The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-23 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.T-(T1118 DAY.)

(Before the Recorder.)
OLD COURT.
Charles Gault, 33, a well dressed man, pleaded guilty to
stealing five watches, the property of Benjamin Walker.
The offence to which the prisoner pleaded guilty was of
an aggravated character. The prosecutor is a watch-
maker in Liverpool-street, Bishopsgate, and the prisoner
went into the shop and entered into conversation with a
lad named Davies, who had charge of it, and suddeply
seized him by the throat, when one of his comranions came
in and emptied a case of watches, and ran off. The prisoner
was, however, pursued and captured.
The Recorder, after commenting upon the serious nature
of the robbery, sentenced the prisoner to six years' penal
servitude.

NEW COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
COINING.—John Cronin and his wife were indicted for
unlawfully possessing counterfeit coin, well knowing the
same to be counterfeit, with intent to utter the same.
The female prisoner pleaded guilty.
The evidence against the prisoners disclosed a most ex-
tensive system of fraud. The prisoners occupied an apart-
ment in Pitt-alley, and were supposed to be hard working
people, but froni certain information Brennan, the de-
tective officer employed by the Mint authorities,
was directed to watch them. Brennan after having done
so, applied for authority to enter their apartment, and pro-
ceeded there to search the same. On arriving at the
door of the room occupied by them the officers were refused
admission, but Brennan, with a sledge hammer, broke the
door open, and on entering found the female prisoner be-
hind the door, which she had been trying to keep closed.
The process of manufacturing counterfeit coin seemed to
be of a very extensive nature. A galvanic battery,
in which 17s. were found, together with moulds of
shillings, florfais, and sixpences, acids, files, ham-
mers, &c. While thus engaged Brennan heard
something fall into a pan of water, and on looking therein
no less than 14 counterfeit shillings were discovered,
which the femade prisoner must have thrown there. A
great quantity of counterfeit coin was discovered in dif-
ferent degrees of preparation. The counterfeit shillings
were most of th( on dated 1855, but two different moulds
appear to have linen used in those productions. The male
prisoner was froni home when the police entered the place,
and on being in formed of what had taken place, denied all
knowledge of tho manufacture of counterfeit coin. Brennan
however, searchc wd him and took from one of his pockets two
counterfeit shillings, and from another three, all correspond-
ing with those discovered at his lodging, and wrapped up
in a similar manner.

The jury found the male prisoner guilty.
The Recorder inquired if anything was known of the
prisoners
Brennan said the female prisoner was well known. He
had had her in custody before. In 1851 she was tried in
the Old Court with a man she called her husband;
but as she produced a certificate of marriage, which
he had reason to believe from circumstances that
afterwards came to his knowledge was her sister's, she
was acquitted, z s she said she acted under the coer-
cion of her husband! In 1856 she was again apprehended
for the same .offence and sentenced to a term of
imprisonment. She was looked upon as one of the most
expert coiners in tie metropolis, and not content with com-
mitting the offence herself, she had instructed her children
in the same pract ice, and one, if not more, of her children
was at that moment undergoing a long term of imprison-
ment. It was iznpossible to describe the annoyance she
had caused to the; respectable inhabitants in the vicinity of
her residence, and although they had offered the
police the assistance of their servants to abate the
nuisance, such was the state of watchfulness kept
up, that immediately a police-constable approached
the place, signals were given, and everything successfully
concealed. On one occasion he got information that pri-
soner had received an order from the country, and although
the utmost care was take•i to prevent her sending the coin
off, she succeeded, and afterwards laughed at the officers.
She was in fact "the worst amongst the bad," and during
the whole of his experience he had never met with a more
dangerous woman.
The female prisoner said it was not true that she had
been before convicted.
Brennan said be was quite sure he wa.s not mistaken.
The Common Sergeant--You have said something about
a " railway order," what do you mean by that ?
Brennan—An order from the country for counterfeit
coin. They recedve orders as manufacturers and execute
them. On one oocasion it was known that as many as 300
counterfeit shillings had been sent off in one parcel.
The Recorder—Then they are wholesale dealers.

Brennan—Yes, my lord.
The Recorder commented very severely on the offence of
which the prisoners had been convicted, and sentenced the
male prisoner to six and the female prisoner to eight years'
penal servitude.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-(TIII8 DAY