The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-17 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE

BOW-STREET.
Yesterday John. Roberts, alias the Rev. John Ar-
chibald Roberts, was brought before Mr. HALLS, in
order to be finally examined on the charge of having
forged the signature of Mr. Alexander Mackenzie,
a merchant of London, to a bill of exchange for
167/..5a., on the house of Baring, Brothers, and
Co., of Bishopsgate-street, which bill the prisoner
passed to Mr. William Hudson, partner of Mr.
Manton, the guamaker.
The prisoner, when brought from the lock-up
room, and placed at the bar, took his prayer-book
from his pocket, and, as on the former day, kept his
eyes on it during the examination, without, how-
ever, turning over a single page.
The evidence taken on the former examination
was then read over, and signed by the several wit-
nesses.

Mr. Hudson, the principal witness, had been re-
minded of one or two circumstances which had oc-
curred at his apprehension, and which he had
omitted to mention on Monday. When he (Mr.
Hudson) entered the prisoner's apartment at Cam-
bridge, he said, " Well, Mr. Roberts, you have led
me a pretty dance, but I have found you at last."
The prisoner, upon being thus accosted, prostrated
hitaself,and said, "For the love of Christ, do not pro-
secute me. Mercy, mercy, mercy, mercy ! It shall
be made all right." The reply which he (Mr.
Hudson) made was, that he had committed a vile
fraud, and must take the consequences. The pri-
soner then offered to give up every thing he had,
stating that he was in possession of more property
than would cover the amount of the forgery. The
witness, however, would listen to no offer of com-
promise, and gave the prisoner into the custody of
Ellis.

Mr. HALLS asked how it was that Mr. Hudson
was so readily imposed upon by the prisoner ? Mr.
Hudson—Why, the fact is, that I was deceived by
the apparent respectability of the prisoner, and his
plausible manners. I was also under the impression
that he was the brother of Mr. Gore Langton, ac-
cording to his own statement.
Mr. Alley asked Ellis what property he had taken
from the prisoner.
Ellis had found in the prisoner's trunk two Bank
of England notes, one for 1001. and the other for
50/.,together with two notes for twenty dollars each,
and one for ten dollatF, upon the New York and
New Jersey American Banks.
Mr. Alley, after commenting upon the improper
practice of officers detaining money belonging to
prisoners until after their conviction, when, in most
cases, it fell to the Sheriff, said, he understood that
the prisoner had a wife and family, and he hoped
that the Magistrate would order the two Bank of
England notes to be handed over by the officer for
their use.
Mr. HALLS having ascertained that there was no
fresh charge likely to be preferred against the pri-
soner, consented to allow the 50/. note to be given
to his family, but ordered the note for 1001. to be
detained for the present.
The prisoner, on being asked if he had any thing
to say, raised his eyes, and answered " Nothing,
now."

Mr. HALLS then told him that he must stand
committed for trial.
Mr. Alley, on behalf of the prisoner, requested
that he might be sent back to the New Prison,
where he had hitherto been confined, instead of
being sent to Newgare.
Mr. HALLS really did not feel that he ought to
make any difference between the case of this pri-
soner and that of any other person placed in similar
circumstances. If he could be induced to draw a
distinction between the educated and uneducated, it
would certainly not be in favour of the former, and
more especially he would make no exception in
favour of a man whose education had been bestowed
upon him for the purpose of instructing others.
The prisoner was then removed from the bar,
and subsequently sent in the common van to Newgar e.
The prisoner is the son of an officer of revenue
at Liverpool. He is now 26 years of age, and was
residing some months ago in New Jersey, from
which place lie suddenly absconded, in consequence
of a similarcharge having been preferred against him.
UNION- HALL.
On Wednesday a grotesque-looking figure of a
man, named Peter Townsend, who described him-
self the original inventor of kidney-puddings, was
brought up in custody, charged with stealing a
wheelbarrow and seven dozen of beef, mutton,
kidney, and eel-pies, which he was entrusted to
convey to the encampment at Windsor, to sell at
the review.
John Williams, a flying-pieman, who attends all
the fires that occur in the metropolis, stated that he
met Townsend last week, who complained that
business was slack in his way, and asked to be em-
ployed on some job. The complainant knowing
him to be a man who " got up" all sorts of pies
well, but more especially kidney-puddings, at once
engaged him, and set him at work making different
sorts of pastry, to please the palates of the visitors
at the review. When the defendant had finished
his work, and made up all his pies, it was then
agreed that he should be furnished with a wheel-
barrow or machine, to convey them to Windsor, and
for his work and loss of time he was to have had
one-third of the profits arising from the sale of the
dainties. All being in readiness, Townsend set out
from the domicile of his employer, in Royal Tent-
court, Kent-street, for the seat of royalty at Wind-
sor, on Thursday, in order to be there in good time.
Unfortunately, before he got clear of the purlieus of
St. George's, he met with an old acquaintance, who
induced him to enter a beer-shop, and he there
swallowed such a quantity of new ale, which not
being accustomed to, as he describes, took such an
effect on him, that he scarcely knew what he was
about. Instead, however, of taking the road for
Windsor, he bent his course over London Bridge,
with the wheel-barrow and pies; and having had
another drop to wet his whistle, he mechanically
turned to the right on getting into Gracechurch-
street, and never stopped until he got amongst his
old pals in Whitechapel. As he was pretty " well
breeched" for the journey to Windsor, and his
companions flocked about the wheel-barrow, he was
well disposed to " stand treat," and in they all
poured to a neighbouring house, where " blue
ruin" was the order of the day. Peter Towns-
end, on coming into the air, became so giddy,
that when he took hold of the wheel-barrow, down
he fell plump into the kennel, and the pies rolled
out of the barrow in all directions. The "
chapel birds" were abroad at the time, and there was
a general scramble for the savoury patties. Poor
morei thani e a theadl f
Peter himself, owing, to his bei ng4` n tc's in
liquor," was incapable of saving
dozen from the general wreck. The circumstance,
however, which rendered his conduct more repre-
hensible than that described, was that after all had
happened, losing the whole of his employer's pro-
perty, and spending the money advanced to him, he
left the wheelbarrow in pledge for a debt he con-
tracted at his lodgings. He never went near the
complainant, who met him by accident yesterday
morning on London Bridge, and gave him into
custody.
The Magistrate asked the defendant what expla-
nation he had to give for his scandalous conduct to
the man who had employed him at a time that lie
was in distress, and without work ?
Townsend—. Your Worship, I am really grieved
at what has happened; but my losing the pies oas
all owing to some new ale which disordered me