The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-24 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—May 23.

BOW-STREET.—Priscilla Bryant was brought
up on remand, charged with forging the signature
of her husband, George Bryant, to an order for the
payment of £lOO and interest, with intent to de-
fraud the Bank of London. The prosecution was
conducted by Mr. Mullens, and the prisoner was
defended by Mr. Prentice, the barrister.
The depositions having been completed,
Mr. Jardine observed the case was one which he
should think it his duty to send to the sessions.
Mr. Prentice said in that case he thought he
should best serve his client by reserving the defence.
Mr. Jardine then committed her for trial, admit-
ting her to bail in two sureties of £BO each.

Josiah James was next placed at the bar, charged
with being an accessory after the fact to the above
forgery, harbouring and maintaining the woman.
Geo. Bryant deposed that he 'as a stonemason,
and the prisoner, whom he had known for 20 years,
had lodged rvith him about six or seven years. They
came to London together about 18 years ago, and
had since been "bosom friends, almost brothers."
When Mrs. Bryant ran away with the money,
witness told James all about it, and showed him
the letter she wrote to him. In a few days James
left, and after stopping for a short time disappeared;
but at the time when Mrs. Bryant was taken they
were living together as "Mr. and Mrs. James."

Some corroborative evidence having been taken,
the prisoner was committed for trial, but admitted
to bail in two sureties of £25, and his own recog-
nisance for £5O.

CLERKENWELL.—WHOLESALE POT STEAL-
ING.—Joseph Lawrance, 18, described on the charge
sheet as a carpenter, residing in Union-court, Hol-
born, was placed at the bar before Mr. Corrie,
charged on suspicion of stealing five pint pewter
pots, three half-pint pewter pots, and two quart
pewter pots, the property of Mr. Wm. Atkins, the
landlord of the Rising Sun, 12, Tonbridge-street,
Euston-road.

The prisoner on- Friday afternoon was in the
complainant's house, and had occasion to go to the
back yard, where he was shown by the prosecutor.
Sometime afterwards he went down again, and
when he returned the ten pots were safe. He went
down again, and, as business was rather slack, the
prosecutor was sure that no one else went down.
When the prosecutor went down on Saturday the
pots were gone.
Police-constable 31 E said the prisoner at first
refused his address, and then said Union-court, but
not the number. He had made inquiries, but could
not find that the prisoner resided there.
Tho prisoner, in defence, said he did not take the
pots, nor did he know anything about them.
Mr. Corrie said the prisoner would be discharged,
as there was no evidence that he took them.
The prisoner, who seemed surprised at the deci•
sion, then left the court.

ASSAULT AT MESSRS. WHITBREADS'.—Stephen
Burdidd, aged 22, residing at 16, Swan-street,
Borough, a vatmaker, was charged with being drunk,
and assaulting George Brunt, a drayman at Messrs.
Whitbread's, the brewers, Chiswell-street, St.
Luke's.

The representative of the firm said that the pri-
soner had been employed on the premises, and on
Saturday, being the worse for liquor, was asked to
leave, which he refused to do, and as he would not,
and to prevent a recurrence of such a nuisance, he
wished an example to be made of the prisoner.
As Brunt was getting the prisoner off the premises,
he was assaulted, but he said he did not wish to
press the charge, as " if he had had a drop of drink
he might have done the same."
Mr. Corrie said, as the person who had been as-
saulted did not wish to press the charge he could
do nothing but dismiss the case. If the defenZant
was drunk, and assaulted any one that complained
he would be punished.

The defendant, who seemed elated at the decision,
left the court.

IMPORTANT TO PUBLICANS.—Mr. Samuel Brack-
ley, the landlord of the Admiral Benbow public-
house, Golden lane, St. Luke's, was summoned
"for that he, being licensed to keep an alehouse,
did on the 16th inst. unlawfully and knowingly per.
mit and suffer persons of notoriously bad character
to assemble and meet together therein contrary to
the statute," &e.

,
Mr, Thomas Wakeling, solicitor, appeared for the
defendant.

It appeared from the evidence of Sergeant Evans,
22 G, that, about nine o'clock on the evening in
question, he entered the defendant's house, and in
front of the bar he found a number of men and
women of notoriously bad character, some of whom
had been convicted. He told the defendant that he
had thieves in his house, when the defendant said
he would not be threatened. He was at that time
in plain clothes, and he had another constable with
him, also in plain clothes, to whom some of the per-
sons in front of the bar spoke. There were two
pots containing liquor on the bar. He went away,
and returned in about a quarter of an hour with a
policeman in uniform, and again told defendant the
character of the persons he had in his house. They
were the same persons as when he first went to the
house. At 10 o'clock, when he and the constable
wont away, he left all the parties in the house.
In cross-examination the sergeant said that he
did not hear defendant say that he would get rid of
the parties as soon as he could. •
Mr. Wakeling said that even thieves must be
allowed a reasonable time to take refreshment. The
defendant, as soon as he was told the character of
the persons in his house, got rid of them as soon as
he could. His client had been in the house about
nine months, and this was the first complaint that
had been made against defendant by the police.
Sergeant Evans said the neighbourhood was in-
fested with thieves, and the houses were visited by
the police two or three times a week. Complaints
were made, and it was only a few days before that
a gentleman had his eyeglass stolen from him while
passing down the street to the schools.
Mr. Corrie said the act of Parliament was in-
tended for those houses at which thieves and bad
characters met for the purpose of planning robberies,
Mr. Wakeling said that the parties who had been
pointed out by the police had since been forbidden
the house.

Mr. Collie said it was a very serious thing for a
publican if he was convicted of harbouring bad cha-
racters, and would affect his house. As a promise
had been given that it should not occur again he
would dismiss the present summons. The police
had done their duty by pointing out the parties
complained of to the defendant, and he ought not to
have been irritated.
The summons was then dismissed.

ONVICTION OF A WHOLE-
SAL Jones, a dirty-looking
ohfellow was charged with stealing a pint pot, the
property of Mr. Thomas Grammer, the proprietor
of SOUTHWARK.
-sWTEAARLEKR..--CJ
wine vaults, opposite the V!ctoria
p
New-cut, and a pint pot and, half-
pint pot from the Henry the Eiglith public house,
'theatre,
r Pearein
n the Tree
New
High-street, Lambeth.
William Hanley, barman to Mr. Grammer, said
that he saw the prisoner standing near a cask in
front of the bar, where there was a pint-pot and a
half-pint pot. Witness observed his actions, and
saw him secrete the former under his coat and walk
intothe cudy.
Police constable 52 L said he found Mr. Gram •
mer's pot under the prisoner's coat, and the other
pots secreted in his trousers.
Mr. Grammer informed his worship that his
yearly loss from pot stealing was immense. He
was the proprietor of two of the largest public
houses in the New•cut, and although himself and
his servants exercised great vigilance, they seldom
were able to detect the thieves.
The prisoner pleaded guilty, when
Mr. Burcham said he had no doubt he was one of
that class of thieves who visited public houses for
the purpose of stealing pots. In the present in-
stence three pots were found on him, therefore he
should sentence him to three months' hard labour.

WANDSWORTH. ATTEMPTING TO ROB A
PUBLIC HOUSE.—MEETING WITH A WARM RECEP-
TION.---A genteellooking young man, who gave the
name of Alfred Watson, was placed in the dock
before Mr. Ingham, charged with being concerned
with two others in attempting to rob the Champion
public house, Bond-street, Vauxhall.
Mr, John Woodman; the landlord, deposed that