The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-08 00:00:00

Mr. Metcalfe, on the part of defendant, asked
that the case might be postponed until the next
session. Mr. Capron had been held to bail to answer
any charge that might be preferred against him at
the sessions, not any specific charge, and this indict-
ment having been preferred and found, he was not
yet prepared for the defence.
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine opposed the application
on the ground that the defendant perfectly well
knew the nature of the charge. He assaulted Mr.
Morris, and the magistrate bound him over in two
sureties of £5OO each, and his own recognisance of
£l,OOO to appear here. He asked that Thursday
should be named for the trial.
Mr. Metcalfe handed in an affidavit sworn by the
defendant, stating that he had not had sufficient
time to prepare his defence, and ultimately it was
arranged, on the suggestion of the learned judge,
that the case should stand over until next session,
on the first day of which a time for the trial would
be fixed, if necessary.
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine said h;s client desired to
be placed in the witness-box, and his wishes in that
respect perfectly and entirely coincided with his
(Sergeant Ballantine's) own opinion.
Mr. Metcalfe said there was no intention of ar-
ranging the matter.
The case was then ordered to stand over.
John Centerdon, 20, and George Jones, 23, were
indicted for feloniously breaking and entering the
dwelling-house of Mary Passey, and stealing therein
six silver spoons and other articles, her property.
The prosecutrir was a widow,living at 27, Eagle-
street, City-road. On the night of the Ist Nov.,
before she retired to rest, she secured all the doors
and windows in the ordinary way; but during the
night the panel of the shutter of the front parlour
window was taken out with a chisel, and an en-
trance effected by a thin knife being inserted
between the sashes, and the catch slipped back.
The contents of the cupboard, a time-piece, and
some money were carried off by the thieves. The
prisdners endeavoured to sell some spoons to Mr.
Lewis, refiner, of Old-street, but he would not
purchase. The police, from information, received,
took Centerdon into custody, and after being cau-
tioned, he said, " Well, I may as well tell you all I
know about it. I did not break into the house, but
me and Blewy (the other prisoner) went with the
stug to Lewis's in the morning; we left it there,
and were told to call again in an hour. When we
Went back he would
_zot buy it. Blewy then
said, We have another market for it,' and took me
into Golden-lane. He carried the silver into a
shop—a wardrobe shop, on the left-hand side, and
I waited at the door. He got 17s. for the spoons,
and showed me the money when he came out." The
policeman then apprehended Jones, in whose pos-
session they found a knife, with which the window
could have been opened. Centerdon's boots corre-
sponded with some mortar marks on the premises.
The prosecutrix said the spoons she lost were
marked " W.M.P." Mr. Lewis stated that those
offered by Jones to him for sale were plain. Jones
assured the jury that he merely went to sell the
, who when his turn
came ress„contendin g that
spoons m a
for
de tahne
ingenious other
the discrepancy in the description of the spoons
offered to Mr. Lewis and those stolen was fatal to
the charge against them, or at least infused so
much doubt into the, case that they ought to have
the benefit of it, and be acquitted. As to the boot
marks, he submitted that there were hundreds of
thousands of boots of the same size and description
in wear ; and the spoons which Jones sold for him
were in his possession the day before the robbery
took place.
An alibi was pressed in favour of Jones.
The Assistant-Judge summed up, and the jury,
after some deliberation, found the prisoners Not
Guilty, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Jones said the policeman had stated that he
(Jones) had been convicted at this court in January
1856. That was a lie; and it was very important
to him, as he bad his living to get, that such a
statement should be contradicted.
The Assistant-Judge said that was a matter
between the prisoner and the constable.
(Before Mr. Creasy.)
William Arnold, 37, carman, was indicted for
stealing nine bushels of mixed corn, the property
of William Sturge and another, his masters, and
James Bean, 56, and Thomas Bean, 27 (father and
son), were indicted for feloniously receiving the
same, knowing it to have been 'stolen.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted. Mr. Metcalfe appeared
for the receivers.
The prosecutors are coal merchants in the City-
road, and the prisoner Arnold, as one of their car-
men, had been entrusted with food for the horses
when he was sent out with coal. This, it appeared,
he had sold, or disposed _of in some other way, in-
stead of feeding the horses with it, and he was
watched. The other prisoners were seen to drive
after him in a cart, and he handed them three
sacks, containing nine bushels of mixed provender,
with which they drove off. The younger Bean
was a carman in Macclesfield-street South, and
his father worked for him.
The jury retired to consider their verdict. Ulti-
mately they found all three Guilty, and recom-
mended the younger Bean to mercy. Arnold was
sentenced to six, Bean the younger to five, and
Bean senior to ten months' hard labour.
A great number of ordinary cases of simple lar-
ceny and larceny from the person were disposed of
in the two courts. They were of no interest.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—Dec. 7

MANSION-HOUSE.—John Freeman was
charged with having been .drunk, and wholly
unable to drive his cab.

A policeman said—About one o'clock in the
morning I saw a cab and horse standing near the
London Tavern, unattended, and soon after the de-
endant, who said he was the driver, came up, and
was so much in liquor that I considered it necessary
to take him to the station-house. We had a great
deal of trouble with him.
The defendant said he was no more drunk at the
time he was taken into custody than he was at the
moment he appeared before the magistrate. He
thought it too bad that he should be dragged away
from his cab, which he had only left for a moment
in order to go into the London Tavern, where he
had a fare waiting, so that he not only had to pay
the expenses of the Green-yard in which his cab
was detained, but he lost his fare.

Sir R. W. Carden said he considered the punish.
ment already suffered was sufficient, and discharged
the defendant, after having admonished him against
the disgraceful habit which led to his punishment.
The defendant—l shall never expose myself
again, my lord.
Ellen Smith w is examined charged with having
stolen a purse containing £6 Bs., the property of a
gentleman unknown.
The police heard a cry of " Police," and upon
going up to the spot saw the woman with a gen-
tleman who gave her into custody on a charge of
robbery. The woman denied that she had stolen