The Sun.
London, England, 1835-05-14 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COUR

(THIS DAY.)

OLD COURT.
aa f
POST-OFFICE ROBBERY.--Robert Oliver was indict o t`t f
embezzling a letter containing 'a sovereign, the propertY
r.
Frederick Spong, which came into his possession as a lette
carrier. Mr.
Mr. SHEPHERD (with whom was Mr. ADOLPHUS and -
SCARLETT) stated the case for the prosecution.
Mr. CLARKSON appeared for the prisoner. In
Frederick Spong deposed that he resided at Kilkenny.
the month of February last he wrote and sent a letter addrent:
to M`Grath, who was in the service of the Earl of Luble
mond. In that letter he enclosed another letter in laic°
had put a sovereign—that letter was addressed to Miss .51111
his daughter. The whole were enclosed in an envelope and :b;
dressed to Lord Ormond, Portland-place, so as to save 40
postage. The letter addressed to M‘Garth was returned
Ireland as a returned letter.
George Spong proved that he put such a letter into the
Post-office at Kilkenny. He had it weighed in order to
that it was not above weight. n the
Michael Gillon was a servant to Lord Ormond. •-•,.,n,th,
12th of February he received a letter addressed to WurAr'it
from his master. As M‘Grath had left town, he add
O
to him at Lord Northland's, Helston, and gave it to B'
George, a groom in Lord Ormond's service, who put it into
the Post-office in Vine-street.
Samuel Gillman, a clerk in the Dead Letter-office,
that the letter addressed to M‘Grath was returned to 14
Post-office, on the 27th February, from Helston, niaLf
" Not known." He opened it in the discharge of biL,l,
and found a letter enclosed in it, addressed to Miss Prid
That appeared to be a money letter, and witness transoll/
it to the Inland-office. 18i1/
Wiliam Lott, a clerk in the Inland Office.—On the oo
of February he was clerk of the Money-Letter Book. of
that morning he received, from the Dead Letter Otrine,Nak
letter in question. The address on it was copied on to a
money letter receipt, and was sent to the General Offinstbe
be sorted, and given to the letter-carrier in whose district,
address lay. The receipt was afterwards brought back to, Jilitgr,
and to the person who. brought it to him he gave the te",,,- c
and that person signed the book for it. The prisoner's 9,
appeared as the person who received it. It was the du'll);
the letter-carrier to get the signature of the person to gi
they delivered a money letter. ore
In his cross-examination he said—There might be °low,
persons named Oliver in the Post-Office, but he did not 1%.5,
Ja.rtnes Lawrence said he was an inspector of letter-01ot.
The prisoner was engaged as a letter-carrier in the 0.
Office, and Bryanstone-square was in his district. In c° the
quence of his neglect of business, he was discharged es
Ist of April. On the 18th of that month witness wserdi,
formed that the letter to Miss Spong had not been delis e
and he went to the prisoner's lodgings in Gray's In,,t oot
and ordered him to attend at the Post-office. He
attended
attend, and, in consequence, witness again went, enc
by Leadbitter, the Bow-street officer, and Mr. Peacock• uer
prisoner. then admitted that he had received the letter in for it,
Lion, which he had delivered, and produced a receipt eof
which was signed with the name of " Strong," in PlBcl so-
" Spong," and the amount said to be received %vas bof is
vering." He said he bad delivered the letter to AOng
Mrs. Martin's service, also the receipt ; and on the fol;° bol
day (which was Sunday) he received the receipt from 9100,0
in the same state as it then was, together with 41., the,agl„,ist,
of postage. He afterwards pointed out a boy, named °°,':fgot
as he to whom he had given the letter, and from whan
the
Cross-e receipt. t the
xamined.—The prisoner's address was knOwn %ale
Post-office when he was first engaged, and he might g far
changed his lodgings after his discharge. The receiPtoo
money letters are retained by the letter carriers for theirietter
security. The prisoner accounted for the postage of, the Noe
in question in the due course. He always adhered to the jo.
story, and at ito time showed the least reluctance to gile
formation as to the matter. lest
George Leadbitter corroborated all that fell fromtbe
witness, and deposed that he requested prisoner to writ, the
words "one sovereign," when he wrote it " 1 severing'
same as it was on the receipt. 50.
Mr. R. W. Peacock, son of and clerk to Mr. Peace c,,,: toe
licitor to the Post-office, spoke to the same facts as t"'
last witnesses, and fully corroborated them that
Martin Songist, boy aged 15, was in. the service c".„..that
Martin ; said he had, been a year in that situation oed
was the second time -he had been in it. A lady, l'apied
" Spong," lodged in his mistress's house, but no one Long,
" Strong." In February he received no letter for Miss 'I" for
nor did he ever pay prisoner or any one so much as .„‘O5eY
postage at one time. The prisoner never gave him anUueed.
letter receipt, nor did he ever see the one now P
WitneSs was taught to write by a Mr. Sykes. ostilg
Cross-examined.—Had known the prisoner for one,.
from his delivering letters at Mrs. Martin's house. %log
occasion, prisoner did ask him for a person named "_A°lwil
or " Strong," about three weeks before he was mat f r 1 I
about the present transaction. Ire never took letteletter.
any one on the street, nor did he ever see any moneir_ but
Has paid the prisoner so much as 2s. 3d. for a letttor,
never more. Never bad any quarrel with the rriliesil
Several other boys lived in the same street, about i'll"ef
at
size. Had lived in four or five situations, but was Ilev •
any` time charged with any dishonesty.
The witness was very severely cross-examined Kuliei
CLARKSON, but he gave ready and very unembarrassed
to every question. ,s de'
Miss Mary Anne Spong, daughter of the first wit"- ''
Nlar°°'
posed that in February last, while residing at Mrs' one
she received no letter from her father. She recaiyet. re•
enclosing a sovereign. The signature " Strong" to !
ceipt produced by the prisoner was not in her handwritn.; the
/
Mr. Sykes deposed that no part of the receipt was
handwriting of the boy Songist.
This was the case for the prosecution.
The prisoner repeated that he had given the letter i° the
boy at Mrs. Martin's, from whom he got the receipt.
His LORDSHIP recapitulated the evidence. e.... 0 a 6
The Jury then consulted for a few moments, and rew
verdict of Guilty.
NEW COURT

