The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-20 00:00:00

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
CHARGE OF STEALING A LETTER.

Edward Barrow, clerk, was indicted for stealing a letter,
the property of the Postmaster-General.

From the evidence it appeared that the prisoner held a
responsible position in the service of the Post-office, and
received a salary amounting to about £l9O per annum. His
duty was to travel with tho mail between London and
Ipswich on the Great Eastern Railway. From certain
circumstances coining to the knowledge of the Post-office
authorities it was thought desirable to post a test letter
for Ipswich, which was put into the bag before it went
into the possession of the prisoner, and on the arrival of
the bag at Ipswich the letter was found to be missing.
The letter contained a half sovereign and some postage
stamps. It was alleged that the prisoner went to
the Railway Hotel and the] o changed half a sove-
reign, which was identified as the marked coin
which had been fastened up in the letter. The
defence was an actual -denial of the whclo theory of the
prosecution. The prisoner alleged that he never changed
half a sovereign at the Railway lintel, but that in pay-
ment fur refreshment supplied to him he gave a sovereign.
With respect to the letter, his counsel urged that as
other persons bad access to the bag, it was
too much to say that he must therefore have
stolen it. Other persons had keys to the letter-bag, but
the Solicitor-General, who proseouted, said the prisoner
was the only person who was engaged sorting the letters
while they were being conveyed to Ipswich by the train.
The 'Jury had not returned their verdict when we went
to press.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.--This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

A WOULD-BE SUICIDE.—Mary Brown, a respectable-
looking lderly female, was charged before Mr. Knox with
attempting to commit suicide by throwing herself into the
Serpentine.

John Labrun, a labouring man, living at Blyth-lane,
Hammersmith, while passing the Serpentine this morning
about 7 o'clock, on his way to his work, saw something in
the water, and on going up found it was the prisoner. He
got her out of the water, and took her to the Humane So
ciety's Receiving House.
Thomas Moson, park-constable, No. 13, said the pri-
soner told him that she was sorry that she had not drowned
herself, and thateishe would do so.

The prisoner said she was sorry for what she had done.
She had been ill for some time and could not sleep, and
went out for a walk. She had a husband in Australia,
and ho remitted her money to keep her. She had no re-
lations of her own.

Mr. Knox—Then it is not want that has caused you to
act as you have done ?
The prisoner said it was not; it was only illness.
Mr. Knox said he would remand the prisoner, and Ser-
geant Cowdy, of the Park Constables, could make in-
quiries respecting her.
A PIG DEALER AND HIS HORSE.—George Arnold, a pig
dealer, of 22A, Blundell-street, Caledonian-road, appeared
to answer the complaint of Mr. John Colam, secretary of the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Mr. Thos. Descorix, residing at No. 11, Bruton-street,
Berkeley-square, said—on the 7th December I saw the
defendant driving a horse attached to a wash- cart, near
St. Martin's church. Through the defendant nearly coming
in collision with an omnibus, the collar of his horse was
seized, and Mr. Descorix then observed a large wound
under the collar of the horse. The horse was in a very
bad condition and had other soros about it.
The defendant said there were no wounds on the horse
when he brought it out. He had only bought it the day
before for £3.

Dobie, officer of the society, said he want to the defen-
dant's stable, next door to a " knacker's," and examined
the horse, and found a largo wound on its breast. On tel-
ling the defendant the wound was an old one and had been
blackened over, the prisoner said it had. The horse which
had once been a good one was old and in low condition.
The defendant admitted that the barrel of wash weighed
16 cwt.

The magistrate said that a good horse got from hand
to hand till it got into such hands r.s the defendant's, and
at last droppod down, being quite worn out. It was cruel
conduct to a poor thing.
The defendant said he had now sold the horse.
Dobie said the defendant had sold it for £3 10s.
The defendant was fined 40s. or a month.