The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-19 00:00:00

THAMES.

AUDACIOUS ROBBERY OF PROPERTY AND MONEY IN A
DWELLING-HOUSE.—Charles Foster, a tall man, 21 years of
age, was brought before Mr. Paget chorged with assaulting
a poor, aged woman, named Charlotte Catchpole, with
threatening to cut her throat, and with stealing £35 in
cash and a great number of gold and silver articles, 3s. 6d.
of postage stamps, a black coat, and other property, be-
longing to Mr. James Smart, warehouseman, of 14, New_
road, Stepney.
The prisoner, a singularly-looking, heavy browed fel-
low, was on the 4th of June last dwelling in the house of
the prosecutor, and was then ostensibly getting his living
living by selling colouring matter to licensed victuallers.
Mr. Smart and his family were absent from home on the 4th
of June, and left the premises in charge of Mrs. Catchpoll, a
charwoman. In the evening the prisoner suddenly at-
tacked the old woman, brandished a razor, before her eyes,
and threatened to cut her throat if she raised any alarm
or made the least noise. He then bound her hands and
legs together with cords, and left her while he .proceeded
to plunder the house of every portable article of value it
contained. Ho opened a drawer which contained £35
in gold and £5 in silver, and gold and silver articles,
and spoons, and other articles, the whole of which he
abstracted. The fellow also carried off other property and
absconded. The police receired early information of the
outrage and robbery, but they soon lost all trace of
the prisoner. No more was heard of him until the
commencement of the present week, when informa-
tion reached the Metropolitan police that the prisoner
was under confinement in Derby Goal for stealing a watch,
and that he would be liberated on Thursday morning.
Police-sergeant Briden, No. 4 K, a detective officer was
despatched to Derby to arrest the prisoner, and when he
reached there on Thursday morning ascertained that the
prisoner's sentence of imprisonment terminated on Tues- ,
day, and that he was at liberty. Briden traced the pri-
soner to Nottingham, Leicester, and ;other places, and on
Friday morning at three o'clock found him in the casual
ward of Loughborough Workhouse. On the way to Lon-
don, on Friday afternoon, the prisoner said, "I shall get a
long term of imprisonment for this. I hope 1 shall get
sent out of the country." Briden said the prisoner pawned
some of the stolen property before he loft Loudon, and he
had traced the articles.
Mr. Paget remanded the prisoner for a week.

WESTMINSTER.
NIGHTLY PAUPERS AND THE CASUAL WARD. —Ann
Williams and Mary Williams, two women apparently com-
fortably clad, were charged with the following extraordi-
nary conduct at St. Margaret's Workhouse, Westminster.
Harriet Waterman, who has care of the casual ward for
females, said that the defendants were admitted last night
at 9 o'clock, and began using very bad language. They
had scarcely been admitted two minutes before they began
quarelling with the other inmates, and were evidently par-
tially intoxicated. When taken into the bath-room they
used the most frightful and filthy language respecting it.
Mr. Selfe—So you put them all into the bath ?
Witness—Yes, generally, if they are very dirty, but since
the weather has been so sharp we have not been so strict.
Mr. Self—ls the bath ina nice warm place ?
Witness—Oh, it's very comfortable, it's a nice warm
room,and a very nice fire.
Selfe—Exceedingly comfortable?
3iNvrtness—Oh, very comfortable.
Mr. Selfe—l am glad to hoar it.
Witness—The bath woman let them come up without
washing, and then they made such a dreadful noise that
they awoke all the others in the ward, and all the poor
people got up.
Davis, one of the summoning officers of the court, said
that by chance he passed the women before they went in,
and heard them threaten what they would do when they
got inside.
Mr. Self° (to defendants)—You are just the people who
make the workhouse unbearable to the docent poor. Oue
does not wonder that decent people who have seen bettor
days should shrink from going into the workhouse if their
rest is to be broken and ears polluted by such filth as you
have uttered. You aro committed to hard labour for 14
days.