The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-09 00:00:00

THAMES.

A FRAUDULENT DEALER IN WOOD.—THE NEW ACT.
..-James Harren, aged 36, of No. 4, Charlotte-street,
Willow-walk, Shoreditch, coke and wood dealer, was
charged with fraudulently converting to his own use
eighteen hundred bundles of fire-wood, value £3 35., the
property of William Watts.
Mr. Beard, solicitor, conducted the prosecution, and said
it was instituted under a section of the new Act, called "An
Act to make better provision for the punishment of frauds
committed by trustees, bankers, and other persons trusted
with property." The 4th section of the new Act, the 20th
and 21st of Vict., cap. 54, stated if any person being a bailee
of any property shall fraudulently take or convert the same to
his ow-n use, or the use of any person other than the owner there-
of, although ho shall not break bulk or otherwise determine
the bailment, he shall be deemed guilty of larceny. In
this case the prisoner applied to Mr. Watts, who was a fire-
wood merchant, of No. 325, High. street, -.VVapping, for
permission to carry out wood, and his cart was laden with
1,800 bundles. Three invoices were at the same time deli-
vered to the prisoner, for him to leave with three persons
to whom the wood was consigned, and upon each invoice
was written, "Will call to-morrow," meaning that Mr.
Watts would call next day for payment. The prisoner did
not deliver the wood to Mr. Watts' customers, and it was
not known what had become of it. Mr. Beard then put in
certificates from the parties to whom the wood was con-
signed, and said that, after hearing Mr. Watts, he should
ask the magistrate to remand the prisoner, and apply for
three summonses for the witnesses to attend the noxt exa-
mination. Mr. Watts confirmed the statement of his
solicitor, and said he was to allow the prisoner 3d. per hun-
dred for the delivery of the wood to his customers. He
made the arrangement with the prisoner on Thursday last,
and on Fridayhe delivered to him 1,800 bundles of wood, and
directed him to supply Mr. Foster, of Fore-street, Cripple-
gate, with 100 bundles, 500 to Mr. Norman, in the same
street, and 300 to Mr. Gurney, in Ropemaker-street, Fins-
bury. He gave three invoices, stating what each party
wa-; to receive, and the amount. He went to the respective
parties on Friday ; they had not received the wood. He
saw the prisoner yesterday, and said, " What have you done
with the wood ?" and after making various excuses, he said,
" Well, I have chucked it over the bridge.
On the application of Mr. Beard, the prisoner was re-
mgcled to the cltrkeuwvll del a of Dotvutiola for a weal

The Right Hon. Lord Brougham presided.
Mr. HASTINGS, the secretary, opened the pro-
ceedings by reading a paper written for the occa-
sion, in wkich the author (Mr. Dempsey) spoke of
the question arising as to the desirability of entirely
remodelling by a new act of Parliament the whole
system pursued in this ancient and useful office, or
of extending the duties of the coroner so as to
make his office an unfailing check upon crime, a
powerful sanitary engine, and one of the greatest
boons founded by a liberal and wise ad-
ministration. Although the law held the coroner
responsible, under a fine, for not holding inquiries
when called upon, yet county magistrates had,
through a power they possessed, been in the con-
stant habit in many counties of disallowing the
coroner's fees, and to such a serious pitch had this
system arrived, that inquests had not been held in
cases the law imperatively directed they should be
when coroners allowed themselves to be trammelled
by the county magistrates, and the consequence was
the law was evaded and justice might be easily
hoodwinked. Very recently such a state of things
was brought under the notice of the Home Office
as occurring in Kent. The coroner had no protec-
tion at present against such magisterial interference;
and the time had arrived when some more definite
and intelligible rules should be laid down for the
guidance of the coroner and the protection of the
court. After then speaking of the coroner's as a
people's court, " a shield against oppression and
injustice," and drawing attention to its being a
watchful guardian over the health of the community
at large, the author observed :—" It is indeed highly
dangerous to permit a meddlesome interference on
the part of the magistrates, both county and stipen-
diary. The legislature for ages, it may be truth-
fully said, has considered the office of coroner a
wise and salutary check upon crime, and a great
protection to the people, especially as far as their
health and lives are concerned, and therefore why
an uncalled-for magisterial interference with its
functions." He would have the coroners salaried
and not paid bT fees ; he would give to the coroner's
court a supervision over chemists and druggists in
the sale of poisons and drugs, and the adulteration
of food, as being injurious to the public health,
should be an indictable offence through the court at
the quarter sessions. Investigations in all sanitary
matters should be left with the court, and parochial
officials should be severely dealt with where death
arose from their neglect, cruelty, or indifference.
An important change the author further proposed
as regards infanticide and concealment of
birth. A case of infanticide was under existing
circumstances, very hard to prove ; but he
would check infanticide by obtaining a wider defini-
tion of concealment of birth, and punishing severely
for the minor offence. In Scotland the law was
much clearer on this subject, and there could be no
doubt a large population was thereby saved to
minister to the state, for the law there held it to
be concealment of birth, not only where the body
was concealed after death, but where the mother
concealed her pregnant condition for a certain
period before confinement; as it was urg
she thus
probably would sacrifice the child's life by not hav-
ing medical and other assistance
proposed to abolish
inquiry into the state of mind of persons who had
committed suicide, and the author in conclusion
proposed to establish a coroner system in Scotland.
A long discussion then took place upon the points
treated of in the paper of Mr: Dempsey, in the course
of which the necessity of making some important
alteration in the office of coroner, for an increase in
the powers of that officer, was strongly insisted on ;
after which it was decided to appoint a committee
to consider and report on the matters contained in
the paper. The meeting then adjourned.