No such thing. I held you until a police-
man came up. While I was detaining you, two persons
pushed up against us and said something which sounded to
me like " all right." _ .

The prisoner was remanded, in order to afford time to
discover the missing article.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

- - -
PICKING POCKETS AND ASSAULTING AN OFFICER.—
Two rough-looking fellows, who gave the names of Wil-
liam Harper and John Macarthy, were charged before Mr.
Bingham with picking pockets and with an assault on a
constable.

From the evidence of Joy, 338 A, a detective, it appeared
that about six o'clock on the previous evening, he saw the
two prisoners at the corner of Glasshouse-street following a
gentleman. He watched them, and when near Nicholson's
saw the prisoner Macarthy put his hand into the gentle-
man's pocket, but without taking anything. At the cor-
ner of Beck-street and Regent-street he again saw
Macarthy put his hand into the gentleman's pocket and
this time succeeded in taking his handkerchief. They
then ran across the road down Clifford-street, when he fol-
lowed them and seized them, and told them that he was an
officer. Harper then kicked him on the leg, causing all
three of them to fall down. He (Joy) still retained his hold,
and, after a great deal of struggling, succeeded in taking
them to the station. The owner of the handkerchief, a mer-
chant in the City, was unable to attend owing to important
business.

Harper said he was as innocent as his worship in the
chair. He was coming from " Westminister" to Mary-
lebone, and was never in a prison.

Macarthy said he was going home at the time. He lived
through Piccadilly—in Drury-lane.
Mr. Wagham said they had no business whatever in
Clifford-street. He was persuaded they were in Regent-
street for the purpose of picking pockets, and that had been
aggravated by the constable being kicked. He should there-
fore sentence them to three months each for being in the
streets for the purpose of picking pockets, and one month
for the assault on the officer.