The Sun.
London, England, 1832-09-17 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

The attention of Mr. DYER, jun., was occupied
for some time, on Saturday, in investigating a charge
against two young men, named George Postic and
Thomas Sumner, for stealing a horse and c.►b, the
property of Mr. Steel, jeweller, &c. 71, Oxford-
street. Mr. Steel had licences to work several ca-
briolets, and the prisoner Sumner was employed as
one of the drivers. On Tuesday, Mr. Steel .ob-
served to Sumner that he would give him a treat,
by allowing him to drive his own gig horse in the
cab until 3 o'clock, when Sumner was to return
home to change the animal for another. Night how-
ever arrived, and the horse not having been brought
home, Mr. Steel became alarmed, and actually sat
up all night, expecting the arrival of Sumner with
the property ; but he not making his appearance,
Mr. Steel gave information of the circumstance to
the various station-houses. On Thursday morn-
ing a letter was received by Mr. Steel from Mr.
Ward, a, publican at Chatham, stating that his horse
and cab had been stopped in the possession of a
young man, under suspicious circumstances. From
subsequent inquiries, and the prisoner's own ac-
knowledgment, it would appear that while Sumner
and other cabmen were drinking at a public-house
in Farringdon-street, Postle came in with a segar in
his mouth, and after some conversation, which was
relieved by sundry portions of porter, &c., Postle
said he wanted to go to Woolwich ; he said he had
no money, but would make it all right when he got
there, as his father was foreman to the Woolwich
roads. Sumner agreed to take him, and off they started
in Mr. Steel's cab, in company with another cabman,
named Baker. Whether by mistake or design did
not appear, but instead of Woolwich, Dulwich was
reached, and from thence they proceeded to the Red
Lion, Shooter's-hill, where they discussed the merits
of sundry glasses of brandy and water, smoked seve-
ral segars, and otherwise enjoyed themselves, until
the prisoner Sumner, according to Pestle's account,
became " dead drunk," and lay down under the table.
Postle had ordered beds for the three, but the land-
lord would not " oblige aem." The horse and
cab were in waiting at the door, and young Postle
turned his back upon his companions, jumped into
the cab, and drove off at a tremendous rate. The

ei41...t,
1 orse was the best in Mr. Steel's stables; in Girt,
wa he oue he occasionally followed the hunt on,
and di not require true, II ,guing to be made to go,
but the " young gemleteare" as Sumner termed
Postle; soon broke the whip about his quarters, arid
so horribly ill-treated the animal with the stump-
end, that he raised a lump on the back cf
the poor creature as large as a pint pot.
Early on Wednesday morning, Postle arrived
at the house of Mr. Ward, at Chatham, the
horse writhing with pain, and evacuating a quantity
of blood. A person proved that the animal had
since been seized with a locked-jaw, and could not
-urvive the ill-usage. The prisoner Poetle asked Mr.
Ward to put up the horse and get some breakfast
ler himself. Mr. Ward's suspicions were excited
on seeing the cab at Chatham, and he put some
questions to the prisoner, who stated that his father,
`. Old Steel," had given 801. for the horse, and 101.
for the cab, to set him up in business, but he had
only taken 55, on the previous day in London, and
he was determined to try his luck in the country,
and he should proceed as far as Dover, a; husiness
was cursed bad in town. The prisoner theti storied
to hot row some money on the cab and harness; e
he would ride on saddle to Dover, and, if lie did riot
return in fourteen days, he gave Mr. Ward permis-
sion to cry a bill of sale, and dispose of the property.
Mr. Ward refused the loan, when the prisoner went
out to sell his hat at a Jew's shop. He was fol-
lowed by Mr. Ward, to whom the prisoner offered
to sell the cab and harness, and, on their way back,
Mr. Ward handed him over to a constable, to whom
the landlord had expressed his suspicions. On
searching the cab, the stamp-office plate was found
under the seat, and on inquiry at Somerset-house,
they ascertained the cab belot'ged to Mr. Steel, who
was written to immediately upon the subject, Mr,
Steel went down to Chatham, identified his pro,
perry, and the magistrates there sent the case to this
office, when Mr. Ward, in addition to his eii4idenct
above given, handed over a letter which the prietteret
bad written at his house, and requested him to pet
in the post-office. It was addressed to " Lucy'
Right, Queen-street, Woolwich, Kent." The sub-
joined is a literal copy:—
" My dear Lucy,—With pleasure isend these fue lines
to you, hopeing that when I come to Woolwich I shall
find you in good health as it leaves me at present ; my.
angle, lam on the journey to your home this eviniog: I
am goine to Yarmouth on Friday. I long to now how
you are, and weather you wish me to renew my visits es
usual, tell me, my angle, and I shall now vhat to do. f
have plenty a work to do in town, but there is know
money to be got; but I can assure you, my dear Lucy,
I wish to now who it was that turned your mind against
ale, was it any of my relations; Tell me canted who it
was, and then I shall be contented ; I can assure you that
you and you only was the instigation of me going to Snt
Lukes Hospital, and I thought it very hard that yan never
so much as inquired after my health all the time that I was
in that iron dungen. I can assure you that when I give it
a serious thought it makes me shudder ; no matter, thank
God I am quite well at present, and I can get my living
at anything—there is nothing comes a miss to pout'
George Postle : all that I want to be happy, is you to
give me your hand and heart, and you shall be mine; tell
Inc, dear Lucy, if you will—l will not leave it, but atik
close to businness; but if pin say know, I shall go a
Roving, and very likely it will be my Ruin, so it Laics in-
tirely to you, my Angle. Please to give me an answer to
this letter when I present it to you this evening; if it is
satisfaetry to your mind, I then shall stop at my own Da-
tive place, Woolwich. If you are not sat;afieti, I will go to
see, and very like you may never hear from your true Lave
any more. So now excuse any more from a true lover.
" GEORGE POSTLE, Tailor, Dress, Stay,
habit, bonet, and Please Maker in general!.
" Woolwich, Kent."

Mr. DYER asked the prisoner Postle Low he
could account for his extraordinary conduct ? Postle
replied, that it was a drunken spree, and when he
found the others drunk, he took possession of the cab.
Mr. DYER remarked, that the prisoner answered
to a case of felony in the coolest manner he ever

heard. In answer to further questions,the prisoner
said " he was any thing ;" he had been a tailor,
had served in a riding establishment, and had been
rhree years with a surgeon. He might do the same
thing again if he had a chance. The other answers
or the prisoner were so flippant as to excite the
utmost astonishment among all present.
The prisoner Sumner said, the reason he did not
return to his employer's stables at the time specified
was in consequence of his not having earned the
usual half-day's work, 9s. He did not come to town
until Thursday, as he was searching for the other
prisencr and the cab. He was then taken into cus-
tody by Avis, the officer.

Mr. DYER asked Mr. Steel if he suspected the
prisoner Sumner as being accessory to the felony,
and that gentleman having replied in the affirmative,
both prisoners were remanded, to give time for fur-
ther inquiries.