The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-08 00:00:00

CHARGE OF ARSON.

William Henry Parker, 32, dealer, was indicted for
feloniously setting fire to certain premises situate in
Monk well-street, City, with intent to defraud the West-
minster Fire Insurance Company of the sum of 1,0001.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Bodkin appeared fair the prosecution, and Mr.
Sergeant Parry defended the prisoner.
Mr. Bodkin, in opening the case, entered into a state-
ment of the facts, which have already appeared in Thit
Sun, and said that as there was no person on the pre-
mises when this alleged offence was committed, the charge
against the prisoner would not effect his life. The fire,
it will be recollected, occurred on the 10th of last month;
and in a few days after the occurrence, the prisoner sent
in a claim to the fire-office for upwards of 5001., for
damage done, which turned out to be a very exorbitrut
claim ; one item in the document being 260/. for brown
paper patterns, which it was now stated were not worth
more than 101., and various suspicious circumstances
had Induced the Westminster Fire Insurance Company
to institute the present proceedings.
James E. Ba)lis—l am an engineer in the London
Fire Brigade. On the 10th of March I was called at
10 micutei to 9to a firs ix 111011 well-street. I broke
the door open and entered the house, but found no per-
son on the premises. The principal part of the fire
was um der the cutting board in the centre of the shop,
but the fire was burning all round. The patterns and
contents of the shop were on fire. There was
no gas burning in the shop, neither was there
a fire-place or stove. There was a door to the
cutting-board, that covered a bin which received the
cuttings if the materials used in the prisoner's trade (a
mantle-maker). The fire when it reached this spot would
communicate with the shop. Tne fire was burning in the
cellar under the cutting-board. I remained in possession
of the premi,es until the prisoner was taken into custody,
but he had free access to the house.

George Cole, sub-engineer to the London Brigade--I
arrived at the fire shortly after it broke out. On entering
the premi•es I saw a hole in the floor of till shop. I
looked down an I saw the gas full on. There was a very
large volume of flame. The height of the flooring above
the burner was ten inches, and the fire came through
the shop floor. I found a gas branch in the cellar
unscrewed from its place, and the burner turned
upwards towards the shop floor. I found three screw■
on the cell❑r floor. They fitted the screw holes in th•
post from whlch the branch had been removed. Th•
n',oplo or burner bad been taken out of the branch. The
flame woutd rise at least ten inches from such an
opening.

By the Judge—l extinguished Vie flame.
John Foulger—l am an inspector of City police. I
went to Monkwell.street on the 10. h of March. I
found Baylis and other firemen there. I tried the screws
found by the last witness, and they exec ly fitted the
holes in the post I have tried them since, but the
holes have been made so large that the screws now fall
out.

Some further evidence having been given, the court
adjourned till to-morrow.

POLICE INTF.T.T.IGENCE.—(This Day).

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

said
hb
ream )9
tce
hha
er, chbpeurditsotnhser
BASE INGRATITUDE.—Mary Ann Hardingham was
placed at the bar, before Mr. Iliugharn, charged with
stealing a brooch, of the value of 31., the property of
Mary Ann Stacey, under the f„llowing circumstances :
The prosecutrix said she resided at Church-sLreet,
Soho, and that her husban.l, as well as the prisoner,
was erhol )yed by Mr. Lucas, at the Music Hall, Picea-
dlty. 'On the previous day, meeting the prisoner as
she was corning from taking her husband's dinner, she
invited her borne to dine with her, and afterward pressed
her to stay to tea, which she consented to do. In the
course of the afternoon she showed the prisoner a brooch
her husband had presented her with, and after the
prisoner had hoked at it she (tha prosecutrix) put it
in a drawer along with her husband's watch. Thinking
to wake the prisoner coir fortable, she went out to get some
thing for tea, being absent only a few minutes. On
going to the drawer a few minutes afterwards, she
mined the brooch. She then sent for her husband,
bwrhooo cwhi tcho could policemanno not b e searchedfound, and a thes sh e place;
had
n oa
doubtnd , as
theth e
prisoner had taken it, she was afterwards given into
custody,
t find the brooch. The
place everywhere, but coullid. no
a.
out
it.
Police-constable Shaugnessy
prisoner said she knew nothing
b
cutrix put it,and that was
at no one
not aware where the Pr
reshe was left in its care.
carne into the room
The prisoner saidw:hi
eehad d no seen
n doubtthe
Mr. Bingham said be
was remanded,
the brooch would be found at the pawn.
broker's.
Remanded..

SIR E. BULWER LITTON AT LINCOLN.—Sir E Delwin
Ly ton, Bart., who for a number of years represented
Lincoln in Parliament, visited that city last week, and
„„ monday night last delivered, in connection with the
Mechanics' Institution (in the establishment of which
the hon. baronet took a great interest), a lecture " On
the Early History of the Eastern Nations, especially
those mentioned in the Old Testament." There was a
crowded audience, and the mayor presided. The hon.
baronet's lecture constituted an outline of the history of
the Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek,
and Jewish nations.—Manchuier Guardian.
A report lately presented to the Emperor Alexander
contains the following statistical returns relative to
landed property and serfs in Russia :—The number of
families who are landowners amount to 127,000. Out
of these 2,000 possess from 1,000 to 10,000 serfs ; 2,000
from 500 to 1,000 ; 18,000 from 100 to 600; 30,000
1 from 21 to 100 ; and 75,000 have less than 21. The
total number of peasant serfs of the nobility amounts to
1 11,760,000 and those of the crown to 9,000,000. There
I are therefore 20,750,000 persons anxiously waiting for
an improvement in their condition.
MAELSTROM orr THE COAST or FLORIDA.—The brig,
Alma, Captain Brown,arrived here on Saturday morning,
from Nassau, N.P., reports that on the 16th i ' nsjhe wind
•when
about
infoaurthmreiele-ksnfortombreethzee Hat
tohlee-itni-te,he-s.Whaeil, got into a
..
seconds,
, whirlpool which turned the vesselraoumndy and back and
35
and kept turning her, sometimes h Ifwa
sometimes all the way round for two hoursand a quarter.
The breeze then became stronger, and she succeeded in
getting out of the whirlpool without receiving any
k Journal of Contmcne.
a wage. —Mew iror.- -