The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-09 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 9,186 G.

The Great Stamp Robbery at Manchester.

- BOW-STREET—(THIS DAY).
Charles Batt, who stands charged on suspicion of being
concerned in the robbery of £12,000 worth of stamps from
the office of the Hon. Henry Howard, distributor of
stamps for Manchester, was this morning again placed be-
fore Sir T. Henry for further examination.
It will be recollected that the prisoner was given into
custody on the occasion of his attending before Mr. R. P.
Walker, the examiner of spoilt stamps, at Somerset House,
on the 12th July last, to obtain the return of £1 upon a
spoilt stamp for that amount, which had the appearance of
being wilfully damaged, and which on close observation
was found to be of the same class of stamps recently
issued to the distributor at Manchester, and of which he
had been robbed.
The only witness examined this morning was
Mr. William Drewitt, of 55, High-street, Marylobone,
who sai 1— On the 17th of May last I obtained two £1
inland bill stamps from the head-office, Somerset-:house.
The stamp now placed b3fora me is not one of them.
Mr. Jacobs.—l now intend to call Inspector Potter to
prove that the description given by himself in the affidavit
at the Stamp Office in London was untrue.
Inspector Potter said—The description given by the
prisoner was ft lse when he attended at the Stamp-office.
I have known him for 13 years.
Mr. Wontuer, who appeared for the prisoner, objected to
the inspector giving evidence as to the prisoner's ante-
cedents.

Sir T. Henry—Except for the purpose of proving that
he name was false.
Mr. Woutner—Yes. He could not give evidence of any

former conviction.
Sir T. Henry—Yes, he can. He might be indicted for
this robbery having been previously convicted.
Mr. Wontner—But that would be kept back until he had
been indicted for the simple offence.
Sir T. Henry—The judge is entitled to know it, and
the clerk of the arraigns must know it in order to prove
the indictment.
Inspector Potter's evidence was then continued—The
prisoner's right name is Charles Martin. I have known
him go by the name of Charles Roberts and Charles Angel.
I was'present at the Old Bailey on the 17th of August,
1863, when the prisoner was sentenced to three years'
penal servitude for stealing from a dwelling-house. It
was a jewel robbery of between £4OO and £5OO. I gave
evidence against the prisoner on that occasion. His time
on that sentence will not be up until the 13th of this
month. _ _ _ _

Sir T. Henry—ls he the holder of a ticket-of-leave at
this present moment ?
Inspector Potter—He is.
Mr. Jacobs—That is all the evidence I have to offer,
Sir Thomas, and upon it I ask you to send the prisoner to
Manchester for trial.
Mr. Wontuer trusted that as there had already been
three remands for the prosecution he would not be refused
one for the prisoner. He was instructed to ask the post-
ponement of the committal for a few days, because in that
time he believed he should be in a position to prove an
alibi of so complete a character that the evidence of Allan
would fall to the ground. He should also he was informed
be able to show that the prisoner was not in Manchester
either on Friday or Saturday.
Sir T. Henry—l will under those circumstances remand
the prisoner for a week.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

-+---

SHERIFFS' COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
NEWSAGENTS AND CHANCERY DISPITTES.-IMPORTANT

DICISION.-ERUTON v: HACKETT.

This was an action to recover a sum of money for cer-
tain newspapers, called the Sporting Opinion, supplied to
the defendant for sale.

Defendant admitted having received the newspapers,
but said he had been served with a notice from a suitor in
this Court, under the provisions of the Equity Jurisdiction
Act, not to pay for the papers.
His Lordship asked if such notice camo from this Court.

Mr. Osgood (the registrar) explained that there had been
Chancery proceedings in this Court in reference to a sport-
ing paper known as the Turf. Mr. Commissioner Kerr
had granted an injunction against the defendant in that
suit, Mr. Davey restraining him from publishing any news-
paper resembling the Turf. The notice handed in, how-
ever, had nothing to do with the Court.
Plaintiff--I have nothing to do with the Turf at all.

Mr. Osgood—Do you know Mr. Davey ?
Plaintiff —I do. lie was formerly in my service, but be
has nothing to do with me at all, nor with the Sporting
Opinion, which is a totally different affair to the Turf.
Defendant--I am perfectly willing to pay the amount,
only I wish to know to whom I am to pay it.
His Lordship—The notice with which you have been
served does not come from the Court, .and you must pay
the money to the plaintiff. You will be protected by the
order of the Court against any other proceedings.

Defendant—That is all I require.
The verdict then passed for the plaintiff.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

MANSION-HOUSE.

Henry Roylance, a middle-aged man, was charged before
the Lord Mayor with having unlawfully in his possession
four table cloths, the property of the proprietors of the
City Club.
Charles Underwood, ono of the City detectives, said that
about half-past five o'clock yesterday afternoon he saw
the prisoner in Old., Broad-street, and noticed that he ap-
peared very bulky. He stopped him, and asked him what
he had got about his person. He took from him one of
the table cloths produced, which was concealed under
his left arm, and he told him he must charge him with
being in possession of it unlawfully, and that he must ac-
company him to the station. At the station he found the
three other tablecloths tied round his body with a piece of
string, and also a pound of butter. The prisoner said that
the things were given to him by one of the servants of the
Club, where he was employed as a labourer, or stable
helper. He gave the officer his correct address, and he
found the wife, who appeared to be a very respectable per-
son, there, and she told him she was not surprised at what
had occurred, as the prisoner had lately become addicted
to drink.

The tablecloths were identified by a female servant of
the Club as having been given out by her the day before
to be sent to the laundress who worked for the establish-
ment. She said that the prisoner had no right whatever
to have the articles in his possession. _ _

It was also proved that the prisoner was employed at
the Club for ten hours per day, at the rate of 411 per
hour. _ _

Underwood said that he had found another tablecloth at
,he prisoner's lodgings, and asked for a remand in order
that it might be id.ntified.