Thomas Shepperd was indicted for stealing a handke ,
the property of William Rhodes, from his person. Ancr,
The prosecutor stated that he was in the Crown anu;
booth, Greenwich Fair, on Easter Monday, when hen3ls-0•
handkerchief, which was brought to him by a police'
was that now produced, and was his property. ,„ isolle6
Wild, a policeman, stated that he was watching the rile 511'
who was fumbling numerous pockets in the booth. ecutor,
him in the act of taking the handkerchief from the Pr q. °
V_f
and took him into custody. On his person were folly', es,
three handkerchiefs, snuff-boxes, cigar-cases, and 11,L fair'
which there was no doubt he had eased the visitors to t"-
fot

The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty ; and rtca
The COURT sentenced the prisoner to be transP°
seven years. / 814
Mary Ann Ashdw ef Cad
two aged 30, was indicted for ste "ar
two coats and other property, value 31., the property
. or
tain Palmer of the Royal Artillery. t. wife al,
The prosecutor stated that the prisoner was tun oits,
Thomas Ashford, his servant, who was now in the IlTet sin
and had been there since the 31st of March. The en letift
question had been worn by the prisoner's husband, illYtoe t'e
the quarters at Woolwich subsequent to his forneva
hospital. der
Lewis Davis, a pawnbroker, residing in Woolwich'-
to the prisoner pledging one of the coats at his shoP,• iwicilf
Mary Wright, the wife of a gardener, residing at wrak'pril tf't
stated that the prisoner sent for her on the 30th (lil„,-; OA'
Captain Palmer's quarters, and requested her top leubn- Inv'
of clothes, which witness declined, but a yogng_wlirta- n ,
Pollock pledged them for 30s. at the shop of Mr• PR -i
Ala''
The prisoner, in her defence, said she was a native oa,ool
rica, where she married her present husband, all eil 511,0
soldier, whom she accompanied to England, since Will osem
had a large family, and in consequence was much disstrbe6-Ae:
which was increased by the illness of her husband•
took
dared she believed the clothes, which were her b
livery, was his property. i the Jilft
i
The COMMON SERGEANT said, he would leave t •to • s for
to say whether the prisoner pledged the articles With
nious intent.—The Jury acquitted the prisoner. 511sl°1'
Jane Tombs, aged 13, was indicted for stealing e
the property of Charles Aby. reteci
It appeared the prisoner had been admitted into the 1, joe
cutor's house to take care of his children, and 1304 a
Purps°o/1-
the article in question, which she had pledged at
"
bro
The ker's
p in Shoreditch. • tett „be
risoner, in her defence, said she had con3lolo poi--
offence to procure food, her father and herself being /
distress. app`
'P
This statement was confirmed by the father, whoaf,..iiti. e
ance bespoke the most abject poverty. Verdiet--"lng th,
The COMMON )SERGEANT said lie regretted that aSi", 0'
numerous charitable institutions of this count* ,
no refuge for females of tender ears. •sonlae°i.
The COURT sentenced the prison yer to 14 days' utPri cope '
Sarah Brown, aged 40, was indicted for stealing a
i, a $
value 205., the property of William Lewis. 11
Ann Lewis stated, that on the 15th of April, she she
carpet in her staircase- window, shortly after wh t$ in
ber
the prisoner brought into her house with the carPc Per
possession. li PO° is
A witness named Goddard deposed to seeing t-,,,,,,„et,„
enter the prosecutor's house, and come out with the ben 5"
her possession. He followed and brought her back, "
was given into custody.
The prisoner, in her defence, pleaded distress. d •
The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty. ahea
Thomas Savage, aged 15, was indicted for stealing .
kerchief, the property of Wm. Allen. of tble 1
I;
This was another of the numerous robberies
class committed at Greenwich fair. The facts of uridict
were clearly established, and the Jury returned a ve
Guilty.
__------- giJ.
Jer4/°Ct
CONCERT ROOM, KING'S TIIEATRE.----1 e
Pistrucci, the Italian improvisitore, gave his aim° d by til
yesterday morning at this place. He was assiste
°P s,
whole of the principal artistes attached to the Reiland duet
who who sang some of their most popular cavatinas ittt roisi.
Signor Pistrucci himself exhibited his powers of IllW the
sation several times. The themes he himself chose weerteer of
Life of Napoleon at St. Helena, and the =oral e.h.ar:istonla,
man. Both these subjects he handled with his. n' We
co',
readiness and eloquence. His third improvisation
_..e on
aile eon% -.... .. --it ent., - . of ladies, who ~%, ~, i:, i
tl:',' '1 :" c'i,i' - unprepared, anal aid elecnozitsheltthret,samel.iotiebiTaic6o;ol,
searchltalian
toofnpane.opportunity of listening tOthe beauties u.' til..