The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-21 00:00:00

LAMBETH-STREET.

Yesterday, Daniel Donovan, a notorious thief,
was charged before Mr. WALKER and Mr. GARFORD,
a county Magistrate, with having, in conjunction
with three others of his fraternity, infused a quan-
tity of opium into two pots of beer, and nearly
poisoning a seaman named William Robinson, to
whom they had administered the latter, with a view of
stupifying him and making him an easy prey to plunder.
Mr. George Comber, the landlord of the City of
Carlisle public-house, in Rosemary-lane, stated that
on Saturday evening, between seven and eight
o'clock, the prisoner and two other men came into
his house in company with a sailor. They all went
into the tap-room, and called for a pot of beer. Sus-
pecting that all but the sailor were bad characters,
and perceiving that they had, paid for the beer (a
practice very unusual among such persons when
they have a sailor in company), he determined on
watching them, to discover their improper inten-
tions, if they had .any. The pot of beer being
drank, they called for another, which they also paid
for, and on his (witness's) taking the measure which
they used to refil it, he observed a quantity of sedi-
ment in the bottom. Thinking that it might have
been occasiond by the ashes of their pipes having
accidentally fallen into it, he laid it on one side and
filled another, and a clean pot. Some time after-
wards he missed the whole party from the room,
and found that they had unfastened a back door
which led into White's-yard, and got away by that
means. Their conduct altogether having excited
his suspicion. he examined the other pot which they
drank out of, and also in it found thick grounds in
the bottom. From the circumstance of the grounds
being in both the vessels, it at once occurred to
him that they had mixed some deleterious ingredi-
ents into the beer, and he in consequence marked
the pot, and instantly gave information of the cir-
cumstance to Hawkes, a policeman. Was quite
certain that the prisoner was one of the party with
the sailor.

Mary Robinson deposed, that on Saturday after-
noon, her son William, who was 25 years of age,
and a sailor, left home, and did not return until late
in the evening, when he appeared excessively ill,
and said that he had been robbed of his neckcloth
by some fellows who had attacked him. She asked
him to have a cup of tea, and before he could make a
reply, he dropped down, and began to foam at the
mouth. S!ie instantly sent for a surgeon, who at-
tended, and on seeing him he pronounced him to be
poisoned, and advised her to have him removed
without delay to the London Hospital. He was
accordingly taken to the Hospital, where the sto-
mach-pump and other remedies were used to save
his life, and they fortunately succeeded.
Hawkes, a police constable, H. 177, stated, that
from what he could learn, the prisoner and his cow:.
panions attacked the sailor in White's-yard, shortly
after they left the public-house. They first stripped

Mr. WALKER asked Mr. Comber if he was aware
whether the prisoner and his companions drank at
all out of the pot ?—Mr. Comber had no doubt
they did, but had afterwards thrown it out of their
mouth, as, on examining, he found upwards of a
pint and a half of beer under the table. Tii.re were
also appearances indicating that one of the party
was sick.
The prisoner was then remanded, in order that
Robinson, his victim, should appear to give evidence
against him.
Phillis Jacobs, an immense-sized Jeaess, and
Elizabeth Till, were yesterday brought in custody
to this office, the former charged with receiving,
knowing it to have been stolen, a gold watch, and
the latter with illegally pawning various articles of
property belonging to Mr.Ephraiin Jacobs, a whole-
sale dealer in watches and jewellery in Bevit-marks.
Mr. Barry, the barrister, and Mr. C. Isaacs, a so-
licitor, appeared on behalf of the prisoners.
Mr. Jacobs, the prosecutor, stated that on the
27th of June, 1831, while returning from Birming-
ham to town, the coach in which he travelled was
upset, and his arm broken. This accident obliged
him to remain at an inn on the road for some consi-
derable time, and his wife, wishing to see him, left
town for that purpose, first placing the daughter of
Mrs. Jacobs, one of the prisoners, and her husband,
in the house, to take care of it until she returned.
Some weeks after he had come up to town he exa-
mined his boxes and drawers, and disccvered that
watches and jewellery amounting to upwards of
4,0001. had been taken away during his absence.
He was not enabled from that time, until lately, to
trace any of the property, though he had no doubt
that it had been stolen by the young woman and
her husband who had been left in cute of it ; but lie
had ascertained sufficient to enable him to take out
a warrant against the parties.
Tne son of Mrs. Jacobs had informed him where

there was a gold watch, which was pledged by the
desire of his mother; and, finding this to be the case,
he had her taken into custody. The other prisoner;
in the capacity of servant to Mrs. Jacobs's daughter,
had also pawned a good deal of the property. In
the cross-examination of Mr. Jacobs, he admitted
that Mrs. Jacobs was his sister-in-law, and that his
wife was in the habit of selling and pawning his
property. He also said that she had been accused
of having picklock keys, but he did not believe it.
The son of Mrs. Jacobs, the prisoner, was here
called. He stated, that about eight months since,
he pledged a gold watch, by the desire of his mother,
which was sent to her by his sister, and which he
knew to be the property of his ❑ncle, the prost cuter.
His mother received a sovereign for pledging the
article, his brother .55., and his sister the remainder
of six guineas, which was got on the article. This
witness admitted he knew that the watch was stolen
at the time, though he had not disclosed the fact to
his uncle for many months afterwards, nor until he
had had some quarrel with his family.
Mr. WALKER could not detain the prisoners on
such testimony, and they were discharged.

