The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-20 00:00:00

SACRILEGE IN A LONDON CHURCH.

Robert Dixon, beadle of St. Michael's Church,
Chester-square, was placed at the bar of the West-
minster Police-court, before Mr. Arnold, cluirged
with robbing the poor-box, under very peculiar
circumstances.

For a length of time past complaints have been
made by the occupiers of sittings and others attend-
ing St. Michael's Church of the losses sustained by
them in the sacred edifice. Not only have upwards
of 60 church services diappeared, but numberless
cloaks, umbrellas, gloves, handkerchiefs, pencil-
cases, scent-bottles, purses, and other miscellaneous
property belonging to the congregation have been
stolen, Sir George Grey and Sir Richard Mayne's
pews being broken open to get possession of their
books ; Smith, of the detective police, was instructed
by Sir Richard to take the matter in hand.
Sergeant Smith said that his attention was first
called to the case on the 15th of August, and from
inquiries made, he was led to suspect the prisoner.
Some marked money was placed in the poor-boxes
on two subsequent Sundays, and was shortly after-
wards stolen. On Saturday he marked other money
in the presence of Mr. Meats, one of the church-
wardens, and gave it to that gentleman to put in
one of the boxes which are placed inside the en-
trances to the church, and immediately after Divine
service on Sunday morning witness concealed him-
self in the gallery where he could, unobserved,
command a perfect view of the box. At
about ten minutes past two, the prisoner entered
by the north door, and having closed and bolted
it after him, shook a money-box at the north
entrance ; he next came into the body of the
church towards the vestry-room, and shook the
box at the south door. Having done that, he
proceeded to a cupboard, whence he took a chisel, a
hammer, a piece of thin wood, and a glue-pot, and
taking off his coat and hat, struck a lucifer match
and lighted a wax taper which he had with 'him.
He then returned to the box at the south entrance
and took some money from it.
The officer produced the box, and exhibited the
ingenioas mode of operation practised by the pri-
soner to open it. The front of the box is orna-
mented and secured with scroll ironwork, which
underlaps the bottom ; the iron having been cut
across at about two inches up, can, by the with-
drawal ea small nail, be removed on one side, by
which means an interstice can be made
between the bottom and front of the box
large enough to admit a slip of wood a quarter of
an inch thick, and thus money in the bottom can
be swept out. The prisoner, having taken the
money in the mode described, applied the wax
taper to a portion of the iron work to warm it,
and then applying the glue brush, and hammer-
ing the bottom again tight, left the box as ap-
parently secure as before.
Witness resumed—Some of the money the pri-
soner placed in his pocket, and a sixpence, a four-
penny-piece, and three halfpence fell on the floor.
After the prisoner had fastened the bottom of
the box, witness quietly went from his hiding
place, and had got near the accused before he
saw him. Witness then inquired of him by
whose authority he had opened the box, when
prisoner, who was very. much startled, said he
was a fallen man, and implored God's assistance ;
he admitted his guilt, but begged bard that wit-
ness would not say anything about it. On search-
ing him witness found 3s. 20., a portion of which
was mark ed.

Wm. Charles Miller, 259 B, proved that he was
engaged with Smith, and conveyed prisoner to the
station. On his way thither he said he had taken
money from the box on both Sunday week and Sun-
day fortnight. He had done it because, being out
of work, he had only £2O a year from hie situation
at St. Michael's Church to live upon and support
his family.
Mr. William Clapham Meats, 41, Chester-square,
proved putting the money into the box. Prisoner
had held his situation at the church 10 years.
_ _ _

Mr. Arnold, in reference to previous fosses, asked
Mr. Meats whether he had ever had any conversa-
tion with the prisoner about them.
Mr. Meats replied that one Sunday a lady in-
formed him she had put half-a-sovereign into one
of the boxes, but it could not be found. Witness
mentioned the circumstance to the prisoner,
who merely said it was a very small coin, and might
have dropped down behind the box on the floor ;
that there must be some mistake about it. On
another occasion witness found that money which
should have been in the box was gone. 'Witness
was in the habit of going to the boxes every Sun-
day evening, and finding only some halfpt encerth
in
one of them, left them there, not thinking i Worth
while to enter so small a sum in the vestry-book,
and when he next visited the box the halfpence
were gone.
Mr. Arnold inquired, for the purpose of law,
whose money it was prisoner had stolen on Sunday.
Mr. Meates replied that it came from his purse ;
but once in the box, money was deemed belonging
to the church. The marked money was, however,
for detection of the offender, and not a usual offer-
ing to the poor.
Prisoner was remanded for a week.

THE LORD MAYOR'S SALARY.—The Lord Mayor
has an allowance of about £7,900. It is generally cited as
£B,OOO, but is barely so much. It is variable even to the
extent of £l,OOO a-year more or less, owing to a portion of it
being derived from dues on fruit. Hie household at the
Mansion House consists of 20 gentlemen, and he has a good
retinue of servants; he has to provide his own horses, anu
has to find a carriage and horses for the Lady Mayoress.
The expenses of the Mayoralty usually exceeds the allow-
ance by about £s,ooo.—City Press.