The prisoner, who admitted having taken the tablecloths
produced, was remanded until Thursday.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

SINGULAR CASE.—Michael Murray, a young man, was
charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with being concerned with
another man named Barrett now in custody, in committing
a burglary at the house of Mr. James O'Neil, 17, Ileddon-
street, Regent-street, and stealing a quantity of clothes—
some partly made.
Barrett was charged at this court somo days ago and
committed to the Central Criminal Court for trial, he pro-
testing his innocence.
The prosecutor said—On the Bth of July my place was
broken into and some coats and other property stolen. I
charged a young man named Barrett, and he was com-
mitted for trial. Last night the prisoner called upon me,
and I then accused him of being concerned in the burglary.
The prisoner said he was very sorry for what he had done,
and that if he had not been drinking he would not have
done it, and that he had come to give himself up. I sent
for a constable and gave him into custody.
The prisoner—l did not say I was guilty. lam inno-
cent. I know nothing about it.
Buckingham, 328 A—l was called to 17, Heddon-stree t,
last night, and on the prosecutor saying that the prisoner
had come to give himself up, the prisoner said, " Well, I
thought 1 might as well give myself up, as I have been
seen in the streets by several persons, and the other man
in prison is innocent, and he did not want to see an inno-
cent man suffer, although the man had some of the pro-
ceeds of the robbery." I then took the prisoner, who was
quite sober, to the station.
In answer to the charge the prisoner said, " I heard the
prosecutor was looking after me, and I went to him to
know what he wanted with me. I met the man who took
the things in the City, and he asked me to come out of
London with him, and before we went he sold the things,
but I did not know where they came from. I afterwards
went to Kingston with him, and then he told me all about

Dir. Tyrwhitt committed the prisoner for trial.

WESTMINSTER.

FEMALE ORCHARD ROBBERS.-C. Ryan and S. Reeves,
of the ages of 15 and 17 years, were charged with being in
the orchard of Mr. Freath at Brompton.
John Smith, gardener, said that on Tuesday night the
grounds of Mr. Freath were entared, and a quantity of
fruit carried off; this had been effected by breaking down
the fence, which he bad repaired yesterday, but found, in
the course of the evening, that it was again broken. He
went then about 8 o'clock and found the two defendants in
the ground. They had got in by breaking a board down,
and crawling through the hole they had made.
In answer to inquiries from Mr. Selfe,
The gardener said that the loss of the apples and
other fruit purloined by intruders was trifling compared
with the damage they did to the trees and in other respects.
Those girls had trodden down a quantity of potatoes.
Ryan—We had none of the apples.
Mr. Selfe—What did you go there for?
Reeves —We went there for fruit.

On its being asked what was known of the girls, it was
stated that Ryan's family wore nearly all in prison for dif-
ferent offences.

The accused were remanded till Saturday.

THAMES.

THE STATE OF THE COURT.-HEALTHFUL PRECAUTIONS.

—This morning the whole of the matting laid down in this
court, to deaden the noise of people walking about, was re-
moved by order of Mr. Partridge, who said the noise was
a secondary consideration at this critical period, and that
people from all quarters of the district where cholera
and diarrhcea were prevalent were constantly passing in
and ottt cf the court, The matting collected large plan-,

tities of dirt and mud, and eVery time any person moved
about large clouds of dust were hovering about, which
the magistrate presiding, the officers of the court,
professional men, witnesses, and others inhaled. Mr.
Pearidge 'Was satisfied the matting was very unhealthyand
ought never to have been laid dcrwn in the court. He
directed that disinfecting fluids should be throWn over
the court, the passages and cells, and that no overcrowd-
ing be permitted. These precautions are highly neces-
sary and expedient, as two persons have been recently
attacked with cholera in the court. They were imme-
diately remo'ed, one to an hospital, the other to a work-
house. A mass of the dirtiest people to be found in the
metropolis are generally to be found in the passage and the
back of the court, and are known as the " court beauties."
UTTERING A FORGED ORDER.—Frances Green, a woman
about 30 years of age, and who was described as a tailoress,
of 48, Grosvenor-street, Ratcliff, was brought up on remand,
charged with being concerned with John Lucas, not in
custody, in uttering a forged order for the sum of £2B 125.,
with the intent to cheat and defraud Peter Murphy, well
knowing the same to be so, at the parish of St. George-in-

the-East.
Murphy is a soldier in the 86th Regiment. He was
formerly serving with the army in India, and he deposited
his savings, amounting to £2B 125., with Captain Gold,
the commander of his regiment. 'When Murphy
came to England he made the acquaintance of
the prisoner and her brother, John Lucas. They in-
duced him to have his letters addressed to their dwelling in
Chapel-street, St. George-in-the-East. Lucas obtained
possession of an order for the payment of £2B 12s. in favour
of Murphy, and drawn by Captain Gold, and by forging
Murphy's name to it, and representing himself as that per-
son, he obtained cash for it at the office of Sir John Kirk-
laud, army agent, of 17, Whitehall-place, on the 20th of
May last. It was proved that the prisoner, Green, received
the letter containing the order, and that she gave it to her
brother. She is the wife of a carman, and she admitted to
the police, Sergeant 'reeston, No. 58 K, that she received
the order and gave it to her brother, who was keeping out
of the way. Freeston had experienced great difficulties
in the investigation of the case, in consequence of prosecu-
tor's reserve and his want of intelligence.was kee ing back
Mr. Partridge suspected that Murphy p
something. The case must be further investigated. Ile
remanded the prisoner again for a week.