The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-01 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-Aug. 31

MANSION-HOUSE.—Captain Stranack, the
master of the Water Witch, Hull steamer, belong-
ing to the General Steam Navigation Company,
attended before the Lord Mayor to state the cir-
cumstances connected with the mysterious disap-
pearance of one of his passengers upon his last
voyage from Hull to London.
Captain Stranack stated that the Water Witch
sailed from Hull between one and two o'clock on
Wednesday morning, with about 130 passengers,
and between two and five on the following morn-
ing one of the passengers was missed, and it was
supposed that he had gone overboard. He had left
a portmanteau and a trunk on board the vessel,
and on the former there was written upon a card
the name of "S. W. Johnson," and the words,
" Passenger, Hull." On the portmanteau there
was a brass plate, on which was engraved " J. H.
Johnson, Doncaster." These articles no doubt be-
longed to the missing passenger, and they had been
taken to the offices of the company for safety, and
his object in bringing the matter to the notice of
his lordship was, that the matter should be made
public, with a ♦iew to discover the relations or con-
nections of the deceased.

The Lord Mayor inquired when the missing pas-
sen ;er was last seen ?
;apt. Stranack said that he did not see the mis-
sing passenger himself at all. It was his usual
custom to collect the fares at the commencement of
the voyage, and he gave the passengers their tickets
and thus became acquainted with them. The
weather, however, was very stormy on this voyage,
and he did not collect the fares until Thursday,
and he was then informed by several of the pas-
sengers that one of their company was missing.
The Lord Mayor inquired whether it was pos-
sible that the missing passenger had fallen over-
board by accident ?
The captain said that the bulwarks were very
high, and he did not think this was possible. He
said that a good many of the passengers were
joking and laughing together on deck in the course
of the evening, but they all went below before two
o'clock.
The Lord Mayor asked Capt. Stranack whether
there was anything of what is called " larking"
going on among the passengers during which the
unfortunate man might have been pushed overboard
by accident ?
The captain replied that he had no reason to be-
lieve that anything of this sort took place. He was
informed by the man at the wheel that, between
two and four o'clock in the morning, one of the
passengers came from below and laid down upon
the deck near him, and when he went off duty he
saw no more of him, and whether he jumped over-
board or not, or what became of him, no informa-
tion whatever could be obtained.

The Lord Mayor then said he had no doubt the
application would be ma.de public, and that this
would have the effect of discovering the relatives of
the unfortunate man, and Capt. Stranack thanked
his lordship and retired.

GREENWr CH.—CONVICTION UNDER THE
WATERMAN'S ACT.—James Freeman Filcher, a
Greenwich waterman, appeared to a summons, be-
fore Mr. Maude, charged with navigating a vessel
on the Thames, he not being duly licensed.
The defendant, it appeared was navigating a brig
on the Thames, on the 15th instant, and when re-
quested to give charge of the vessel to a licensed
waterman he refused to do so.
Mr. Tadhunter, Inspector to the Waterman's
Company, said the company felt bound to take
these proceedings against the defendant and others
who refused to appear and undergo the necessary
examination as to their competency to take charge
of vessels prior to licenses being granted, according
to the provisions of the act of Parliament passed in
1859, and the-company's by-laws made thereon. He
might also mention that defendant had been fre-
quently warned that he was acting illegally.
The defendant pleaded guilty, and said he would
oosform to the law and obtain the necessary licence. t
' Mr. Maude said by defendant's own showing he ,