The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-26 00:00:00

Great Mogul Tavern in Drury-lane ; Thomas Gill,
who said he was a druggist ; and Williani Edward
Mitchell, were charged with inciting a lad, named
William Albrow, under-barman at the above house,
to rob his employer, Mr. Edwin Winder.
Mr. Clark, of Bedford-row, prosecuted ; Mr.
Lewis, of Ely-place, defended. Mitchell; and Mr.
E. Lewis, of Marlborough-street, appeared for
Thorpe.
Mr. Clark, in opening the case, stated thai Mr.
Winder, who from the extent of his business had
occasion to employ several barmen, had for some
time had reason to suspect that he was robbed by
his servants. Lately some information which ho
had received, directed his suspicion against Thorpe,
whom he therefoie discharged. Afterwards Mr.
Winder questioned Albrow, who admitted that he
had for some time been in the habit of robbing the
till at the instigation of Thorpe, and by the assist-
ance of Mitchell and Gill. Having no reason to
believe that Albrow would ever have been guilty
of any dishonesty if he had not been prompted to
it by the others, tbo prosecutor had determined
to take the course, which he was sure the magis-
trate would approve, of making Albrow a witness.
He was aware of the difficulty which sometimes
attended the prosecution of a case which depended
mainly on the evidence of a particeps
But in this case he should be able to corroborate
the statement of Albrow in several material parti-
culars by other evidence.
Mr. Jardine said that, though it was not usual
to proceed on the unsupported evidence of an ac-
complice, yet according to la w it was quite open to
the magistrate to commit, and there had been cases
where the jury had convicted, even though the
approver was uncorroborated.
William Albrow was then examined. He deposed
—I have been barman at the Great Mogul since
September, 1857. Thorpe entered the service about
eight months ago. It was our business to serve in
the bar, and to take money. We both had free
access to the till. Mitchell used to call and drink
at the bar, and I was in the habit of serving him
with beer and spirits. Shortly after Thorpe came
to the house we had some conversation. Ido not
remember what was said.

Mr. Clarke—Was it about Mitchell ?
Mr. Lewis—Don't ask him leading questions.
Mr. E. Lewis—He does not require much tutoring.
Mr. Clarke—lndeed, he is a most reluctant wit-
ness. _ _ _

Mr. Jardine said that if any promise had been
made to the witness on the condition of his coming
here and telling the whole truth,• that would not
avail him unless he spoke out. He was not to ima-
gine that he could shuffle out of it.
Mr. E. Lewis—This is threatening him.
The witness then continued, with evident reluc-
tance—lt was arranged that we were to work
together, and I was to have half of whatever we
"done." I was to work with Mitchell. I did so.
He used to come for beer and things, and when
there was any change I used to pass him silver
between the coppers ; sometimes sixpences, some-
times shillings, and sometimes florins. Thorpe
had told me that he knew Mitchell. I never did
this with any one else before. Thorpe was the first
who told me how to do it. I used to give him
ss. or 6s. a day, perhaps more. We used to
settle on Saturday. I know Gill and believe he is
a friend of Thorpe's. Mitchell suggested that I
should give Gill something so that he might not
say anything about our business. I asked if he
had seen anything between me and Mitchell. He
said he knew about it. I proposed to give him
something that he should not say anything. After
that he attended in the same way as Mitchell. I
used to give him 2s. or 35., it might be 4s. I con-
tinued to pursue this course till very lately. I gave
some money two or three days before Thorpe left.
I left on Thursday last. On Friday I met Thorpe
and Mitchell. They asked me if Mr. Winder had
found anything out. I said, " Yes," They asked
if I had told him anything. I answered, '• No."
They said," That is right ; don't say anything."
Mr. Lewis—Do you call yourself a thief ?
Witness—Yes I do.
Mr. Lewis—When did you first .acknowledge
yourself to be a thief ?
Witness—Last Friday, when I told my master,
and signed a written statement.
Mr. Lewis—Did your master promise not to pro-
secute you if you could fix somebody with it ?
Witness—He said he would not prosecute me if
I would tell the truth.
Mr. Lewis—Did he not say he would prosecute
you if you did not fix somebody ?
Witness—No, he did not.
By Mr. E. Lewis—l never was a thief till I
knew Thorpe. Thorpe did not accuse me of doing
this before. I kept no account. Mitchell kept the
reckoning, and I was satisfied with whatever he
gave me. We used to- settle on Saturday morning.
I used to have 30s. or £l. I used to spend it. I
used to go out one day in the week. I generally
went to the theatre in the afternoon. Thorpe and