THAMES POLICE.
Yesterday, Charles Allen, Maria Thomas, Sarah
Shaw, and Ann Mills, were brought before Mr.
BRODERIP for re-examination, charged with counter-
feiting the current silver coin of the country.
The prisoners are part of the numerous gang who
bad been for some time watched by Mr. Mitchell
and Mr. Fogg, surveyors of Thames police, and
were apprehended a few days back.
Mr. Field, the inspector of the Mint, now at-
tended and said, that although there was no moral
doubt that the prisoners had been carrying on the
manufacture of base coin, the evidence was too
slight to warrant a prosecution. They were then
discharged.

UNION-HALL.
A charge of assault was preferred by a young
woman against an old one, in the course of which
he former charged the defendant with " putting a
.4pell" upon her, so that she could not venture to
lake up any thing in the " crockery line" without
letting it fall out of her hands, and smashing it to
pieces.

Mr. CHAMBERS inquired what the complainant
meant by the old woman putting a " spell upon
her ?" Complainant—Your worship, she is nothing
more nor less than an old witch, and every body in
he neighbourhood knows that there.
The old woman knew nothing about witchcraft,
and-had no baud in " putting a spell " upon her ac-
cuser, who was never " quiet," except when she
was scolding her, and calling her out of her name.
The complainant said, that the old woman had,
by her acquaintance with a certain " club-footed
gentleman," put a spell upon a man, that was now
lying on the flat of his back, bed-ridden, and there
he would lie until she thought proper to take the
veil off.

The old lady was very indignant at such an accu
sation, and said it was done out of spite.
Complainant--She rattles marbles in a tea-pot
at my door in the middle of the night, and fetches
up rats alive out of the cellar by the tails, and lets
them loose upon me; and, moreover, she is a killer
of cats.

• Mr. CHAMBERS should listen to no more of this
nonsense. If the complainant and defendant had
been alive 150 years ago, one would have been
ducked for a scold, and the other would hare been
burnt for a witch.

At a recent sale of wines at Beech-hill, near
Barnet, the port sold for 110 s. and the sherry for 170 s.
per dozen.
SINGULAR RESTITUTION.—A few days ago
a young gentleman, of respectable appearance and address,
entered the shop of Mr. POMFRET, glass and china man
in Stonegate, in this city, and asked the price of an orna-
ment which appeared in the window. On being told, he
immediately tendered down the money, and, turning
round, was preparing to leave the shop, when Mr. P. re-
minded him that he was leaving the article behind him.
The stranger then turned to Mr. P., and informed him
that about six years ago he was in this city, and, in com-
pany with some ladies, paid a visit to Mr. POMFRET'S
show-rooms, in which they were left a few moments
alone; that he availed himself of the opportunity to
Docket an ornament similar to the one for which he had
now paid ; that subsequently he had been much distressed
in his mind about the transaction, and had rolved, at the
tirst opportunity, to make restitution; that opportunity
had now arrived, for this was the first time of his visiting
the city since the unfortunate occurrence, and that he felt
happy in having been enabled thus to atone for an act
which bad caused him to much trouble of mind. Having
offered this explanation, he left the shop, and Mr. P. saw
him no more.— York Herald.

PREMATURE INTERMENT.—A distressing
instance of premature interment occurred last week in the
neighbourhood of Old-street, St. Luke's. A poor woman
and her son were violently attacked with cholera, which.
in the case of the latter very soon terminated, as it was
supposed, fatally ; and after having lain apparently lifeless
f r a few hours, the body was buried. The poor wo-
man also shortly after got worse, and became insensible
and motionless. Having been kept as long as was consi-
dered safe, she was put into a coffin to be buried; but just
as the undertakers were about to screw it down, she re-
vived, pushed off the lid, and very soon recovered. Having
anxiously inquired about her son, she was informed that he
had been buried for several hours, which made her very un-
easy, and she insisted upon his being exhumed. lier de-
sires were, after a short delay, complied with, and the
horror of the spectators can scarcely be imagined, when on
opening the coffin it was found the child had turned round,
and torn its face almost to pieces with agony, having, it
must of course be supposed, come to life in this dreadful
situation. (From a correspondent.)—[We cannot vouch
for the truth of this statement, but it comes from a s,mrce
above all suspicion, and if true it is of very great import.
ante, and should not be lightly disregarded.}. Giubes