The Sun.
London, England, 1835-11-04 00:00:00

THAMES POLICE.

Yesterday Mr. William Beaver Walker, the landlord of
the Marquis of Granby public-house, in Drury-lane, was
charged before Mr. BALLANTINE and Mr. COMBE with
carrying two gallons of brandy without a permit, by which
he had incurred a penalty not exceeding 1001., nor less than
251, or imprisonment, with hard labour, for three or six
months.

Charles Falconer and George Judge, surveyors of
Thames Police, stated that on Monday evening they met
the defendant in Pickett-street, opposite St. Clement's
Church, carrying a bottle containing two gallons of brandy,
and on demanding his permit he said he had not got one.
They seized the liquor and took him into custody.
Mr. BALLANTINE called on Mr. Walker for his defence.
Mr. Walker stated that a friend, residing in the City,
was making extensive alterations in his house, and the
workmen had disturbed some casks and rendered the
brandy unsaleable, and in this exigency had called upon
him for the loan of two gallons, and he was not before aware
he was doing wrong in removing that quantity without a
permit, He thought he could send out two gallons, or
under, without one.
,r 1 I' •

-1 who
ueienuatn. s ll7Cuu, Carries on a lame business
in the City, begged leave to say a few words. He alone
was to blame, for he had importuned Mr. Walker to lend
him two gallons of brandy, owing to the confusion which
his house was In, and the workmen disturbing his casks.
They both leboured,under an impression that two gallons
could be removed without a permit,
Mr. Comnn--That is the impression of the majority of
the trade, but any quantity exceeding a gallon requires a
permit.
The defendant and his friend appealed to the officers
for the truth of what they had stated ; and Falconer and
Judge said they had no doubt what had been stated was
the fact.
Mr. BALLANTINE said that was all very fair between two
_L, _ • _ 'Lung nn doubt they

had acted in ignorance of the law ; but that was no answer
to the-charge, and he was bound to convict ; for ignorance
could not be received as an excuse for breaking the law,
which every licensed victualler carrying on business was
bound to know. There were no aggravating circumstances
in the ease, and he sentenced the defendant to pay a fine of
251. to the King, or to be imprisoned and kept to hard la-
bour for three months.

The defendant's friend said he had led Mr. Walker into
the error, and he,felt bound to pay the penalty, which was
instantly done.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
George Avery, the driver of a cart, was yesterday
brought before Mr. CONANT on the following charge :
The horse which the defendant was driving in Green-
street, Leicester-square, on Monday evening last, took
fright, as stated, at the barking of a dog, and in the efforts
of the driver to pull the animal up, the reins broke. The
horse dashed through Leicester-square, and in its progress
knocked down a woman, and it is supposed fractured her
skull, and ran the cart against a man named William Tay-
lor with such violence that the shaft penetrated to his
lungs, and caused almost immediate death. The body of
the man was taken to Westminster Hospital to await the
inquest, and the defendant was ordered to be remanded
until the result of the inquiry was known.

QUEEN-SQUARE.
Yesterday three urchins, named Martin, Colyer, and
Bailey, were brought up in custody of "the police, charged
with a robbery under the following audacious circumstances :
It appeared from the evidence that on the previous even-
ing a quantity of druggett and baize was left in the back
premises of Mr. Atkinson, of the Westminster-road. In
the morning the whole was gone. Between twelve and
one o'clock in the morning the three boys, the eldest of
whom is not more than ten, were met by a policeman with
the property in their possession.
The policeman stated that the boys must have climbed
over a high railing to effect the robbery.
The Magistrate, after lamenting the depravity of such
children, committed them for trial.

UNION HALL.

Yesterday William George King was brought before Mr.
TRAILL, charged on suspicion with having set fire to a
warehouse belonging to Messrs. Legg and Co., woolsta-
piers, of Bermondsey, containing property to the amount of
between 30,000/. and 40,000/.
A Gentleman named Meredith on passing along Gun-
alley, Bermondsey, where Messrs. Legg's warehouses are
situate, about ten o'clock on Monday night, saw a vivid
light in the interior, and immediately went up to one of the
windows, and on looking through the bars saw flame and
smoke ascending from a large package within a short dis-
tance from the window. He immediately gave the alarm,
the keys of the warehouse were procured, and water being
speedily brought to bear on the part where the fire broke
out, it was extinguished in a short space of time, and before
any of the property, consisting of wool, had sustained much
damage. Upon subsequent inspection of the warehouse it
was discovered beyond a doubt that some combustible ma-
terials were introduced into the warehouse with the design
of setting fire to the property, and that some person
must have done it from without the building, as a por-
tion of the window in Gun-alley was broken for the pur-
pose of introducing the materials intended for the destruc-
tion of the premises. The windows of the warehouse in
Gun-alley were so close to the foot pavement that they were
easily reached by a person going along the place, so that
much difficulty would not be experienced by any one having
so horrible a design as that of setting the place on fire
to carry it into effect, the only security being the glass
windows and bars, without shutters of any kind. The da-
mage done to the property on the occasion was confined to
that which was next to the window in Gun-alley, and in
order to effect such a diabolical design as that which was
intended, it was necessary to cast some inflammable mate-
rials amongst the wool, the only article contained in the
warehouse to cause the destruction of the whole ; wool
being an article not easily ignited, but when once set in a
flame burns rapidly.
Mr. Legg stated that subsequently to the above occur-
rence the prisoner was taken into custody on suspicion of
having been the person who attempted to set fire to the
warehouse, and added that the following circumstances
gave rise to the degree of suspicion attached to him on the
occasion. The prisoner had worked in the employ of the
firm at various periods during the last six years, and he
left a day or two previously to the discovery of the fire in
the warehouse. On Saturday morning last the prisoner
called at the counting-house, and, addressing Mr. Legg,
said that he came there to speak to him, adding, that he
came there for the purpose of telling him something that
he would be very sorry to hear. Mr. Legg, however, per-
ceiving that the prisoner had been drinking, desired him to
call the next day, and refused to listen then to what he had
got to say. The prisoner did not call again, and from the
expressions he had used on the occasion alluded to, as well
as some other circumstances which occurred subsequently
to his apprehension, the suspicion was strengthened
against him.
The prisoner, when asked if he wished to say anything,
exhibited a great anxiety to explain where he had been, and
what he had been doing since he left Mr. Legg's employ.
He said that he and his wife lived on bad terms, and that
he had made up his mind to leave her and go to sea. With
this intention he left home on Saturday, and went to look
for a ship to go abroad 4 He then gave a minute account
of how he had spent Saturday and Sunday, and said that he
called on Mr. Legg, wi:h a view to tell him that he intended
to part with his wife and to go abroad. This, he said, was
the reason he went to the counting-house to see that Gen-
tleman. In accounting for his time on Monday, the pri-
soner said he had been engaged a portion of that day also
in looking for a ship, and that he went home between five
and six o'clock in the afternoon, and did not stir out of his
house aaain that evening. He declared his innocence of
-such an offence as that with which he was charged, and
said that he had no against Mr. Legg, who was
always a good and benevolent master to him.
The prisoner having varied in his account of the manner
in which he spent his time to Inspector Fagan, that officer
was directed to make further inquiries into the case, and
the prisoner was remanded.