I had separate divisions in the till.
Mr. Clarke would now ask for an adjournment.
Mr. Lewis hoped the magistrate would not detain
the prisoner on the unconfirmed evidence of a boy
who declared himself a thief.
Mr. Clarke—l shall call witnesses to corroborate
him if the magistrate thinks it necessary.
Mr. Jardine—l think you had better not do that.
Mr. Clarke—Then, sir, I shall apply to you to
bind over the father of the witness, Albrow, for his
eon's appearance.
Mr. Lewis—Better keep the boy in custody. It
might have been any other man he might have
chosen to fix this charge upon to screen himself.
Mr. E. Lewis—There is no evidence against
Thorpe.
Mr. Jardine—l shall certainly commit them all
for trial.
Mr. E. Lewis—At all events, you will not remand
Thorpe without bail.
Mr. Jardine—Most decidedly ; I shall not take
bail for either of them.
The prisoners were accordingly remanded, and
In the course of the sitting, the father of Albrow
attended, and was bound over in £5O for his son's
appearance at the next examination.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.—THE EXTENSIVE
ROBBERY AT THE GERMAN FAlR.—Emma Smith,
aged 38, the mother, and her two daughters, Emma
Smith, 19, and Ellen Smith, 13, were again placed
at the bar before Mr. Beadon, the former charged
with knowingly receiving a vast quantity of toys,
trinkets, and some jewellery, stolen by the latter,
the property of Mr. William Henry Cremer, by
whom they were employed at the German Fair
Bazaar, as shop girls.
The case excited great interest, and the court was
densely crowded, the Rev. David Laing, M.A., of
St. Olave's by the Tower, occupying a seat on the
bench.

Mr. Lewis, jun., of Ely•place, attended on the
part of Mr. Cremer.
Mr. Lewis said—Mr. Cremer felt that it was a
melancholy spectacle to see a mother and her two
daughters, persons who had borne respectable posi-
tions in society, in such a situation as they now stood,
Mr. Cremer had, during the interim of the remand,
received an account of this family, and their his-
tory was unquestionably a very painful one, in
which much distress had ensued, originating in a
husband and father deserting his wife and children
—that was the case here, it had been ascertained;
and the mother, anxious to do the best for her chil-
dren, had put her daughters out to service, where
much temptation being in the way, they had so
sadly and so seriously committed themselves. Mr.
Cremer, as a kind-hearted man, hoping the lesson
the accused persons had received, would prove a
wholesome one, was anxious to withdraw himself
from the prosecution—first, as regards the mother,
who had four very young children at home; and
next, as regards the younger of the two girls, on
account of her extreme youth. Though there could
"not be a doubt Mr. Cremer had been plundered to
a large extent, he would express that he had now
no disposition to press the charge against them ;
and as regards the prisoner Emma, the elder of the
daughters, he would gladly take the suggestion of
the Court,—she had confessed her share in the
transaction, and expressed the greatest contrition,
and if his worship should be of opinion, in his wish
to do good, that Mr. Cremer could consistently
withdraw from the case against her, and therefore
altogether, he would cheerfully do so.
Mr. Beadon said there could be no doubt the
mother was morally cognisant of all that was going
on on the part of her two daughters. He could
have no sympathy for her. He could not pass it
over without expressing, at the same time, his ab-
horrence at the crime of the elder of the two girls,
who, to cover her own delinquency, had sought to
throw upon innocent children, invited to the bazaar
by the benevolent governor of the charity, the guilt
of felony. The hope was, that these young girls
should be saved as much as possible from the con-
tamination of a prison ; and, in this same spirit,
the Rev. Mr. Laing had written to him with the
offer to receive them immediately into the Chelsea
Manor House Reformatory, the condition of entry
being that the candidate shall be unconvicted of
crime, a condition peculiar to that home or esta-
blishment ; for, at all similar receptacles, convic-
tion before a magistrate must be shown to ensure
admission.

The Rev. Mr. Laing having in kind and feeling
terms confirmed the promise he had made, for the
admission of the twoyoungerprisoners, and pointed
out one or two instances of reform among young
persons who had been place d there,
The worthy magistrate put the question to thy
daughters, whether they were willing to enter if
the opportunity were, granted them, when they
sobbed out that they were, and
Mr, Cremer said, he would very cheerfully give